Mitchell, Oregon climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Mitchell's normal year runs from 25°F December nights to 83°F July afternoons, with 13.7 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.2°C, December lows of −4°C, July highs of 28°C, 349 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMitchell (2 mi E)
- Station IDUSC00355638
- Location44.57°N 120.12°W
- Elevation3,320 ft (1,012 m)
- Population143
On October 23, the normal high in Mitchell is 59°F and the normal low 35°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 27%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Mitchell.
- Jan 43° 26°
- Feb 46° 26°
- Mar 52° 30°
- Apr 57° 33°
- May 65° 39°
- Jun 72° 44°
- Jul 83° 51°
- Aug 83° 51°
- Sep 75° 45°
- Oct 62° 37°
- Nov 50° 30°
- Dec 41° 25°
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 Mitchell each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 25°F. The most precipitation falls in May (1.94 in), the least in August (0.46 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43°F | 26°F | 34.2°F | 1.17 | 9 | <1 | 23 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 46°F | 26°F | 36.2°F | 1.08 | 9 | <1 | 22 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 52°F | 30°F | 40.8°F | 1.22 | 10 | <1 | 21 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 57°F | 33°F | 45.1°F | 1.66 | 11 | <1 | 16 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 65°F | 39°F | 52.3°F | 1.94 | 11 | <1 | 5 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 72°F | 44°F | 58.1°F | 1.45 | 8 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 83°F | 51°F | 67.2°F | 0.51 | 3 | 8 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 83°F | 51°F | 66.7°F | 0.46 | 3 | 6 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 75°F | 45°F | 59.7°F | 0.50 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 62°F | 37°F | 49.5°F | 1.18 | 9 | <1 | 7 | 11 h |
| November | 50°F | 30°F | 39.8°F | 1.34 | 9 | <1 | 17 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 41°F | 25°F | 33.1°F | 1.23 | 11 | <1 | 25 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 61°F | 36°F | 48.6°F | 13.74 | 97 | 17 | 136 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6°C | −4°C | 1.2°C | 30 mm |
| February | 8°C | −3°C | 2.3°C | 27 mm |
| March | 11°C | −1°C | 4.9°C | 31 mm |
| April | 14°C | 1°C | 7.3°C | 42 mm |
| May | 19°C | 4°C | 11.3°C | 49 mm |
| June | 22°C | 7°C | 14.5°C | 37 mm |
| July | 28°C | 11°C | 19.6°C | 13 mm |
| August | 28°C | 11°C | 19.3°C | 12 mm |
| September | 24°C | 7°C | 15.4°C | 13 mm |
| October | 17°C | 3°C | 9.7°C | 30 mm |
| November | 10°C | −1°C | 4.3°C | 34 mm |
| December | 5°C | −4°C | 0.6°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 USC00355638; 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 Mitchell?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, July has the fewest days with rain (3).
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 USC00355638.
When is the last frost in Mitchell?
In Mitchell, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 22 in half of years and after June 11 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 4 in half of years and before September 16 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 221 year in 10 after June 11; 9 in 10 after May 1
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 41 year in 10 before September 16; 9 in 10 before October 20
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 135 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 173 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 30 in half of springs and before October 22 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Mitchell in zone 7a in ZIP code 97750, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Mitchell's NOAA station is in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 0°F (22 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Oregon · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00355638; 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 Mitchell?
In a normal year in Mitchell, 17 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 136 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 97 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 17a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 136a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 13high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 97a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00355638.
How sunny is Mitchell?
Over a year 79% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Mitchell, 4.4 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (93%) and December the cloudiest (62%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 64% | 1.6 |
| February | 68% | 2.5 |
| March | 69% | 3.7 |
| April | 73% | 5.2 |
| May | 76% | 6.3 |
| June | 83% | 7.3 |
| July | 93% | 7.8 |
| August | 91% | 6.6 |
| September | 87% | 5.0 |
| October | 78% | 3.2 |
| November | 67% | 1.9 |
| December | 62% | 1.3 |
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 Mitchell need?
A normal year in Mitchell brings 6,276 heating degree days, 17% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 302 cooling degree days, 67% 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 1,899 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 953 | 0 |
| February | 808 | 0 |
| March | 752 | 0 |
| April | 599 | 0 |
| May | 402 | 7 |
| June | 228 | 23 |
| July | 56 | 124 |
| August | 57 | 110 |
| September | 195 | 36 |
| October | 484 | 3 |
| November | 755 | 0 |
| December | 987 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,276 | 302 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00355638. 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 Mitchell's climate compare?
Mitchell is warmer than 22 of the other 104 places with their own NOAA record in Oregon, and wetter than 22. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 48.6°F is warmer than 34%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Mitchell is Cfb: temperate, no dry season, 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 Mitchell's climate
What is the coldest month in Mitchell?
December, with a normal high of 41°F and a normal low of 25°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 51°F at night).
What is the rainiest month in Mitchell?
May, with 1.94 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is August with 0.46 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Mitchell in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Mitchell in zone 7a in ZIP code 97750, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Mitchell's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 0°F (22 years, 1991-2020): zone 7a.
How late can frost come in Mitchell?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 22; in one year in ten it comes after June 11. Waiting until June 11 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Oregon climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Dayville, OR23 miles from this station, 53.2°F a year
- Fossil, OR30 miles from this station, 47.4°F a year
- Paulina, OR30 miles from this station, 46.6°F a year
- Antelope, OR36 miles from this station, 49.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made