Malheur Refuge Headquarters, Oregon climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Malheur Refuge Headquarters's normal year runs from 20°F December nights to 85°F July afternoons, with 12.5 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.1°C, December lows of −7°C, July highs of 29°C, 318 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMalheur Refuge Headquarters
- Station IDUSC00355162
- Location43.27°N 118.84°W
- Elevation4,118 ft (1,255 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Malheur Refuge Headquarters is 58°F and the normal low 29°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Malheur Refuge Headquarters.
- Jan 39° 20°
- Feb 43° 22°
- Mar 52° 27°
- Apr 58° 31°
- May 68° 39°
- Jun 75° 44°
- Jul 85° 51°
- Aug 83° 48°
- Sep 75° 40°
- Oct 62° 31°
- Nov 47° 24°
- Dec 37° 20°
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 Malheur Refuge Headquarters each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 85°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 20°F. The most precipitation falls in May (1.80 in), the least in August (0.37 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39°F | 20°F | 29.3°F | 1.66 | – | <1 | 29 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 43°F | 22°F | 32.4°F | 0.99 | – | <1 | 26 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 52°F | 27°F | 39.4°F | 1.22 | – | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 58°F | 31°F | 44.5°F | 1.12 | – | <1 | 19 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 68°F | 39°F | 53.2°F | 1.80 | – | <1 | 6 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 75°F | 44°F | 59.3°F | 1.06 | – | 1 | 1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 85°F | 51°F | 67.6°F | 0.45 | – | 9 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 83°F | 48°F | 65.3°F | 0.37 | – | 6 | 1 | 14 h |
| September | 75°F | 40°F | 57.6°F | 0.65 | – | 1 | 4 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 62°F | 31°F | 46.6°F | 0.92 | – | <1 | 19 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 47°F | 24°F | 35.6°F | 1.04 | – | <1 | 25 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 37°F | 20°F | 28.4°F | 1.24 | – | <1 | 29 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 60°F | 33°F | 46.6°F | 12.52 | – | 17 | 184 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4°C | −7°C | −1.5°C | 42 mm |
| February | 6°C | −6°C | 0.2°C | 25 mm |
| March | 11°C | −3°C | 4.1°C | 31 mm |
| April | 15°C | −1°C | 6.9°C | 28 mm |
| May | 20°C | 4°C | 11.8°C | 46 mm |
| June | 24°C | 7°C | 15.2°C | 27 mm |
| July | 29°C | 10°C | 19.8°C | 11 mm |
| August | 28°C | 9°C | 18.5°C | 9 mm |
| September | 24°C | 4°C | 14.2°C | 17 mm |
| October | 17°C | 0°C | 8.1°C | 23 mm |
| November | 8°C | −4°C | 2.0°C | 26 mm |
| December | 3°C | −7°C | −2.0°C | 31 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station, and no record within 25 miles keeps one, so snow is left out here rather than estimated.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00355162; 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 Malheur Refuge Headquarters?
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 USC00355162.
When is the last frost at Malheur Refuge Headquarters?
In Malheur Refuge Headquarters, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 29 in half of years and after June 17 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 18 in half of years and before September 2 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
- May 291 year in 10 after June 17; 9 in 10 after May 6
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 181 year in 10 before September 2; 9 in 10 before October 3
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 113 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 149 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 3 in half of springs and before October 1 in half of autumns.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Oregon · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00355162. 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 Malheur Refuge Headquarters?
In a normal year in Malheur Refuge Headquarters, 17 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more) and 184 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 17a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 184a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 21high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1937) is 104°F, on August 4, 1961; the lowest is −33°F, on January 22, 1962.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1983, with 17.78 in; the snowiest season is 1981–82, with 66.9 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00355162; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00355162. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Malheur Refuge Headquarters?
Over a year 80% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Malheur Refuge Headquarters, 4.5 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (92%) and December the cloudiest (59%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 63% | 1.7 |
| February | 69% | 2.7 |
| March | 71% | 3.9 |
| April | 76% | 5.5 |
| May | 78% | 6.6 |
| June | 85% | 7.5 |
| July | 92% | 7.8 |
| August | 91% | 6.7 |
| September | 88% | 5.2 |
| October | 82% | 3.5 |
| November | 70% | 2.0 |
| December | 59% | 1.4 |
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 Malheur Refuge Headquarters record?
A normal year at Malheur Refuge Headquarters brings 6,933 heating degree days, 29% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 245 cooling degree days, 73% 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 1,791 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,107 | 0 |
| February | 913 | 0 |
| March | 795 | 0 |
| April | 615 | 0 |
| May | 371 | 5 |
| June | 196 | 24 |
| July | 46 | 125 |
| August | 69 | 79 |
| September | 233 | 11 |
| October | 572 | 0 |
| November | 882 | 0 |
| December | 1,134 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,933 | 245 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00355162. 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 Malheur Refuge Headquarters been warmer than normal?
Over 38 complete years from 1939 to 2024, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 1.7°F per century (+0.10°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Malheur Refuge Headquarters's climate compare?
Malheur Refuge Headquarters is warmer than 9 of the 105 places with their own NOAA record in Oregon, and wetter than 16. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 46.6°F is warmer than 26%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Malheur Refuge Headquarters is Dsb: continental, 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 Malheur Refuge Headquarters share this climate record?
Crane has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its 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.
- Crane, OR158 people · 17 mi NE
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Malheur Refuge Headquarters's climate
What is the coldest month at Malheur Refuge Headquarters?
December, with a normal high of 37°F and a normal low of 20°F. The warmest is July (85°F by day, 51°F at night).
What is the rainiest month at Malheur Refuge Headquarters?
May, with 1.80 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is August with 0.37 in.
How late can frost come at Malheur Refuge Headquarters?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 29; in one year in ten it comes after June 17. Waiting until June 17 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Oregon climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Burns, OR24 miles from this station, 46.0°F a year
- O O Ranch, OR24 miles from this station, 45.5°F a year
- Riverside (7 mi SSW), OR34 miles from this station, 48.5°F a year
- Drewsey, OR44 miles from this station, 45.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made