Newhalem, WA 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 Newhalem's primary NOAA station, NEWHALEM.
The climate verdict for Newhalem
Water is the standout signal in Newhalem, Washington: 78.8 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 50°F. At 43/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 10% of scores.
- 50°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 43/100
- comfort score, above 10% of station-mapped location scores
- 78.8"
- annual precipitation · 30" snow
- 226 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Newhalem: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00455840 · Newhalem, WA 50°F mean · 78.8" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-WET · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 50°F
- RANK-MID #2,813
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Springerville
- PRCP-WET 78.8"
- SWING-MID 30°F
- COMF-LOW 43/100
- LOAD-HEAT 5,644 HDD
- STN-1 USC00455840
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Springerville, AZ (+ 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 WA station list.
- Newhalem (this station) 50°F
- Cold Wrightwood, CA 50°F
- Hot Calaveras Big T…, CA 50°F
- Near Springerville, AZ 50°F
- Near Banner Elk, NC 50°F
Climate Living Index · Newhalem
Newhalem: 54/100 · grade D
Newhalem publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Newhalem, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 43/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 25 calendar days | 97/100 · A |
| Frost-free season | 226 days/year | 79/100 · B |
| Annual temperature balance | 50.2°F · 17.3° from 67.5°F | 41/100 · D |
| Snowfall burden | 29.5 inches/year | 39/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 78.8 in · 43.8 from 35 in | 0/100 · F |
Newhalem · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Newhalem is a temperate Köppen climate: Csb
Coldest-month mean 36.0°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
- 36.0°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 Newhalem sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Newhalem's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 41st percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Top 1% wettest
- Newhalem's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 90%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Newhalem is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Newhalem compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Newhalem's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
43 10th percentile score exceeds 10% 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
Newhalem's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 49 complete annual observations from 1959 to 2025, NEWHALEM warmed at a fitted rate of 0.20°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Newhalem primary station fitted change +0.20 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40°F (5°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 12.4" | 10.2" | 14.3 | 0.0 |
| February | 44°F (7°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 7.2" | 7.7" | 12.1 | 0.0 |
| March | 49°F (10°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 8.4" | 2.8" | 8.9 | 0.0 |
| April | 58°F (14°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 4.7" | 0.1" | 1.5 | 0.0 |
| May | 67°F (19°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 3.0" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| June | 70°F (21°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 60°F (16°C) | 2.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 1.7 |
| July | 78°F (26°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 1.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 3.8 |
| August | 79°F (26°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 1.7" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 3.9 |
| September | 71°F (22°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 3.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| October | 57°F (14°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 8.8" | 0.0" | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| November | 45°F (7°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 13.6" | 2.4" | 5.7 | 0.0 |
| December | 40°F (4°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 11.7" | 6.3" | 14.8 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 81°F around July 31, short of 90°F on every date, while 25 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 32°F near December 29.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into January 12, then returns to freezing around December 19, covering 25 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 November 15, when 67% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is July 31 at 18%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 177 wet dates a year.
The widest day
July 27 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 25°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Newhalem.
Where Newhalem Stands Nationally
This is one of the wettest normals climates ranked: about 79 inches of precipitation in a normal year, a total fewer than one station in ten surpasses.
Newhalem earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 10.2"
18.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 7.7"
15.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.8"
19.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
16.5 days with precipitation
13.2 days with precipitation
12.8 days with precipitation
6.7 days with precipitation
6.6 days with precipitation
11.3 days with precipitation
17.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.4"
20.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 6.3"
19.1 days with precipitation
Newhalem's wet season runs through the cold months
December, January and February carry 40% 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 a 30.4°F seasonal spread.
- Wettest month
- November, 13.6"
- Driest month
- July, 1.4"
- Wettest three months
- November, January, December (48% 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.
When it rains in Newhalem, it arrives in quantity
78.8" of precipitation falls across only about 177 wet days here, averaging 0.45 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.
- Days with measurable precipitation
- about 177 a year, 48% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.45 inches
- Most wet days
- November, about 21
- Fewest wet days
- August, about 7
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.
Winter brings real snow to Newhalem
Newhalem averages 29.5 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 12 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 29.5 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 12 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 4% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
November 14
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 2
50% probability date
Growing Season
226 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
5,644
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
257
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
August
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside WA closest to Newhalem 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 (50°F here).
- Ainsworth, NE 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Aurora, IL 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Blair, NE 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Bloomington, IL 50°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (78.8" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Klamath, CA 78.9" · 0.0" off
- Kodiak, AK 78.3" · 0.5" off
- Yachats, OR 78.3" · 0.6" off
- Cloverdale, OR 79.7" · 0.8" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Newhalem
heating led · wet · mid swing
Newhalem's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 5,644 annual heating degree days against 257 for cooling. Its 30.4°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Newhalem's frost-free season lasts about 226 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Newhalem coldest normal
December
The monthly mean of 36°F (2°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Newhalem typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Newhalem snow peak
January
Newhalem averages 29.5 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Newhalem's climate
How much snow does Newhalem get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Newhalem? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Newhalem's primary station: NEWHALEM (USC00455840). 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 Newhalem; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Newhalem 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.