Anacortes, WA Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, plus PlainClimate's derived comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Anacortes's primary NOAA station, ANACORTES.
The climate verdict for Anacortes
A compact 22.8°F seasonal swing gives Anacortes, Washington a steadier-than-extreme annual shape. NOAA reports an annual average of 53°F. Its climate comfort score of 73/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 66% of station-mapped location scores.
- 53°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 73/100
- comfort score, above 66% of station-mapped location scores
- 29.0"
- yearly precipitation total
- 257 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Anacortes: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00450176 · Anacortes, WA 53°F mean · 29.0" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-NARROW · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 53°F
- RANK-MID #3,568
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Eureka Wfo Wood…
- PRCP-MID 29.0"
- SWING-NARROW 23°F
- COMF-MID 73/100
- LOAD-HEAT 4,520 HDD
- STN-1 USC00450176
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Eureka Wfo Woodley Island, CA ( -0.2 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every WA station list.
- Anacortes (this station) 53°F
- Cold Cloverdale, OR 53°F
- Hot Willits, CA 53°F
- Near Eureka Wfo Wood…, CA 53°F
- Near Arcata Eureka, CA 53°F
Climate Living Index · Anacortes
Anacortes: 79/100 · grade B
Anacortes publishes 4 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 2 missing weights rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Anacortes, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 73/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 0 calendar days | 100/100 · A |
| Frost-free season | 257 days/year | 91/100 · A |
| Precipitation balance | 29.0 in · 6.0 from 35 in | 79/100 · B |
| Annual temperature balance | 52.8°F · 14.7° from 67.5°F | 52/100 · D |
Anacortes · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Anacortes is a temperate Köppen climate: Csb
Coldest-month mean 41.9°F and warmest-month mean 64.7°F place this station in temperate, dry-summer, warm summer climates (Csb). Class Csb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: temperate, specifically temperate, dry-summer, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Csb
- Group
- Temperate
- Warmest month
- 64.7°F
- Coldest month
- 41.9°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Anacortes sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Anacortes's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 52nd percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- 39th percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 95%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Anacortes is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Anacortes compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Anacortes's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
73 Top 34% score exceeds 66% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Below this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). This entry sits in this band.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48°F (9°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 3.9" | 8.7 | 0.0 |
| February | 51°F (10°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 2.6" | 6.5 | 0.0 |
| March | 54°F (12°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 2.4" | 3.0 | 0.0 |
| April | 59°F (15°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 2.1" | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| May | 66°F (19°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 1.9" | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| June | 70°F (21°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 1.5" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| July | 75°F (24°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 0.8" | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| August | 75°F (24°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 1.4" | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| September | 70°F (21°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 1.6" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| October | 61°F (16°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 2.8" | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| November | 53°F (12°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 4.4" | 4.1 | 0.0 |
| December | 47°F (8°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 3.8" | 7.3 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
The calendar barely moves in Anacortes: no date carries a normal high of 90°F or a normal low at freezing. The year runs between 36°F near December 18 and 76°F near July 30.
No freezing date
Not one calendar date in the 1991–2020 record carries a normal low at or below 32°F. The coldest normal low of the year is 36°F around December 18.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is November 23, when 60% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is July 30 at 13%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 149 wet dates a year.
The widest day
July 27 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 21°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Anacortes.
Where Anacortes Stands Nationally
Among the steadiest day-night climates ranked: even the widest normal daily swing holds to roughly 21°F.
Anacortes earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall
17.9 days with precipitation
14.0 days with precipitation
16.5 days with precipitation
13.4 days with precipitation
11.3 days with precipitation
8.8 days with precipitation
4.4 days with precipitation
4.7 days with precipitation
7.6 days with precipitation
14.2 days with precipitation
18.0 days with precipitation
18.7 days with precipitation
Anacortes's wet season runs through the cold months
December, January and February carry 36% of the year's precipitation here, while June through August contribute 13%. That is the cool-season-dominant pattern of the West Coast and the higher inland West, where storm tracks swing south in winter and summer turns dry; the thermometer meanwhile shows an unusually narrow 22.8°F seasonal spread.
- Wettest month
- November, 4.4"
- Driest month
- July, 0.8"
- Wettest three months
- November, January, December (42% of the year)
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A cool-season label means the December-February share reaches 35%. Where snow falls, the monthly figures above report liquid-equivalent precipitation, so a wet winter month is not necessarily a rainy one.
Rain reaches Anacortes in small, frequent amounts
Anacortes records about 150 days with measurable precipitation a year and 29.0" in total, which works out to roughly 0.19 inches on an average wet day. Precipitation on 41% of all days, arriving that lightly, is the damp many-grey-days pattern rather than the storm-driven one.
Places in this band read as wetter than their annual totals suggest, because what people notice is the number of overcast days, not the depth in the gauge.
- Most wet days: December, about 19 of them.
- Fewest: July, about 4.
- Average depth per wet day: 0.19 inches.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
November 20
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
March 8
50% probability date
Growing Season
257 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
4,520
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
92
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
August
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside WA closest to Anacortes on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (53°F here).
- Alderson, WV 53°F · 0.0°F off
- Bentley, IL 53°F · 0.0°F off
- Biglerville, PA 53°F · 0.0°F off
- Clarksburg, WV 53°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (29.0" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Putnam, TX 29.0" · 0.0" off
- Seymour, TX 29.0" · 0.0" off
- Albany, TX 28.9" · 0.0" off
- Sterling, KS 29.0" · 0.0" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Anacortes's climate pattern fits together
heating led · moderate · low swing
Heating is the larger measured load in Anacortes, at 4,520 degree days versus 92 for cooling. Unlike a strongly continental record, however, its 22.8°F month-to-month range is compact; persistent cool-season demand matters more than a dramatic summer-to-winter reversal.
The frost-free window extends for about 257 days. That is a long calendar measure, but it is not a forecast and does not combine heat, rainfall, soil, or local elevation into a planting recommendation.
Temperature varies within a narrow 22.8°F band across the normal year. August and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar. The annual average is 53°F. Monthly rows still matter, but they refine a steady profile rather than reveal two climatic extremes.
Anacortes's 29.0 inches of annual precipitation falls in PlainClimate's middle band, so “wet” or “dry” is not the leading description. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. Temperature balance and the calendar distribution carry more information than the annual moisture label alone.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Anacortes's primary station, so the winter figures are a thirty-year average and not a floor: a single hard season can run well below them. Treat each band as a descriptive range for Anacortes, not an official NOAA class or a year-ahead forecast.
Questions about Anacortes's climate
How much rain does Anacortes get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Anacortes? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Anacortes's primary station: ANACORTES (USC00450176). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 5301990). Match rule for Anacortes: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Anacortes comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.