Washington climate — normals and trends
Washington (United States) has a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 14.0 °C and it receives 265 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 (27.8 °C on average) and the coldest is January (1.1 °C). Rainfall peaks in January.
Washington averages 94 frost days, 90 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 44 rainy days per year.
Washington has warmed by +3.4 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.40 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 119 to 69 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 42.0 °C (on 9 July 2021) and the coldest -25.1 °C (on 4 January 1950).
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
WashingtonUtah
- coords
- 37.13°, -113.51°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
14.0°C
Average daily high
20.4°C
Average daily low
7.2°C
Annual rainfall
265mm
Sunshine / day
11.1h
Mean relative humidity
38%
Average peak wind
14.2km/h
Seasonal range
26.7°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
94 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
90 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
44 d/yr
Annual snowfall
44.0 cm
Average feels-like high
17.5 °C
Average feels-like low
3.5 °C
Average peak gust
36.5 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
38 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.2 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+3.4 °C
since 1940
+0.4 °C per decade · r² = 0.72 · 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
42.0 °C
9 July 2021
Coldest day
-25.1 °C
4 January 1950
Wettest day
67 mm
3 August 1951
Windiest day
40.7 km/h
15 April 2002
Strongest gust
109.4 km/h
15 April 2002
Hottest feels-like
40.8 °C
16 July 1998
Coldest feels-like
-30.6 °C
4 January 1950
Snowiest day
18.1 cm
3 February 2008
Sunniest day
14.6 h
18 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 | 9.3 °C | +1.8 °C | 1 mm | -41 mm |
| Feb | 14.3 °C | +4.1 °C | 29 mm | -12 mm |
| Mar | 15.7 °C | +1.6 °C | 48 mm | +8 mm |
| Apr | 20.9 °C | +1.6 °C | 11 mm | -12 mm |
| May | 26.1 °C | +1.3 °C | 30 mm | +19 mm |
| Jun | 32.7 °C | +1.9 °C | 4 mm | +0 mm |
| Jul | 34.2 °C | +0.3 °C | 2 mm | -3 mm |
| Aug | 34.0 °C | +1.5 °C | 16 mm | +6 mm |
| Sep | 28.7 °C | +0.2 °C | 5 mm | -7 mm |
| Oct | 22.1 °C | +0.5 °C | 29 mm | +10 mm |
| Nov | 17.0 °C | +3.4 °C | 37 mm | +11 mm |
| Dec | 13.8 °C | +5.5 °C | 38 mm | +4 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 Washington?
Washington has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 14.0 °C and it receives 265 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Washington?
The hottest day measured in Washington between 1940 and 2025 was 9 July 2021, reaching 42.0 °C.
What is the coldest day in Washington?
The coldest day measured in Washington between 1940 and 2025 was 4 January 1950, at -25.1 °C.
Does it snow in Washington?
Yes. Washington gets on average 44.0 cm of snow per year and has around 94 frost days.
Has the climate of Washington warmed?
Yes: Washington warmed by +3.4 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Washington?
The wettest day measured in Washington between 1940 and 2025 was 3 August 1951, with 67 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Washington?
The windiest day measured in Washington between 1940 and 2025 was 15 April 2002, with winds reaching 40.7 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Washington?
The warmest month in Washington is July (27.8 °C on average); the coldest is January (1.1 °C).
How much does it rain in Washington?
Washington receives on average 265 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 44 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Washington?
Washington gets on average 11.1 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 4,052 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Washington?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Washington between 1940 and 2025 was 3 February 2008, with 18.1 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Washington?
Yes: Washington has on average 38 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Washington?
In Washington, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 40.8 °C on 16 July 1998, and the lowest was -30.6 °C on 4 January 1950.
Compare Washington with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Washington