Darrington, Washington climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Darrington's normal year runs from 30°F December nights to 79°F August afternoons, with 83.1 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.8°C, December lows of −1°C, August highs of 26°C, 2,110 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationDarrington Ranger Station
- Station IDUSC00451992
- Location48.26°N 121.60°W
- Elevation550 ft (168 m)
- Population1,500
On October 23, the normal high in Darrington is 54°F and the normal low 39°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Darrington.
- Jan 40° 30°
- Feb 45° 31°
- Mar 51° 34°
- Apr 59° 38°
- May 67° 44°
- Jun 71° 50°
- Jul 78° 53°
- Aug 79° 54°
- Sep 72° 47°
- Oct 58° 40°
- Nov 46° 35°
- Dec 40° 30°
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 Darrington each month?
August is the warmest month, with normal highs of 79°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 30°F. The most precipitation falls in November (13.24 in), the least in July (1.32 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40°F | 30°F | 35.3°F | 12.75 | – | <1 | 20 | 8 h 40 min |
| February | 45°F | 31°F | 37.7°F | 8.58 | – | <1 | 19 | 10 h 10 min |
| March | 51°F | 34°F | 42.3°F | 9.31 | – | <1 | 15 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 59°F | 38°F | 48.4°F | 5.58 | – | <1 | 6 | 13 h 40 min |
| May | 67°F | 44°F | 55.6°F | 3.70 | – | 1 | 1 | 15 h 10 min |
| June | 71°F | 50°F | 60.3°F | 2.86 | – | 2 | <1 | 16 h |
| July | 78°F | 53°F | 65.7°F | 1.32 | – | 5 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| August | 79°F | 54°F | 66.3°F | 1.71 | – | 6 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 72°F | 47°F | 59.6°F | 3.39 | – | 1 | <1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 58°F | 40°F | 49.0°F | 8.49 | – | <1 | 5 | 11 h |
| November | 46°F | 35°F | 40.2°F | 13.24 | – | <1 | 14 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 40°F | 30°F | 34.9°F | 12.13 | – | <1 | 22 | 8 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 59°F | 41°F | 49.6°F | 83.06 | – | 14 | 102 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5°C | −1°C | 1.8°C | 324 mm |
| February | 7°C | −1°C | 3.2°C | 218 mm |
| March | 11°C | 1°C | 5.7°C | 236 mm |
| April | 15°C | 3°C | 9.1°C | 142 mm |
| May | 19°C | 7°C | 13.1°C | 94 mm |
| June | 22°C | 10°C | 15.7°C | 73 mm |
| July | 26°C | 12°C | 18.7°C | 34 mm |
| August | 26°C | 12°C | 19.1°C | 43 mm |
| September | 22°C | 9°C | 15.3°C | 86 mm |
| October | 14°C | 5°C | 9.4°C | 216 mm |
| November | 8°C | 2°C | 4.6°C | 336 mm |
| December | 4°C | −1°C | 1.6°C | 308 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Concrete (20 miles away), gets 16 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00451992; 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 Darrington?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September.
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 USC00451992.
When is the last frost in Darrington?
In Darrington, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 16 in half of years and after May 5 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 23 in half of years and before October 6 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 161 year in 10 after May 5; 9 in 10 after March 27
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 231 year in 10 before October 6; 9 in 10 before November 9
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 190 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 232 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 22 in half of springs and before November 7 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Darrington in zone 8a in ZIP code 98252, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Washington · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00451992; 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 in Darrington?
In a normal year in Darrington, 14 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more) and 102 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 14a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 102a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 5high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00451992.
How sunny is Darrington?
Over a year 68% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Darrington, 3.5 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (81%) and December the cloudiest (53%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 55% | 1.1 |
| February | 62% | 2.0 |
| March | 59% | 2.9 |
| April | 63% | 4.3 |
| May | 66% | 5.3 |
| June | 67% | 5.8 |
| July | 81% | 6.7 |
| August | 81% | 5.7 |
| September | 75% | 4.0 |
| October | 64% | 2.3 |
| November | 55% | 1.2 |
| December | 53% | 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 Darrington need?
A normal year in Darrington brings 5,809 heating degree days, 8% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 219 cooling degree days, 76% 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 1,908 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 919 | 0 |
| February | 763 | 0 |
| March | 705 | 0 |
| April | 497 | 1 |
| May | 298 | 8 |
| June | 167 | 24 |
| July | 59 | 79 |
| August | 47 | 89 |
| September | 182 | 19 |
| October | 498 | 0 |
| November | 743 | 0 |
| December | 932 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,809 | 219 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00451992. 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.
How does Darrington's climate compare?
Darrington is warmer than 31 of the other 95 places with their own NOAA record in Washington, and wetter than 82. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 49.6°F is warmer than 38%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Darrington 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 Darrington share this climate record?
2 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.
- Swede Heaven, WA1,163 people · 5 mi W
- Verlot, WA387 people · 13 mi SW
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Darrington's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Darrington. This page uses Darrington Ranger Station; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darrington (21 mi NNE) USW00004223 | 21 mi N | 407 ft | 49.8°F | 32°F | 77°F | 83.0 | – | April 16 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Darrington's climate
What is the coldest month in Darrington?
December, with a normal high of 40°F and a normal low of 30°F. The warmest is August (79°F by day, 54°F at night).
Does it snow in Darrington?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Darrington's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Concrete (20 miles away), records 16 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Darrington?
November, with 13.24 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 1.32 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Darrington in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Darrington in zone 8a in ZIP code 98252, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Darrington?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 16; in one year in ten it comes after May 5. Waiting until May 5 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Washington climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Concrete, WA21 miles from this station, 50.7°F a year
- Arlington, WA24 miles from this station, 49.1°F a year
- Upper Baker Dam, WA27 miles from this station, 47.4°F a year
- Startup, WA28 miles from this station, 51.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made