Cougar Dam, Oregon climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Cougar Dam's normal year runs from 39°F December nights to 89°F July afternoons, with 77.7 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 14.1°C, December lows of 4°C, July highs of 32°C, 1,972 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationCougar Dam
- Station IDUSC00351914
- Location44.13°N 122.24°W
- Elevation1,260 ft (384 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Cougar Dam is 65°F and the normal low 47°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 46%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Cougar Dam.
- Jan 49° 39°
- Feb 53° 39°
- Mar 58° 41°
- Apr 64° 45°
- May 74° 50°
- Jun 79° 55°
- Jul 89° 59°
- Aug 89° 58°
- Sep 82° 54°
- Oct 68° 48°
- Nov 55° 43°
- Dec 48° 39°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Cougar Dam each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 89°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 39°F. The most precipitation falls in January (13.01 in), the least in August (0.59 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49°F | 39°F | 43.9°F | 13.01 | 18 | <1 | 13 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 53°F | 39°F | 46.3°F | 7.49 | 18 | <1 | 9 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 58°F | 41°F | 49.4°F | 9.78 | 20 | <1 | 6 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 64°F | 45°F | 54.1°F | 8.24 | 19 | <1 | 2 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 74°F | 50°F | 62.1°F | 4.33 | 13 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 79°F | 55°F | 66.9°F | 2.70 | 9 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 89°F | 59°F | 73.8°F | 0.73 | 2 | 9 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 89°F | 58°F | 73.4°F | 0.59 | 3 | 10 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 82°F | 54°F | 68.0°F | 1.87 | 7 | 4 | <1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 68°F | 48°F | 58.1°F | 5.83 | 13 | <1 | <1 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 55°F | 43°F | 48.6°F | 10.97 | 18 | <1 | 4 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 48°F | 39°F | 43.3°F | 12.11 | 20 | <1 | 13 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 67°F | 47°F | 57.3°F | 77.65 | 159 | 27 | 48 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10°C | 4°C | 6.6°C | 330 mm |
| February | 12°C | 4°C | 7.9°C | 190 mm |
| March | 15°C | 5°C | 9.7°C | 248 mm |
| April | 18°C | 7°C | 12.3°C | 209 mm |
| May | 23°C | 10°C | 16.7°C | 110 mm |
| June | 26°C | 13°C | 19.4°C | 69 mm |
| July | 32°C | 15°C | 23.2°C | 19 mm |
| August | 32°C | 14°C | 23.0°C | 15 mm |
| September | 28°C | 12°C | 20.0°C | 47 mm |
| October | 20°C | 9°C | 14.5°C | 148 mm |
| November | 13°C | 6°C | 9.2°C | 279 mm |
| December | 9°C | 4°C | 6.3°C | 308 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Belknap Springs (8 mi N) (15 miles away), gets 51 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00351914; 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.
Which months are mildest at Cougar Dam?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, September and October. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (7).
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 USC00351914.
When is the last frost at Cougar Dam?
In Cougar Dam, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 2 in half of years and after March 27 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 30 in half of years and before November 3 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
- March 21 year in 10 after March 27; 9 in 10 after January 24
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 301 year in 10 before November 3; 9 in 10 before December 28
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 274 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 322 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after February 1 in half of springs and before December 15 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Cougar Dam in zone 8b in ZIP code 97488, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Oregon · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00351914; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. 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 at Cougar Dam?
In a normal year in Cougar Dam, 27 days a year reach 90°F (3 of them 100°F or more), 48 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 159 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 27a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 48a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 2high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 159a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00351914.
How sunny is it at Cougar Dam?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Cougar Dam, 3.9 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (89%) and December the cloudiest (53%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 56% | 1.3 |
| February | 61% | 2.2 |
| March | 59% | 3.1 |
| April | 64% | 4.5 |
| May | 70% | 5.7 |
| June | 74% | 6.4 |
| July | 89% | 7.4 |
| August | 88% | 6.3 |
| September | 81% | 4.6 |
| October | 70% | 2.8 |
| November | 58% | 1.5 |
| December | 53% | 1.1 |
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 many heating and cooling degree days does Cougar Dam record?
A normal year at Cougar Dam brings 3,663 heating degree days, 32% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 893 cooling degree days, 2% fewer than the median (908). Six months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 3,482 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 653 | 0 |
| February | 524 | 0 |
| March | 482 | 0 |
| April | 335 | 8 |
| May | 153 | 62 |
| June | 61 | 118 |
| July | 5 | 279 |
| August | 7 | 269 |
| September | 47 | 136 |
| October | 232 | 20 |
| November | 492 | 1 |
| December | 672 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 3,663 | 893 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00351914. 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.
Have recent years at Cougar Dam been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 54.2°F, 3.1°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 57.3°F. 0 of the 3 complete years since 2022 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 52.2°F | −5.1°F | 84.07 |
| 2024 | 53.5°F | −3.8°F | 87.86 |
| 2025 | 54.2°F | −3.1°F | 71.36 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00351914. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Cougar Dam's climate compare?
Cougar Dam is warmer than 105 of the 105 places with their own NOAA record in Oregon, and wetter than 89. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 57.3°F is warmer than 67%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Cougar Dam is Csa: temperate, dry-summer, hot 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.
Questions about Cougar Dam's climate
What is the coldest month at Cougar Dam?
December, with a normal high of 48°F and a normal low of 39°F. The warmest is July (89°F by day, 59°F at night).
Does it snow at Cougar Dam?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Belknap Springs (8 mi N) (15 miles away), records 51 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Cougar Dam?
January, with 13.01 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is August with 0.59 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Cougar Dam in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Cougar Dam in zone 8b in ZIP code 97488, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Cougar Dam?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 2; in one year in ten it comes after March 27. Waiting until March 27 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Oregon climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- McKenzie River Ranger Station, OR7 miles from this station, 50.8°F a year
- Belknap Springs (8 mi N), OR15 miles from this station, 48.0°F a year
- Cascadia, OR22 miles from this station, 50.1°F a year
- Leaburg (1 mi SW), OR22 miles from this station, 53.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made