Ellensburg climate — normals and trends
Ellensburg (United States) has a warm-summer mediterranean continental climate (Dsb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 7.7 °C and it receives 490 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (19.6 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-3.4 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Ellensburg averages 137 frost days, 20 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 95 rainy days per year.
Ellensburg has warmed by +2.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.30 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 157 to 117 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 40.5 °C (on 28 June 2021) and the coldest -32.7 °C (on 29 December 1990).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
EllensburgWashington
- coords
- 47.00°, -120.55°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
7.7°C
Average daily high
13.0°C
Average daily low
2.7°C
Annual rainfall
490mm
Sunshine / day
10.0h
Mean relative humidity
65%
Average peak wind
13.5km/h
Seasonal range
23.0°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
137 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
20 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
95 d/yr
Annual snowfall
128.9 cm
Average feels-like high
10.4 °C
Average feels-like low
-0.7 °C
Average peak gust
35.5 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
15.9 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.6 °C
since 1940
+0.3 °C per decade · r² = 0.59 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
40.5 °C
28 June 2021
Coldest day
-32.7 °C
29 December 1990
Wettest day
56 mm
12 November 2008
Windiest day
38.3 km/h
2 January 1951
Strongest gust
99.0 km/h
3 May 2010
Hottest feels-like
41.2 °C
29 June 2021
Coldest feels-like
-37.4 °C
29 December 1990
Snowiest day
31.1 cm
19 November 1996
Sunniest day
15.7 h
14 June 1940
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.0 °C | +2.4 °C | 35 mm | -42 mm |
| Feb | 1.8 °C | -1.2 °C | 68 mm | +15 mm |
| Mar | 10.3 °C | +3.1 °C | 66 mm | +20 mm |
| Apr | 15.5 °C | +3.0 °C | 16 mm | -18 mm |
| May | 19.7 °C | +1.7 °C | 10 mm | -22 mm |
| Jun | 25.1 °C | +3.0 °C | 3 mm | -18 mm |
| Jul | 28.4 °C | +1.3 °C | 3 mm | -5 mm |
| Aug | 28.3 °C | +1.9 °C | 17 mm | +6 mm |
| Sep | 25.1 °C | +3.5 °C | 9 mm | -9 mm |
| Oct | 13.0 °C | -0.6 °C | 42 mm | +2 mm |
| Nov | 7.0 °C | +2.3 °C | 75 mm | +3 mm |
| Dec | 5.4 °C | +5.3 °C | 169 mm | +89 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Ellensburg?
Ellensburg has a warm-summer mediterranean continental climate (Köppen Dsb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 7.7 °C and it receives 490 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Ellensburg?
The hottest day measured in Ellensburg between 1940 and 2025 was 28 June 2021, reaching 40.5 °C.
What is the coldest day in Ellensburg?
The coldest day measured in Ellensburg between 1940 and 2025 was 29 December 1990, at -32.7 °C.
Does it snow in Ellensburg?
Yes. Ellensburg gets on average 128.9 cm of snow per year and has around 137 frost days.
Has the climate of Ellensburg warmed?
Yes: Ellensburg warmed by +2.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Ellensburg?
The wettest day measured in Ellensburg between 1940 and 2025 was 12 November 2008, with 56 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Ellensburg?
The windiest day measured in Ellensburg between 1940 and 2025 was 2 January 1951, with winds reaching 38.3 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Ellensburg?
The warmest month in Ellensburg is July (19.6 °C on average); the coldest is January (-3.4 °C).
How much does it rain in Ellensburg?
Ellensburg receives on average 490 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 95 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Ellensburg?
Ellensburg gets on average 10.0 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,650 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Ellensburg?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Ellensburg between 1940 and 2025 was 19 November 1996, with 31.1 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Ellensburg?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Ellensburg.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Ellensburg?
In Ellensburg, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 41.2 °C on 29 June 2021, and the lowest was -37.4 °C on 29 December 1990.
Compare Ellensburg with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Ellensburg