Olympia, WA Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Explore NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 climate normals → and a clearly labeled PlainClimate comfort calculation
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Olympia's primary NOAA station, OLYMPIA AP.
The climate verdict for Olympia
Water is the standout signal in Olympia, Washington: 50.6 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 51°F. Its climate comfort score of 59/100 (moderate) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 37% of station-mapped location scores.
- 51°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 59/100
- comfort score, above 37% of station-mapped location scores
- 50.6"
- annual precipitation · 4" snow
- 168 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Olympia: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00024227 · Olympia, WA 51°F mean · 50.6" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-WET · SWING-NARROW · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 51°F
- RANK-MID #2,882
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Quilcene
- PRCP-WET 50.6"
- SWING-NARROW 25°F
- COMF-MID 59/100
- LOAD-HEAT 5,378 HDD
- STN-1 USW00024227
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Quilcene, WA (+ 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.
- Olympia (this station) 51°F
- Hot Landsburg, WA 51°F
- Near Quilcene, WA 51°F
- Near Mcmillin Rsvr, WA 51°F
- Cold Forks, WA 50°F
Climate Living Index · Olympia
Olympia: 68/100 · grade C
Olympia publishes all six Living Index dimensions from NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals · NOAA hourly normals.
PlainClimate-derived for Olympia, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 59/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 0 calendar days | 100/100 · A |
| Summer moisture balance | 51.8°F mean dew point | 96/100 · A |
| Snowfall burden | 3.9 inches/year | 72/100 · B |
| Precipitation balance | 50.6 in · 15.6 from 35 in | 45/100 · D |
| Annual temperature balance | 50.5°F · 17.0° from 67.5°F | 43/100 · D |
| Frost-free season | 168 days/year | 40/100 · D |
Olympia · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Olympia is a temperate Köppen climate: Csb
Coldest-month mean 38.9°F and warmest-month mean 64.2°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
- 64.2°F
- Coldest month
- 38.9°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 Olympia sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Olympia's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 42nd percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Top 18% wettest
- Olympia's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 94%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Olympia is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Olympia compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Olympia's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
59 37th percentile score exceeds 37% 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%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). This entry sits in this band.
- 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
Olympia's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 123 complete annual observations from 1895 to 2025, OLYMPIA AP warmed at a fitted rate of 0.05°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Olympia primary station fitted change +0.05 °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 | 46°F (8°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 7.8" | 2.0" | 13.4 | 0.0 |
| February | 49°F (10°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 5.1" | 0.6" | 14.4 | 0.0 |
| March | 54°F (12°C) | 35°F (1°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 5.7" | 0.1" | 12.5 | 0.0 |
| April | 59°F (15°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 3.7" | 0.0" | 6.4 | 0.0 |
| May | 66°F (19°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 2.3" | 0.0" | 1.1 | 0.1 |
| June | 71°F (22°C) | 47°F (9°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 1.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| July | 78°F (25°C) | 51°F (10°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 0.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 2.7 |
| August | 78°F (26°C) | 51°F (10°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 1.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 2.3 |
| September | 72°F (22°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 2.0" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| October | 60°F (16°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 5.1" | 0.0" | 4.3 | 0.0 |
| November | 51°F (10°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 8.2" | 0.0" | 10.5 | 0.0 |
| December | 45°F (7°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 7.8" | 1.2" | 14.3 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
The calendar barely moves in Olympia: no date carries a normal high of 90°F or a normal low at freezing. The year runs between 32°F near February 11 and 79°F near July 27.
No freezing date
Not one calendar date in the 1991–2020 record carries a normal low at or below 32°F. The coldest normal low of the year is 32°F around February 11.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is December 28, when 67% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is July 26 at 12%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 164 wet dates a year.
The widest day
July 25 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 28°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Olympia.
Where Olympia Stands Nationally
The normal water year runs well above the national norm at roughly 51 inches.
Olympia 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: 2.0"
20.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.6"
16.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
18.8 days with precipitation
16.3 days with precipitation
11.4 days with precipitation
8.5 days with precipitation
4.0 days with precipitation
4.8 days with precipitation
8.1 days with precipitation
15.1 days with precipitation
19.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.2"
20.2 days with precipitation
Olympia's wet season runs through the cold months
December, January and February carry 41% of the year's precipitation here, while June through August contribute 6%. 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 an unusually narrow 25.3°F seasonal spread.
- Wettest month
- November, 8.2"
- Driest month
- July, 0.5"
- Wettest three months
- November, December, January (47% 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.
How Olympia's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 163 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 50.6" between them, or roughly 0.31 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Snow reaches Olympia, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 3.9 inches of snow a year here, most likely in January. That is a real but marginal amount: enough that snow is part of the local record, not enough to define the winter.
A figure in this range usually reflects a handful of events that melt quickly rather than a season of accumulation; about 2 days a year record any measurable snow at all.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. An average across thirty years can smooth away a single heavy winter, so a small annual figure does not mean a significant snowfall is impossible.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 14
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 29
50% probability date
Growing Season
168 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
5,378
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
113
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Humidity & Wind
Monthly averages from hourly observations
| Month | Humidity | Wind (mph) | Clear Sky % | Overcast % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 87% | 5.7 | 20% | 55% |
| February | 81% | 5.9 | 25% | 45% |
| March | 77% | 6.2 | 24% | 41% |
| April | 72% | 6.1 | 34% | 36% |
| May | 71% | 5.6 | 36% | 33% |
| June | 69% | 5.4 | 44% | 26% |
| July | 68% | 4.9 | 58% | 21% |
| August | 71% | 4.7 | 52% | 20% |
| September | 79% | 4.5 | 48% | 26% |
| October | 86% | 5.2 | 26% | 46% |
| November | 88% | 5.8 | 19% | 54% |
| December | 90% | 5.7 | 15% | 63% |
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside WA closest to Olympia 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 (51°F here).
- Chenoa, IL 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Columbus, NE 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Coos Bay, OR 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Crook, CO 51°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (50.6" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Hallsville, TX 50.6" · 0.0" off
- Estell Manor, NJ 50.6" · 0.0" off
- Stuttgart, AR 50.6" · 0.0" off
- Bridgton, ME 50.6" · 0.0" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Olympia's climate pattern fits together
heating led · wet · low swing
Heating is the larger measured load in Olympia, at 5,378 degree days versus 113 for cooling. Unlike a strongly continental record, however, its 25.3°F month-to-month range is compact; persistent cool-season demand matters more than a dramatic summer-to-winter reversal.
Olympia's frost-free season lasts about 168 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
Olympia's 25.3°F seasonal spread is compact even though precipitation is abundant. July and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar. The annual average is 51°F. Temperature is relatively steady; the monthly rows show how rain and snow observations vary across the calendar.
Alongside its heating load, Olympia carries 50.6 inches of precipitation in a normal year, inside PlainClimate's wet range. Annual snowfall totals 3.9 inches. That distinction matters because a wet annual total can arrive as rain, snow, or a mixture at different times.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Olympia's primary station, so the winter figures are a thirty-year average and not a floor: a single hard season can run well below them. Treat each band as a descriptive range for Olympia, not an official NOAA class or a year-ahead forecast.
Questions about Olympia's climate
How much rain does Olympia get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Olympia? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Olympia's primary station: OLYMPIA AP (USW00024227). 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 5351300). Match rule for Olympia: 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 Olympia 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.