PlainClimate
NOAA 1991–2020 normals Station-mapped location · no exact Census place match 1 NOAA station · Primary-station record

Foster Dam, OR Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month

Annual temperature and rainfall from NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 normals →; comfort score computed by PlainClimate

30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Foster Dam's primary NOAA station, FOSTER DAM.

The climate verdict for Foster Dam

Water is the standout signal in Foster Dam, Oregon: 54.5 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 52°F. Its climate comfort score of 63/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 46% of station-mapped location scores.

52°F
yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
63/100
comfort score, above 46% of station-mapped location scores
54.5"
annual precipitation
199 days
frost-free days per growing season

Foster Dam: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.

Normals record plate

Sheet USC00353047 · Foster Dam, OR 52°F mean · 54.5" precip

TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-WET · SWING-NARROW · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL

Nearest mean-temperature peer: Toledo Faa, 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 OR station list.

Climate Living Index · Foster Dam

Foster Dam: 68/100 · grade C

Foster Dam publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.

C
68/100Climate Living Index

PlainClimate-derived for Foster Dam, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 63/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.

Foster Dam Living Index dimension scores
DimensionStation valueScore
Normal heat + freeze calendar 0 calendar days 100/100 · A
Snowfall burden 0.1 inches/year 89/100 · A
Frost-free season 199 days/year 64/100 · C
Annual temperature balance 52.4°F · 15.1° from 67.5°F 51/100 · D
Precipitation balance 54.5 in · 19.5 from 35 in 30/100 · F

Foster Dam · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.

Foster Dam is a temperate Köppen climate: Csb

Coldest-month mean 40.4°F and warmest-month mean 66.4°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
66.4°F
Coldest month
40.4°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 Foster Dam sits across the climate record

Three NOAA fields for Foster Dam's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.

Annual temperature
51st percentile warmth
Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
Annual precipitation
Top 12% wettest
Foster Dam's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
Seasonal temperature swing
Narrower than 94%
Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Foster Dam is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.

How Foster Dam compares across U.S. station-mapped locations

Foster Dam's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations

PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals

63 46th percentile score exceeds 46% 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. This location 0 100 every station-mapped location, bucketed by value
  1. 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
  2. 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
  3. 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
  4. 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
  5. 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
  6. 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
  7. 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). This entry sits in this band.
  8. 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
  9. 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
  10. 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.

Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more station-mapped locations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Foster Dam's measured station temperature trend

Methodology

Across 48 complete annual observations from 1970 to 2024, FOSTER DAM warmed at a fitted rate of 0.14°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.

Foster Dam fitted annual mean temperature change, 1970-2024 Fitted station-temperature change from 1970 to 2024, relative to the fitted first year. The linear trend warmed at 0.14 °C per decade. -0.2°C +0.0°C +0.2°C +0.4°C +0.6°C +0.8°C 198020002020
  • Foster Dam primary station fitted change +0.14 °C/decade
Source: NOAA GHCN-M v4, quality-controlled monthly mean temperature. PlainClimate fits ordinary least squares over complete calendar years; minimum 30 years, record must reach 2015 or later.

Monthly Temperatures

Average daily high and low temperatures by month

Month Avg High Avg Low Mean
January 48°F (9°C) 34°F (1°C) 41°F (5°C)
February 51°F (11°C) 35°F (1°C) 43°F (6°C)
March 56°F (13°C) 37°F (3°C) 46°F (8°C)
April 60°F (16°C) 40°F (4°C) 50°F (10°C)
May 67°F (19°C) 44°F (7°C) 56°F (13°C)
June 73°F (23°C) 48°F (9°C) 60°F (16°C)
July 82°F (28°C) 51°F (11°C) 66°F (19°C)
August 83°F (28°C) 50°F (10°C) 66°F (19°C)
September 76°F (25°C) 47°F (8°C) 62°F (16°C)
October 64°F (18°C) 42°F (5°C) 53°F (12°C)
November 53°F (12°C) 38°F (3°C) 45°F (7°C)
December 47°F (8°C) 34°F (1°C) 40°F (5°C)

The year, day by day

The calendar barely moves in Foster Dam: no date carries a normal high of 90°F or a normal low at freezing. The year runs between 34°F near December 22 and 84°F near July 29.

Normal daily high and low temperature for Foster Dam, January through December Peaks 84°F around July 29. Bottoms 34°F around December 22. 25 35 45 55 65 75 85 freezing JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal daily high and low across the calendar year. NOAA 1991–2020 daily normals, FOSTER DAM.

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 22.

