Elwha Ranger Station, Washington climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Elwha Ranger Station's normal year runs from 33°F December nights to 75°F August afternoons, with 57.9 inches of precipitation and 2 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.3°C, December lows of 0°C, August highs of 24°C, 1,470 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationElwha Ranger Station
- Station IDUSC00452548
- Location48.02°N 123.59°W
- Elevation360 ft (110 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Elwha Ranger Station is 52°F and the normal low 40°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 52%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Elwha Ranger Station.
- Jan 41° 33°
- Feb 44° 33°
- Mar 50° 35°
- Apr 56° 38°
- May 63° 43°
- Jun 67° 47°
- Jul 74° 51°
- Aug 75° 52°
- Sep 68° 48°
- Oct 56° 42°
- Nov 46° 36°
- Dec 41° 33°
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 Elwha Ranger Station each month?
August is the warmest month, with normal highs of 75°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 33°F. The most precipitation falls in November (10.06 in), the least in July (0.74 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41°F | 33°F | 37.0°F | 8.87 | 1.0 | 18 | <1 | 15 | 8 h 50 min |
| February | 44°F | 33°F | 38.3°F | 6.14 | 0.5 | 15 | <1 | 14 | 10 h 10 min |
| March | 50°F | 35°F | 42.3°F | 6.94 | 0.2 | 18 | <1 | 10 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 56°F | 38°F | 47.1°F | 3.28 | 0.0 | 14 | <1 | 3 | 13 h 40 min |
| May | 63°F | 43°F | 53.3°F | 1.91 | 0.0 | 12 | <1 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| June | 67°F | 47°F | 57.2°F | 1.39 | 0.0 | 10 | <1 | <1 | 16 h |
| July | 74°F | 51°F | 62.2°F | 0.74 | 0.0 | 5 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| August | 75°F | 52°F | 63.0°F | 1.14 | 0.0 | 5 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 68°F | 48°F | 58.1°F | 1.63 | 0.0 | 8 | <1 | <1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 56°F | 42°F | 48.5°F | 5.85 | 0.0 | 15 | <1 | 1 | 11 h |
| November | 46°F | 36°F | 40.8°F | 10.06 | 0.2 | 19 | <1 | 7 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 41°F | 33°F | 36.7°F | 9.92 | 0.1 | 18 | <1 | 16 | 8 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 57°F | 41°F | 48.7°F | 57.87 | 2.0 | 156 | 2 | 66 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5°C | 0°C | 2.8°C | 225 mm | 3 cm |
| February | 7°C | 0°C | 3.5°C | 156 mm | 1 cm |
| March | 10°C | 2°C | 5.7°C | 176 mm | 1 cm |
| April | 13°C | 3°C | 8.4°C | 83 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 17°C | 6°C | 11.8°C | 49 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 20°C | 8°C | 14.0°C | 35 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 23°C | 10°C | 16.8°C | 19 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 24°C | 11°C | 17.2°C | 29 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 20°C | 9°C | 14.5°C | 41 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 13°C | 5°C | 9.2°C | 149 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 8°C | 2°C | 4.9°C | 256 mm | 1 cm |
| December | 5°C | 0°C | 2.6°C | 252 mm | 0 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00452548; 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 Elwha Ranger Station?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, August has the fewest days with rain (5).
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 USC00452548.
When is the last frost at Elwha Ranger Station?
In Elwha Ranger Station, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 9 in half of years and after April 29 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 3 in half of years and before October 19 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 91 year in 10 after April 29; 9 in 10 after March 19
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 31 year in 10 before October 19; 9 in 10 before November 23
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 209 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 268 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 4 in half of springs and before November 24 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Elwha Ranger Station in zone 8b in ZIP code 98363, 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 USC00452548; 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 Elwha Ranger Station?
In a normal year in Elwha Ranger Station, 2 days a year reach 90°F, 66 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 156 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 2a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 66a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 5high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 156a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 1a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00452548.
How sunny is it at Elwha Ranger Station?
Over a year 70% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Elwha Ranger Station, 3.5 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (82%) and December the cloudiest (51%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 52% | 1.0 |
| February | 61% | 1.9 |
| March | 61% | 2.9 |
| April | 67% | 4.3 |
| May | 71% | 5.5 |
| June | 72% | 6.0 |
| July | 82% | 6.5 |
| August | 81% | 5.5 |
| September | 76% | 3.9 |
| October | 64% | 2.2 |
| November | 55% | 1.1 |
| December | 51% | 0.8 |
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 Elwha Ranger Station record?
A normal year at Elwha Ranger Station brings 6,008 heating degree days, 12% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 81 cooling degree days, 91% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,440 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 870 | 0 |
| February | 748 | 0 |
| March | 704 | 0 |
| April | 539 | 0 |
| May | 364 | 1 |
| June | 243 | 9 |
| July | 120 | 31 |
| August | 95 | 34 |
| September | 215 | 6 |
| October | 511 | 0 |
| November | 725 | 0 |
| December | 877 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,008 | 81 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00452548. 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 Elwha Ranger Station's climate compare?
Elwha Ranger Station is warmer than 21 of the 96 places with their own NOAA record in Washington, and wetter than 73. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 48.7°F is warmer than 35%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Elwha Ranger Station 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.
Questions about Elwha Ranger Station's climate
What is the coldest month at Elwha Ranger Station?
December, with a normal high of 41°F and a normal low of 33°F. The warmest is August (75°F by day, 52°F at night).
Does it snow at Elwha Ranger Station?
Yes: 2 inches in a normal year, falling on 1 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (1.0 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Elwha Ranger Station?
November, with 10.06 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 0.74 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Elwha Ranger Station in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Elwha Ranger Station in zone 8b in ZIP code 98363, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Elwha Ranger Station?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 9; in one year in ten it comes after April 29. Waiting until April 29 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Washington climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Port Angeles, WA8 miles from this station, 48.5°F a year
- Sequim, WA25 miles from this station, 48.9°F a year
- Quilcene, WA34 miles from this station, 50.5°F a year
- Forks, WA35 miles from this station, 50.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made