Bellingham, WA Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Explore NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 climate normals → and a clearly labeled PlainClimate comfort calculation
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Bellingham's primary NOAA station, BELLINGHAM INTL AP - 2 stations mapped to the area.
The climate verdict for Bellingham
A compact 24.1°F seasonal swing gives Bellingham, Washington a steadier-than-extreme annual shape. NOAA reports an annual average of 51°F. Its climate comfort score of 68/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 56% of station-mapped location scores.
- 51°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 68/100
- comfort score, above 56% of station-mapped location scores
- 34.7"
- precipitation, annual total
- 213 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Bellingham: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00024217 · Bellingham, WA 51°F mean · 34.7" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-NARROW · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-MULTI · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 51°F
- RANK-MID #3,156
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Cushman Powerho…
- PRCP-MID 34.7"
- SWING-NARROW 24°F
- COMF-MID 68/100
- LOAD-HEAT 5,110 HDD
- STN-MULTI USW00024217
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Cushman Powerhouse, WA (+ 0.1 °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.
- Bellingham (this station) 51°F
- Cold Hoquiam Bowerman, WA 51°F
- Hot Sedro-woolley, WA 51°F
- Near Cushman Powerho…, WA 51°F
- Near Matlock, WA 51°F
Climate Living Index · Bellingham
Bellingham: 80/100 · grade B
Bellingham publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals · NOAA hourly normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Bellingham, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 68/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 0 calendar days | 100/100 · A |
| Precipitation balance | 34.7 in · 0.3 from 35 in | 95/100 · A |
| Summer moisture balance | 53.5°F mean dew point | 95/100 · A |
| Frost-free season | 213 days/year | 74/100 · B |
| Annual temperature balance | 51.2°F · 16.3° from 67.5°F | 46/100 · D |
Bellingham · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Bellingham is a temperate Köppen climate: Csb
Coldest-month mean 39.8°F and warmest-month mean 63.9°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
- 63.9°F
- Coldest month
- 39.8°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 Bellingham sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Bellingham's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 46th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- 47th percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 95%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Bellingham is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Bellingham compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Bellingham's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
68 Top 44% score exceeds 56% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 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
Bellingham's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 62 complete annual observations from 1951 to 2025, BELLINGHAM INTL AP warmed at a fitted rate of 0.22°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Bellingham primary station fitted change +0.22 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46°F (8°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 4.5" | N/A | 13.3 | 0.0 |
| February | 49°F (9°C) | 35°F (1°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 2.9" | N/A | 12.2 | 0.0 |
| March | 53°F (12°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 3.4" | N/A | 7.4 | 0.0 |
| April | 58°F (14°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 2.8" | N/A | 1.9 | 0.0 |
| May | 64°F (18°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 2.2" | N/A | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| June | 68°F (20°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 1.6" | N/A | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| July | 73°F (23°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 0.9" | N/A | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| August | 73°F (23°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 1.1" | N/A | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| September | 68°F (20°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 2.0" | N/A | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| October | 59°F (15°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 3.9" | N/A | 1.9 | 0.0 |
| November | 51°F (11°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 5.2" | N/A | 8.6 | 0.0 |
| December | 46°F (8°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 4.3" | N/A | 13.2 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
The calendar barely moves in Bellingham: no date carries a normal high of 90°F or a normal low at freezing. The year runs between 34°F near December 23 and 74°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 34°F around December 23.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is November 23, when 65% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is July 30 at 16%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 169 wet dates a year.
The widest day
September 5 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 19°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Bellingham.
Where Bellingham Stands Nationally
Among the steadiest day-night climates ranked: even the widest normal daily swing holds to roughly 19°F.
Bellingham 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 and snowfall
18.9 days with precipitation
15.8 days with precipitation
17.9 days with precipitation
15.5 days with precipitation
12.3 days with precipitation
10.2 days with precipitation
5.7 days with precipitation
6.2 days with precipitation
11.0 days with precipitation
16.1 days with precipitation
19.6 days with precipitation
19.3 days with precipitation
Bellingham spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 10% of the annual total and December through February 34%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Bellingham has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry an unusually narrow 24.1°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: November averages 5.2" and July 0.9". The three wettest months together take 40% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
How Bellingham's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 169 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 34.7" between them, or roughly 0.21 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
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
October 30
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
March 31
50% probability date
Growing Season
213 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
5,110
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
75
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Humidity & Wind
Monthly averages from hourly observations
| Month | Humidity | Wind (mph) | Clear Sky % | Overcast % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 77% | 7.8 | 29% | 46% |
| February | 72% | 7.9 | 31% | 43% |
| March | 73% | 7.4 | 31% | 39% |
| April | 72% | 6.9 | 37% | 33% |
| May | 73% | 7.1 | 38% | 33% |
| June | 73% | 7.3 | 47% | 26% |
| July | 74% | 7.3 | 61% | 16% |
| August | 76% | 5.9 | 52% | 21% |
| September | 80% | 5.3 | 51% | 25% |
| October | 79% | 6.6 | 33% | 41% |
| November | 78% | 8.2 | 30% | 49% |
| December | 79% | 8.3 | 27% | 52% |
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside WA closest to Bellingham 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 (51°F here).
- Bloomfield, IA 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Burlington, IA 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Chicago, IL 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Denver, CO 51°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (34.7" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Hiawatha, KS 34.7" · 0.0" off
- Mellen, WI 34.7" · 0.0" off
- Wamego, KS 34.7" · 0.0" off
- Chelsea, MI 34.7" · 0.0" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Bellingham's climate pattern fits together
heating led · moderate · low swing
Heating is the larger measured load in Bellingham, at 5,110 degree days versus 75 for cooling. Unlike a strongly continental record, however, its 24.1°F month-to-month range is compact; persistent cool-season demand matters more than a dramatic summer-to-winter reversal.
Bellingham's frost-free season lasts about 213 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
Temperature varies within a narrow 24.1°F band across the normal year. July and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar. The annual average is 51°F. Monthly rows still matter, but they refine a steady profile rather than reveal two climatic extremes.
Bellingham's 34.7 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 Bellingham'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 Bellingham, not an official NOAA class or a year-ahead forecast.
Questions about Bellingham's climate
How much rain does Bellingham get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Bellingham? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Bellingham's primary station: BELLINGHAM INTL AP (USW00024217). 2 NOAA stations are mapped to the Bellingham area; the primary station's record is used for consistency. 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 5305280). Match rule for Bellingham: 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 Bellingham 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.