Centralia, Washington climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Centralia's normal year runs from 34°F December nights to 78°F August afternoons, with 41.6 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 10.8°C, December lows of 1°C, August highs of 26°C, 1,056 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationCentralia
- Station IDUSC00451276
- Location46.72°N 122.95°W
- Elevation185 ft (56 m)
- Population19,061
On October 23, the normal high in Centralia is 58°F and the normal low 41°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 55%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Centralia.
- Jan 46° 34°
- Feb 50° 34°
- Mar 54° 36°
- Apr 60° 39°
- May 67° 44°
- Jun 71° 49°
- Jul 78° 53°
- Aug 78° 53°
- Sep 73° 48°
- Oct 61° 43°
- Nov 51° 37°
- Dec 45° 34°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Centralia each month?
August is the warmest month, with normal highs of 78°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 34°F. The most precipitation falls in November (6.53 in), the least in July (0.50 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46°F | 34°F | 40.2°F | 5.85 | 22 | <1 | 10 | 9 h |
| February | 50°F | 34°F | 41.7°F | 4.24 | 18 | <1 | 10 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 54°F | 36°F | 45.0°F | 4.39 | 20 | <1 | 7 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 60°F | 39°F | 49.3°F | 3.24 | 17 | <1 | 3 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 67°F | 44°F | 55.5°F | 2.44 | 12 | <1 | <1 | 15 h |
| June | 71°F | 49°F | 60.1°F | 1.53 | 9 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 78°F | 53°F | 65.2°F | 0.50 | 4 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| August | 78°F | 53°F | 65.5°F | 0.84 | 5 | 3 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 73°F | 48°F | 60.5°F | 1.59 | 8 | 1 | <1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 61°F | 43°F | 51.9°F | 4.00 | 16 | <1 | 1 | 11 h |
| November | 51°F | 37°F | 43.9°F | 6.53 | 21 | <1 | 6 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 45°F | 34°F | 39.4°F | 6.44 | 22 | <1 | 11 | 8 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 61°F | 42°F | 51.5°F | 41.59 | 172 | 8 | 48 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8°C | 1°C | 4.6°C | 149 mm |
| February | 10°C | 1°C | 5.4°C | 108 mm |
| March | 12°C | 2°C | 7.2°C | 112 mm |
| April | 15°C | 4°C | 9.6°C | 82 mm |
| May | 19°C | 7°C | 13.1°C | 62 mm |
| June | 22°C | 10°C | 15.6°C | 39 mm |
| July | 25°C | 12°C | 18.4°C | 13 mm |
| August | 26°C | 12°C | 18.6°C | 21 mm |
| September | 23°C | 9°C | 15.8°C | 40 mm |
| October | 16°C | 6°C | 11.1°C | 102 mm |
| November | 10°C | 3°C | 6.6°C | 166 mm |
| December | 7°C | 1°C | 4.1°C | 164 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Olympia (18 miles away), gets 4 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00451276; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Centralia?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, July has the fewest days with rain (4).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00451276.
When is the last frost in Centralia?
In Centralia, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 22 in half of years and after May 10 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 27 in half of years and before October 7 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- April 221 year in 10 after May 10; 9 in 10 after March 30
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 271 year in 10 before October 7; 9 in 10 before November 17
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 188 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 234 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 23 in half of springs and before November 13 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Centralia in zone 8b in ZIP code 98544, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Centralia's NOAA station is in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 17°F (27 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Washington · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00451276; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Centralia?
In a normal year in Centralia, 8 days a year reach 90°F, 48 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 172 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 8a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 48a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 1high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 172a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1893) is 107°F, on June 28, 2021; the lowest is −4°F, on January 21, 1930.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1996, with 64.63 in; the snowiest season is 1949–50, with 45.9 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00451276; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00451276. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Centralia?
Over a year 67% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Centralia, 3.5 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (78%) and December the cloudiest (52%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 52% | 1.1 |
| February | 59% | 2.0 |
| March | 57% | 2.9 |
| April | 62% | 4.2 |
| May | 66% | 5.2 |
| June | 67% | 5.7 |
| July | 78% | 6.4 |
| August | 78% | 5.4 |
| September | 75% | 4.0 |
| October | 65% | 2.4 |
| November | 55% | 1.3 |
| December | 52% | 0.9 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Centralia need?
A normal year in Centralia brings 5,063 heating degree days, 6% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 164 cooling degree days, 82% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,943 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 770 | 0 |
| February | 652 | 0 |
| March | 620 | 0 |
| April | 471 | 0 |
| May | 298 | 4 |
| June | 165 | 18 |
| July | 57 | 63 |
| August | 49 | 64 |
| September | 150 | 15 |
| October | 406 | 0 |
| November | 633 | 0 |
| December | 792 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,063 | 164 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00451276. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Has Centralia been warmer than normal lately?
Over 79 complete years from 1902 to 2020, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 1.2°F per century (+0.07°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Centralia's climate compare?
Centralia is warmer than 71 of the other 95 places with their own NOAA record in Washington, and wetter than 59. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 51.5°F is warmer than 47%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Centralia is Csb: temperate, dry-summer, warm summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Centralia share this climate record?
5 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Chehalis, WA7,717 people · 4 mi S
- Rochester, WA6,025 people · 9 mi NW
- Grand Mound, WA3,711 people · 6 mi NW
- Fords Prairie, WA1,762 people · 3 mi NW
- Bucoda, WA615 people · 7 mi NE
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Centralia's climate
What is the coldest month in Centralia?
December, with a normal high of 45°F and a normal low of 34°F. The warmest is August (78°F by day, 53°F at night).
Does it snow in Centralia?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Centralia's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Olympia (18 miles away), records 4 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Centralia?
November, with 6.53 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 0.50 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Centralia in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Centralia in zone 8b in ZIP code 98544, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Centralia's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 17°F (27 years, 1991-2020): zone 8b.
How late can frost come in Centralia?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 22; in one year in ten it comes after May 10. Waiting until May 10 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Centralia in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Washington climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Toledo, WA17 miles from this station, 52.3°F a year
- Olympia, WA17 miles from this station, 50.5°F a year
- Mayfield Power Plant, WA22 miles from this station, 51.7°F a year
- Elma, WA29 miles from this station, 52.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made