Methow, Washington climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Methow's normal year runs from 22°F December nights to 89°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 10.0°C, December lows of −5°C, July highs of 32°C.
- NOAA stationMethow (2 mi S)
- Station IDUSC00455326
- Location48.11°N 120.01°W
- Elevation1,135 ft (346 m)
- Population (census place)91
On October 23, the normal high in Methow is 58°F and the normal low 35°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Methow.
- Jan 33° 22°
- Feb 40° 25°
- Mar 53° 32°
- Apr 64° 38°
- May 73° 46°
- Jun 80° 52°
- Jul 89° 57°
- Aug 88° 56°
- Sep 79° 48°
- Oct 62° 38°
- Nov 44° 30°
- Dec 32° 22°
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 Methow each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 89°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 22°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33°F | 22°F | 27.3°F | – | <1 | 30 | 8 h 50 min |
| February | 40°F | 25°F | 32.4°F | – | <1 | 24 | 10 h 10 min |
| March | 53°F | 32°F | 42.3°F | – | <1 | 22 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 64°F | 38°F | 51.1°F | – | <1 | 11 | 13 h 40 min |
| May | 73°F | 46°F | 59.5°F | – | 1 | 2 | 15 h 10 min |
| June | 80°F | 52°F | 65.5°F | – | 3 | <1 | 16 h |
| July | 89°F | 57°F | 72.7°F | – | 15 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| August | 88°F | 56°F | 72.2°F | – | 14 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 79°F | 48°F | 63.4°F | – | 3 | <1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 62°F | 38°F | 49.8°F | – | <1 | 12 | 11 h |
| November | 44°F | 30°F | 36.9°F | – | <1 | 22 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 32°F | 22°F | 27.2°F | – | <1 | 30 | 8 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 61°F | 39°F | 50.0°F | – | 37 | 152 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0°C | −6°C | −2.6°C |
| February | 4°C | −4°C | 0.2°C |
| March | 12°C | 0°C | 5.7°C |
| April | 18°C | 3°C | 10.6°C |
| May | 23°C | 8°C | 15.3°C |
| June | 26°C | 11°C | 18.6°C |
| July | 32°C | 14°C | 22.6°C |
| August | 31°C | 13°C | 22.3°C |
| September | 26°C | 9°C | 17.4°C |
| October | 17°C | 3°C | 9.9°C |
| November | 7°C | −1°C | 2.7°C |
| December | 0°C | −5°C | −2.7°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Chief Joseph Dam (18 miles away), gets 28 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00455326; 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 Methow?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June 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 USC00455326.
When is the last frost in Methow?
In Methow, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 21 in half of years and after May 10 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 15 in half of years and before October 3 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 211 year in 10 after May 10; 9 in 10 after April 1
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 151 year in 10 before October 3; 9 in 10 before October 29
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 177 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 213 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 28 in half of springs and before October 26 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Methow in zone 7a in ZIP code 98834, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Methow's NOAA station is in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −5°F (19 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Washington · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00455326; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. 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 Methow?
In a normal year in Methow, 37 days a year reach 90°F (4 of them 100°F or more) and 152 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 37a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 4a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 152a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 35high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00455326.
How sunny is Methow?
Over a year 68% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Methow, 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 Methow need?
A normal year in Methow brings 6,082 heating degree days, 13% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 660 cooling degree days, 27% 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 2,749 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,169 | 0 |
| February | 911 | 0 |
| March | 702 | 0 |
| April | 417 | 2 |
| May | 196 | 27 |
| June | 67 | 83 |
| July | 11 | 250 |
| August | 13 | 236 |
| September | 109 | 61 |
| October | 472 | 1 |
| November | 843 | 0 |
| December | 1,172 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,082 | 660 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00455326. 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 Methow's climate compare?
Methow is warmer than 40 of the other 95 places with their own NOAA record in Washington. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 50.0°F is warmer than 40%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Methow share this climate record?
Pateros 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.
- Pateros, WA626 people · 6 mi SE
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 Methow's climate
What is the coldest month in Methow?
December, with a normal high of 32°F and a normal low of 22°F. The warmest is July (89°F by day, 57°F at night).
Does it snow in Methow?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Methow's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Chief Joseph Dam (18 miles away), records 28 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Methow in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Methow in zone 7a in ZIP code 98834, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Methow's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −5°F (19 years, 1991-2020): zone 6a.
How late can frost come in Methow?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 21; in one year in ten it comes after May 10. Waiting until May 10 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Washington climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Chief Joseph Dam, WA18 miles from this station, 51.0°F a year
- Chelan, WA19 miles from this station, 50.1°F a year
- Winthrop, WA27 miles from this station, 45.7°F a year
- Waterville, WA32 miles from this station, 45.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made