John Day, OR Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from John Day's primary NOAA station, JOHN DAY 35 WNW - 2 stations mapped to the area.
The climate verdict for John Day
Dryness leads the climate profile for John Day, Oregon, with 9.8 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 53°F. At 40/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 6% of scores.
- 53°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 40/100
- comfort score, above 6% of station-mapped location scores
- 9.8"
- precipitation, annual total
- 167 days
- frost-free growing season
John Day: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00004125 · John Day, OR 53°F mean · 9.8" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-ARID · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-MULTI · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 53°F
- RANK-MID #3,568
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Covington Fltr…
- PRCP-ARID 9.8"
- SWING-MID 38°F
- COMF-LOW 40/100
- LOAD-HEAT 5,149 HDD
- STN-MULTI USW00004125
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Covington Fltr Plt, VA (+ 0 °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.
- John Day (this station) 53°F
- Cold Sparta, NC 53°F
- Hot Montague Siskiy…, CA 53°F
- Near Covington Fltr…, VA 53°F
- Near Cubero, NM 53°F
Climate Living Index · John Day
John Day: 40/100 · grade D
John Day publishes 4 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 2 missing weights rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for John Day, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 40/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Annual temperature balance | 52.7°F · 14.8° from 67.5°F | 52/100 · D |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 150 calendar days | 46/100 · D |
| Frost-free season | 167 days/year | 39/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 9.8 in · 25.2 from 35 in | 11/100 · F |
John Day · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
John Day's normals sit in a dry climate class: BSk
Precipitation is low relative to temperature but above true desert thresholds: cold semi-arid steppe (BSk). Class BSk is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically cold semi-arid steppe.
- Köppen code
- BSk
- Group
- Dry (arid or semi-arid)
- Warmest month
- 73.3°F
- Coldest month
- 35.7°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 John Day sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for John Day's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 52nd percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 94%
- John Day's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 74%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for John Day is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How John Day compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
John Day's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
40 6th percentile score exceeds 6% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 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.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45°F (7°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 1.0" | N/A | 20.8 | 0.0 |
| February | 50°F (10°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 0.6" | N/A | 18.2 | 0.0 |
| March | 56°F (13°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 0.9" | N/A | 13.3 | 0.0 |
| April | 62°F (16°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 1.1" | N/A | 7.3 | 0.1 |
| May | 71°F (22°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 1.4" | N/A | 1.2 | 2.0 |
| June | 80°F (26°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 0.9" | N/A | 0.0 | 5.5 |
| July | 91°F (33°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 0.5" | N/A | 0.0 | 21.0 |
| August | 90°F (32°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 0.4" | N/A | 0.0 | 18.6 |
| September | 81°F (27°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 0.3" | N/A | 0.1 | 6.3 |
| October | 66°F (19°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 53°F (11°C) | 0.8" | N/A | 4.3 | 0.3 |
| November | 51°F (11°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 1.0" | N/A | 15.5 | 0.0 |
| December | 43°F (6°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 1.0" | N/A | 22.9 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
John Day works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 93°F by July 25 and hold at or above 90°F on 40 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 110 dates, bottoming at 28°F around December 15.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from July 9 through August 17, covering 40 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs May 10 to October 7.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 6, then returns to freezing around November 18, covering 110 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is March 27, when 40% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is July 22 at 8%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 98 wet dates a year.
The widest day
July 23 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 37°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for John Day.
Where John Day Stands Nationally
Aridity defines the water calendar: about 10 inches in a normal year lands this among the driest tenth of ranked stations.
Day-to-night contrast is extreme by national standards — the widest normal daily swing reaches about 37°F, sharper than nine in ten ranked stations see.
John Day 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
10.2 days with precipitation
10.4 days with precipitation
11.9 days with precipitation
11.1 days with precipitation
11.3 days with precipitation
6.8 days with precipitation
2.1 days with precipitation
2.9 days with precipitation
2.9 days with precipitation
7.0 days with precipitation
9.4 days with precipitation
11.9 days with precipitation
John Day spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 18% of the annual total and December through February 27%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. John Day has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 37.6°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: May averages 1.4" and September 0.3". The three wettest months together take 35% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
John Day is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 98 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 27% of the calendar, and they carry 9.8" between them. At roughly 0.10 inches on an average wet day, this is not the damp drizzle of a marine climate; it is an arid record in which precipitation is both uncommon and light when it appears.
The wettest month by count is March at about 12 wet days; the driest is July at about 2.
A low per-event average in a dry record is a statement about typical days only. Arid regions can still take a large share of a year's total from a single convective storm, which a normal cannot show.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, not the extremes within it.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 14
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 30
50% probability date
Growing Season
167 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
5,149
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
690
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside OR closest to John Day 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 (53°F here).
- Belleville, KS 53°F · 0.0°F off
- Cambridge, OH 53°F · 0.0°F off
- Cheyenne Wells, CO 53°F · 0.0°F off
- Cubero, NM 53°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (9.8" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Blanca, CO 9.8" · 0.0" off
- San Diego, CA 9.8" · 0.0" off
- Hagerman, ID 9.8" · 0.1" off
- Castle Valley, UT 9.8" · 0.1" off
Scarce-water calendar
Where John Day's limited precipitation lands
heating led · dry · mid swing
John Day's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 5,149 annual heating degree days against 690 for cooling. Its 37.6°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
John Day's frost-free season lasts about 167 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
July and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in John Day's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 37.6°F. The annual average is 53°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
John Day's cold-season load does not imply a wet climate. Annual precipitation is 9.8 inches, which places the station in PlainClimate's dry range. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. The snowfall and rainfall fields should be read separately rather than inferred from temperature.
John Day wettest normal
May
May concentrates the scarce annual total (9.8 inches).
John Day driest normal
September
September is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.
Questions about John Day's climate
How dry is John Day? ▼
How many days above 90°F does John Day get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in John Day? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from John Day's primary station: JOHN DAY 35 WNW (USW00004125). 2 NOAA stations are mapped to the John Day area; the primary station's record is used for consistency. For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 4137550). Match rule for John Day: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for John Day 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.