Priest Rapids Dam, 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 Priest Rapids Dam's primary NOAA station, PRIEST RAPIDS DAM.
The climate verdict for Priest Rapids Dam
Dryness leads the climate profile for Priest Rapids Dam, Washington, with 7.5 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 56°F. Its climate comfort score of 56/100 (moderate) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 36% of station-mapped location scores.
- 56°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 56/100
- comfort score, above 36% of station-mapped location scores
- 7.5"
- precipitation, annual total
- 225 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Priest Rapids Dam: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00456747 · Priest Rapids Dam, WA 56°F mean · 7.5" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-ARID · SWING-MID · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 56°F
- RANK-UPPER #4,391
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Summersville
- PRCP-ARID 7.5"
- SWING-MID 44°F
- COMF-MID 56/100
- LOAD-HEAT 4,514 HDD
- STN-1 USC00456747
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Summersville, MO (+ 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.
- Priest Rapids D… (this station) 56°F
- Hot Lead Hill, AR 56°F
- Near Summersville, MO 56°F
- Near Kenton, OK 56°F
- Near Rochester Ferry, KY 56°F
Climate Living Index · Priest Rapids Dam
Priest Rapids Dam: 55/100 · grade C
Priest Rapids Dam publishes 4 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 2 missing weights rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Priest Rapids Dam, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 56/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Frost-free season | 225 days/year | 79/100 · B |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 116 calendar days | 67/100 · C |
| Annual temperature balance | 56.0°F · 11.5° from 67.5°F | 63/100 · C |
| Precipitation balance | 7.5 in · 27.5 from 35 in | 6/100 · F |
Priest Rapids Dam · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Priest Rapids Dam's normals sit in a dry climate class: BSk
Precipitation is low relative to temperature but above true desert thresholds: cold semi-arid steppe (BSk). Class BSk is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically cold semi-arid steppe.
- Köppen code
- BSk
- Group
- Dry (arid or semi-arid)
- Warmest month
- 79.0°F
- Coldest month
- 35.1°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 Priest Rapids Dam sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Priest Rapids Dam's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 64th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 98%
- Priest Rapids Dam's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 53rd percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Priest Rapids Dam compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Priest Rapids Dam's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
56 36th percentile score exceeds 36% 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
Priest Rapids Dam's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 30 complete annual observations from 1961 to 2025, PRIEST RAPIDS DAM changed little at a fitted rate of 0.00°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Priest Rapids Dam primary station fitted change -0.00 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41°F (5°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 1.1" | 19.7 | 0.0 |
| February | 47°F (8°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 0.6" | 13.9 | 0.0 |
| March | 57°F (14°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 47°F (9°C) | 0.7" | 6.6 | 0.0 |
| April | 65°F (19°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 0.6" | 0.8 | 0.0 |
| May | 75°F (24°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 0.6" | 0.1 | 2.3 |
| June | 82°F (28°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 0.5" | 0.0 | 6.4 |
| July | 92°F (33°C) | 67°F (19°C) | 79°F (26°C) | 0.2" | 0.0 | 19.3 |
| August | 90°F (32°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 78°F (26°C) | 0.1" | 0.0 | 17.6 |
| September | 80°F (27°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 69°F (21°C) | 0.1" | 0.0 | 4.7 |
| October | 65°F (19°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 0.7" | 1.7 | 0.0 |
| November | 50°F (10°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 0.9" | 10.8 | 0.0 |
| December | 41°F (5°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 1.4" | 21.1 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Priest Rapids Dam works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 94°F by July 26 and hold at or above 90°F on 40 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 76 dates, bottoming at 29°F around January 1.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from July 9 through August 17, covering 40 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs April 29 to October 7.
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 February 15, then returns to freezing around December 2, covering 76 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 January 12, when 33% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is August 5 at 4%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 70 wet dates a year.
The widest day
July 20 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 26°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Priest Rapids Dam.
Where Priest Rapids Dam Stands Nationally
Aridity defines the water calendar: about 8 inches in a normal year lands this among the driest tenth of ranked stations.
Priest Rapids Dam 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
10.1 days with precipitation
7.6 days with precipitation
7.0 days with precipitation
4.8 days with precipitation
5.3 days with precipitation
4.0 days with precipitation
1.5 days with precipitation
1.2 days with precipitation
2.3 days with precipitation
6.7 days with precipitation
9.3 days with precipitation
9.6 days with precipitation
Priest Rapids Dam'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 11%. 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 43.9°F seasonal spread.
- Wettest month
- December, 1.4"
- Driest month
- August, 0.1"
- Wettest three months
- December, January, November (45% 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.
Priest Rapids Dam is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 69 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 19% of the calendar, and they carry 7.5" between them. At roughly 0.11 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 January at about 10 wet days; the driest is August at about 1.
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.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
November 4
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
March 24
50% probability date
Growing Season
225 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
4,514
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,273
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside WA closest to Priest Rapids Dam 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 (56°F here).
- Barbourville, KY 56°F · 0.0°F off
- Bolivar, MO 56°F · 0.0°F off
- Chestertown, MD 56°F · 0.0°F off
- Columbia, MO 56°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (7.5" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Kettleman City, CA 7.5" · 0.0" off
- Delano, CA 7.5" · 0.0" off
- Sutcliffe, NV 7.4" · 0.1" off
- Rock Springs, WY 7.5" · 0.1" off
Scarce-water calendar
Where Priest Rapids Dam's limited precipitation lands
heating led · dry · mid swing
Priest Rapids Dam's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 4,514 annual heating degree days against 1,273 for cooling. Its 43.9°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Priest Rapids Dam's frost-free season lasts about 225 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Priest Rapids Dam's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 43.9°F. The annual average is 56°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Priest Rapids Dam's cold-season load does not imply a wet climate. Annual precipitation is 7.5 inches, which places the station in PlainClimate's dry range. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. The snowfall and rainfall fields should be read separately rather than inferred from temperature.
Priest Rapids Dam wettest normal
December
December concentrates the scarce annual total (7.5 inches).
Priest Rapids Dam driest normal
August
August is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.
Questions about Priest Rapids Dam's climate
How dry is Priest Rapids Dam? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Priest Rapids Dam get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Priest Rapids Dam? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Priest Rapids Dam's primary station: PRIEST RAPIDS DAM (USC00456747). 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 Priest Rapids Dam; 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 Priest Rapids Dam 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.