Where the wet dates fall

The likeliest wet date is December 9, when 65% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is July 29 at 7%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 159 wet dates a year.

The widest day

August 5 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 33°F between the normal high and the normal low.

Look up any date

Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Foster Dam.

Where Foster Dam Stands Nationally

The normal water year runs well above the national norm at roughly 55 inches.

Daily temperature swings run wider than most of the country, peaking near 33°F between the normal high and low.

Foster Dam earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.

Monthly Precipitation

Average monthly rainfall and snowfall

January 7.2"

Snow: 0.1"

19.1 days with precipitation

February 5.6"

16.8 days with precipitation

March 6.3"

18.6 days with precipitation

April 5.4"

17.9 days with precipitation

May 3.8"

12.8 days with precipitation

June 2.5"

9.2 days with precipitation

July 0.5"

2.8 days with precipitation

August 0.6"

3.0 days with precipitation

September 2.0"

6.8 days with precipitation

October 4.6"

13.1 days with precipitation

November 7.6"

18.4 days with precipitation

December 8.4"

20.0 days with precipitation

Foster Dam's wet season runs through the cold months

December, January and February carry 39% of the year's precipitation here, while June through August contribute 7%. That is the cool-season-dominant pattern of the West Coast and the higher inland West, where storm tracks swing south in winter and summer turns dry; the thermometer meanwhile shows an unusually narrow 26°F seasonal spread.

Wettest month
December, 8.4"
Driest month
July, 0.5"
Wettest three months
December, November, January (43% of the year)

Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A cool-season label means the December-February share reaches 35%. Where snow falls, the monthly figures above report liquid-equivalent precipitation, so a wet winter month is not necessarily a rainy one.

How Foster Dam's precipitation splits across the calendar

About 159 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 54.5" between them, or roughly 0.34 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.

Wet days a year
159
Wettest month by days
December
Driest month by days
July

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.

Snow reaches Foster Dam, but rarely amounts to much

The normals record 0.1 inches of snow a year here, most likely in January. That is a real but marginal amount: enough that snow is part of the local record, not enough to define the winter.

A figure in this range usually reflects a handful of events that melt quickly rather than a season of accumulation.

NOAA 1991-2020 normals. An average across thirty years can smooth away a single heavy winter, so a small annual figure does not mean a significant snowfall is impossible.

Frost Dates & Growing Season

First Fall Freeze

October 28

50% probability date

Last Spring Freeze

April 12

50% probability date

Growing Season

199 days

Heating & Cooling Degree Days

Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling

Heating Degree Days

4,811

Higher = more heating needed

Cooling Degree Days

233

Higher = more cooling needed

Warmest Month

July

Coldest Month

December

Nationwide similar cities

Other rankable U.S. places outside OR closest to Foster Dam 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 (52°F here).

Closest by annual precipitation

Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (54.5" here), excluding temperature-peer places.

Oregon climate overview →

Data-derived climate profile

How Foster Dam's climate pattern fits together

heating led · wet · low swing

Heating is the larger measured load in Foster Dam, at 4,811 degree days versus 233 for cooling. Unlike a strongly continental record, however, its 26.0°F month-to-month range is compact; persistent cool-season demand matters more than a dramatic summer-to-winter reversal.

Foster Dam's frost-free season lasts about 199 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.

Foster Dam's 26.0°F seasonal spread is compact even though precipitation is abundant. July and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar. The annual average is 52°F. Temperature is relatively steady; the monthly rows show how rain and snow observations vary across the calendar.

Alongside its heating load, Foster Dam carries 54.5 inches of precipitation in a normal year, inside PlainClimate's wet range. Recorded annual snowfall is negligible. That distinction matters because a wet annual total can arrive as rain, snow, or a mixture at different times.

These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Foster Dam'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 Foster Dam, not an official NOAA class or a year-ahead forecast.

Questions about Foster Dam's climate

How much rain does Foster Dam get?
Foster Dam receives 54.5 inches of precipitation, including 0.1 inches of snow. Based on NOAA 30-year climate normals (1991-2020).
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Foster Dam?
Foster Dam has 4,811 heating degree days and 233 cooling degree days annually, a heating-dominated climate. Degree-day definitions: reading weather data.

Data Sources

Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Foster Dam's primary station: FOSTER DAM (USC00353047). For informational purposes only.

Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The conservative exact name-and-state crosswalk finds no Census place match, so PlainClimate treats this as a station-mapped location and does not claim it is a municipality. No exact Gazetteer row for Foster Dam; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainClimate

On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Foster Dam 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.