Rainier Paradise Ranger Station, Washington climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Rainier Paradise Ranger Station's normal year runs from 22°F December nights to 64°F August afternoons, with 116.4 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 3.6°C, December lows of −6°C, August highs of 18°C, 2,958 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationRainier Paradise Ranger Station
- Station IDUSC00456898
- Location46.79°N 121.74°W
- Elevation5,427 ft (1,654 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Rainier Paradise Ranger Station is 44°F and the normal low 31°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Rainier Paradise Ranger Station.
- Jan 35° 24°
- Feb 34° 23°
- Mar 36° 24°
- Apr 40° 26°
- May 48° 33°
- Jun 54° 37°
- Jul 62° 44°
- Aug 64° 45°
- Sep 57° 41°
- Oct 46° 33°
- Nov 37° 26°
- Dec 33° 22°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Rainier Paradise Ranger Station each month?
August is the warmest month, with normal highs of 64°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 22°F. The most precipitation falls in December (18.92 in), the least in July (1.41 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35°F | 24°F | 29.2°F | 17.22 | – | <1 | 28 | 9 h |
| February | 34°F | 23°F | 28.3°F | 12.93 | – | <1 | 26 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 36°F | 24°F | 29.7°F | 13.21 | – | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 40°F | 26°F | 33.2°F | 8.35 | – | <1 | 25 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 48°F | 33°F | 40.6°F | 5.08 | – | <1 | 17 | 15 h |
| June | 54°F | 37°F | 45.2°F | 3.84 | – | <1 | 10 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 62°F | 44°F | 53.1°F | 1.41 | – | <1 | 2 | 15 h 30 min |
| August | 64°F | 45°F | 54.4°F | 1.64 | – | <1 | 1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 57°F | 41°F | 49.3°F | 4.43 | – | <1 | 5 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 46°F | 33°F | 39.6°F | 11.25 | – | <1 | 17 | 11 h |
| November | 37°F | 26°F | 31.5°F | 18.16 | – | <1 | 24 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 33°F | 22°F | 27.3°F | 18.92 | – | <1 | 29 | 8 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 45°F | 31°F | 38.4°F | 116.44 | – | <1 | 212 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1°C | −5°C | −1.6°C | 437 mm |
| February | 1°C | −5°C | −2.1°C | 328 mm |
| March | 2°C | −5°C | −1.3°C | 336 mm |
| April | 4°C | −3°C | 0.7°C | 212 mm |
| May | 9°C | 1°C | 4.8°C | 129 mm |
| June | 12°C | 3°C | 7.3°C | 98 mm |
| July | 17°C | 7°C | 11.7°C | 36 mm |
| August | 18°C | 7°C | 12.4°C | 42 mm |
| September | 14°C | 5°C | 9.6°C | 113 mm |
| October | 8°C | 0°C | 4.2°C | 286 mm |
| November | 3°C | −3°C | −0.3°C | 461 mm |
| December | 0°C | −6°C | −2.6°C | 481 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Longmire Rainier NPS (4 miles away), gets 143 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00456898; 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.
Which months are mildest at Rainier Paradise Ranger Station?
No month's normal high reaches 65°F in Rainier Paradise Ranger Station: the warmest is August at 64°F.
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 USC00456898.
How hot and how cold does it get at Rainier Paradise Ranger Station?
In a normal year in Rainier Paradise Ranger Station, a 90°F day is rare and 212 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 212a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 78high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1916) is 92°F, on July 11, 1990; the lowest is −20°F, on December 9, 1932.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1975, with 151.93 in; the snowiest season is 1971–72, with 1122.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00456898; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00456898. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Rainier Paradise Ranger Station?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Rainier Paradise Ranger Station, 4.1 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (90%) and December the cloudiest (56%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 59% | 1.3 |
| February | 67% | 2.3 |
| March | 67% | 3.4 |
| April | 73% | 5.0 |
| May | 75% | 6.0 |
| June | 79% | 6.8 |
| July | 90% | 7.5 |
| August | 89% | 6.3 |
| September | 84% | 4.6 |
| October | 74% | 2.8 |
| November | 63% | 1.5 |
| December | 56% | 1.0 |
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 many heating and cooling degree days does Rainier Paradise Ranger Station record?
A normal year at Rainier Paradise Ranger Station brings 9,698 heating degree days, 80% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 29 cooling degree days, 97% fewer than the median (908). Twelve months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 569 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,112 | 0 |
| February | 1,026 | 0 |
| March | 1,096 | 0 |
| April | 954 | 0 |
| May | 757 | 0 |
| June | 596 | 2 |
| July | 380 | 10 |
| August | 341 | 13 |
| September | 475 | 4 |
| October | 788 | 0 |
| November | 1,005 | 0 |
| December | 1,169 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,698 | 29 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00456898. 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.
Have recent years at Rainier Paradise Ranger Station been warmer than normal?
Over 39 complete years from 1920 to 2023, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted -1.9°F per century (−0.10°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Rainier Paradise Ranger Station's climate compare?
Rainier Paradise Ranger Station is warmer than 0 of the 96 places with their own NOAA record in Washington, and wetter than 90. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 38.4°F is warmer than 4%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Rainier Paradise Ranger Station is Dsc: continental, dry-summer, cool 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 Rainier Paradise Ranger Station's climate
What is the coldest month at Rainier Paradise Ranger Station?
December, with a normal high of 33°F and a normal low of 22°F. The warmest is August (64°F by day, 45°F at night).
Does it snow at Rainier Paradise Ranger Station?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Longmire Rainier NPS (4 miles away), records 143 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Rainier Paradise Ranger Station?
December, with 18.92 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 1.41 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Rainier Paradise Ranger Station in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Rainier Paradise Ranger Station in zone 7a in ZIP code 98304, the nearest ZIP area.
Nearby and next
- Washington climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Longmire Rainier NPS, WA4 miles from this station, 44.3°F a year
- Packwood, WA12 miles from this station, 50.5°F a year
- Mud Mountain Dam, WA26 miles from this station, 49.9°F a year
- Glenoma, WA26 miles from this station, 50.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made