Pilot Rock, OR 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 Pilot Rock's primary NOAA station, PILOT ROCK 1 SE.
The climate verdict for Pilot Rock
Dryness leads the climate profile for Pilot Rock, Oregon, with 15.0 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 52°F. At 54/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 31% of scores.
- 52°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 54/100
- comfort score, above 31% of station-mapped location scores
- 15.0"
- annual precipitation · 10" snow
- 150 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Pilot Rock: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00356634 · Pilot Rock, OR 52°F mean · 15.0" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 52°F
- RANK-MID #3,362
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Williams
- PRCP-DRY 15.0"
- SWING-MID 37°F
- COMF-LOW 54/100
- LOAD-HEAT 5,333 HDD
- STN-1 USC00356634
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Williams, 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 OR station list.
- Pilot Rock (this station) 52°F
- Cold Whitman Mission, WA 52°F
- Hot Eltopia, WA 52°F
- Near Williams, AZ 52°F
- Near Carson City, NV 52°F
Climate Living Index · Pilot Rock
Pilot Rock: 39/100 · grade F
Pilot Rock publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Pilot Rock, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 54/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Snowfall burden | 10.1 inches/year | 63/100 · C |
| Annual temperature balance | 51.9°F · 15.6° from 67.5°F | 49/100 · D |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 171 calendar days | 31/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 15.0 in · 20.0 from 35 in | 28/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 150 days/year | 25/100 · F |
Pilot Rock · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Pilot Rock is a temperate Köppen climate: Csa
Coldest-month mean 34.9°F and warmest-month mean 71.7°F place this station in temperate, dry-summer, hot summer climates (Csa). Class Csa is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: temperate, specifically temperate, dry-summer, hot summer.
- Köppen code
- Csa
- Group
- Temperate
- Warmest month
- 71.7°F
- Coldest month
- 34.9°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 Pilot Rock sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Pilot Rock's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 49th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 83%
- Pilot Rock's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 77%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Pilot Rock is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Pilot Rock compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Pilot Rock's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
54 31st percentile score exceeds 31% 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
Pilot Rock's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 72 complete annual observations from 1910 to 2020, PILOT ROCK 1 SE warmed at a fitted rate of 0.12°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Pilot Rock primary station fitted change +0.12 °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 | 45°F (7°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 1.4" | 3.7" | 22.9 | 0.0 |
| February | 49°F (10°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 38°F (4°C) | 1.3" | 2.1" | 19.3 | 0.0 |
| March | 57°F (14°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 1.8" | 0.5" | 15.6 | 0.0 |
| April | 63°F (17°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 1.6" | 0.0" | 8.8 | 0.0 |
| May | 72°F (22°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 2.1" | 0.0" | 1.9 | 1.1 |
| June | 80°F (26°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 1.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| July | 91°F (33°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 0.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 17.3 |
| August | 90°F (32°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 0.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 16.6 |
| September | 80°F (27°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 0.6" | 0.0" | 0.6 | 4.6 |
| October | 67°F (19°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 1.1" | 0.1" | 7.7 | 0.0 |
| November | 53°F (12°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 1.5" | 1.1" | 17.5 | 0.0 |
| December | 44°F (7°C) | 26°F (-4°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 1.4" | 2.6" | 24.0 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Pilot Rock works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 93°F by July 28 and hold at or above 90°F on 36 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 135 dates, bottoming at 25°F around December 22.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from July 13 through August 17, covering 36 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs May 8 to October 9.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 18, then returns to freezing around November 5, covering 135 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 24, when 35% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is July 26 at 8%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 95 wet dates a year.
The widest day
July 28 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 39°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Pilot Rock.
Where Pilot Rock Stands Nationally
Day-to-night contrast is extreme by national standards — the widest normal daily swing reaches about 39°F, sharper than nine in ten ranked stations see.
A drier-than-most normal water year — around 15 inches, below what four out of five ranked stations collect.
Pilot Rock earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 3.7"
10.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.1"
8.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.5"
10.7 days with precipitation
10.3 days with precipitation
10.2 days with precipitation
6.8 days with precipitation
2.5 days with precipitation
2.4 days with precipitation
4.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
7.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.1"
10.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.6"
10.8 days with precipitation
Pilot Rock spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 15% of the annual total and December through February 27%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Pilot Rock has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 36.8°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: May averages 2.1" and July 0.3". The three wettest months together take 37% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
Pilot Rock is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 94 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 26% of the calendar, and they carry 15.0" between them. At roughly 0.16 inches on an average wet day, this is not the damp drizzle of a marine climate; it is an arid record in which precipitation is both uncommon and light when it appears.
The wettest month by count is December at about 11 wet days; the driest is August at about 2.
A low per-event average in a dry record is a statement about typical days only. Arid regions can still take a large share of a year's total from a single convective storm, which a normal cannot show.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, not the extremes within it.
Snow reaches Pilot Rock, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 10.1 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 3 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 4
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 7
50% probability date
Growing Season
150 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
5,333
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
567
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside OR closest to Pilot Rock 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 (52°F here).
- Atwood, KS 52°F · 0.0°F off
- Boston, MA 52°F · 0.0°F off
- Connellsville, PA 52°F · 0.0°F off
- Curtis, NE 52°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (15.0" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Bickleton, WA 15.0" · 0.0" off
- Polson, MT 15.0" · 0.0" off
- Santa Rosa, NM 15.0" · 0.0" off
- Sheffield, TX 15.0" · 0.0" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Pilot Rock's climate pattern fits together
heating led · dry · mid swing
Pilot Rock's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 5,333 annual heating degree days against 567 for cooling. Its 36.8°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Pilot Rock's frost-free season lasts about 150 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
July and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Pilot Rock's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 36.8°F. The annual average is 52°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Pilot Rock's cold-season load does not imply a wet climate. Annual precipitation is 15.0 inches, which places the station in PlainClimate's dry range. Annual snowfall totals 10.1 inches. The snowfall and rainfall fields should be read separately rather than inferred from temperature.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Pilot Rock'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 Pilot Rock, not an official NOAA class or a year-ahead forecast.
Questions about Pilot Rock's climate
How much rain does Pilot Rock get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Pilot Rock get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Pilot Rock? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Pilot Rock's primary station: PILOT ROCK 1 SE (USC00356634). 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 4157650). Match rule for Pilot Rock: 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 Pilot Rock 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.