Tacoma #1, Washington climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Tacoma #1's normal year runs from 37°F December nights to 77°F July afternoons, with 40.8 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 12.1°C, December lows of 3°C, July highs of 25°C, 1,037 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationTacoma #1
- Station IDUSC00458278
- Location47.25°N 122.41°W
- Elevation25 ft (8 m)
On October 14, the normal high in Tacoma #1 is 61°F and the normal low 47°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 44%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Tacoma #1.
- Jan 48° 37°
- Feb 50° 37°
- Mar 55° 40°
- Apr 60° 44°
- May 67° 49°
- Jun 71° 53°
- Jul 77° 57°
- Aug 77° 57°
- Sep 71° 53°
- Oct 61° 47°
- Nov 52° 41°
- Dec 47° 37°
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 Tacoma #1 each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 77°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 37°F. The most precipitation falls in November (6.50 in), the least in July (0.55 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48°F | 37°F | 42.8°F | 6.03 | 20 | <1 | 7 | 8 h 50 min |
| February | 50°F | 37°F | 43.9°F | 4.03 | 16 | <1 | 6 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 55°F | 40°F | 47.4°F | 4.38 | 18 | <1 | 2 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 60°F | 44°F | 51.8°F | 3.39 | 15 | <1 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 67°F | 49°F | 57.8°F | 2.00 | 10 | <1 | <1 | 15 h |
| June | 71°F | 53°F | 62.2°F | 1.42 | 8 | <1 | <1 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 77°F | 57°F | 67.0°F | 0.55 | 4 | <1 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| August | 77°F | 57°F | 66.9°F | 0.83 | 4 | <1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 71°F | 53°F | 61.9°F | 1.57 | 7 | <1 | <1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 61°F | 47°F | 53.7°F | 4.09 | 15 | <1 | <1 | 11 h |
| November | 52°F | 41°F | 46.5°F | 6.50 | 19 | <1 | 4 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 47°F | 37°F | 42.1°F | 6.02 | 20 | <1 | 7 | 8 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 61°F | 46°F | 53.7°F | 40.81 | 156 | 1 | 27 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9°C | 3°C | 6.0°C | 153 mm |
| February | 10°C | 3°C | 6.6°C | 102 mm |
| March | 13°C | 5°C | 8.6°C | 111 mm |
| April | 15°C | 7°C | 11.0°C | 86 mm |
| May | 19°C | 10°C | 14.3°C | 51 mm |
| June | 22°C | 12°C | 16.8°C | 36 mm |
| July | 25°C | 14°C | 19.4°C | 14 mm |
| August | 25°C | 14°C | 19.4°C | 21 mm |
| September | 22°C | 12°C | 16.6°C | 40 mm |
| October | 16°C | 8°C | 12.1°C | 104 mm |
| November | 11°C | 5°C | 8.1°C | 165 mm |
| December | 8°C | 3°C | 5.6°C | 153 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, McMillin (11 miles away), gets 6 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00458278; 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 Tacoma #1?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, July has the fewest days with rain (4).
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 USC00458278.
When is the last frost at Tacoma #1?
In Tacoma #1, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 8 in half of years and after March 31 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 14 in half of years and before October 30 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- March 81 year in 10 after March 31; 9 in 10 after February 15
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 141 year in 10 before October 30; 9 in 10 before December 2
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 250 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 301 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after February 11 in half of springs and before December 1 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Tacoma #1 in zone 9a in ZIP code 98421, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 9a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 21°F (21 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Washington · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00458278; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get at Tacoma #1?
In a normal year in Tacoma #1, 1 day a year reaches 90°F, 27 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 156 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 27a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 1high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 156a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1982) is 105°F, on June 27, 2021; the lowest is 5°F, on November 24, 1985.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2017, with 51.52 in; the snowiest season is 2006–07, with 6.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00458278; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00458278. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Tacoma #1?
Over a year 67% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Tacoma #1, 3.4 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (78%) and December the cloudiest (51%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 52% | 1.0 |
| February | 60% | 1.9 |
| March | 58% | 2.9 |
| April | 63% | 4.2 |
| May | 66% | 5.3 |
| June | 68% | 5.7 |
| July | 78% | 6.3 |
| August | 78% | 5.4 |
| September | 74% | 3.9 |
| October | 63% | 2.3 |
| November | 54% | 1.2 |
| December | 51% | 0.8 |
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 Tacoma #1 record?
A normal year at Tacoma #1 brings 4,332 heating degree days, 19% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 211 cooling degree days, 77% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,306 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 690 | 0 |
| February | 592 | 0 |
| March | 546 | 0 |
| April | 398 | 0 |
| May | 229 | 6 |
| June | 106 | 24 |
| July | 22 | 84 |
| August | 21 | 81 |
| September | 111 | 16 |
| October | 352 | 0 |
| November | 557 | 0 |
| December | 710 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,332 | 211 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00458278. 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 Tacoma #1 been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 54.5°F, 0.8°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 53.7°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 54.0°F | +0.3°F | 43.57 |
| 2022 | 53.1°F | −0.6°F | 43.05 |
| 2023 | 53.8°F | +0.1°F | 29.42 |
| 2024 | 53.8°F | +0.1°F | 32.70 |
| 2025 | 54.5°F | +0.8°F | 28.99 |
Over 30 complete years from 1983 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 2.3°F per century (+0.13°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00458278; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Tacoma #1's climate compare?
Tacoma #1 is warmer than 91 of the 96 places with their own NOAA record in Washington, and wetter than 59. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 53.7°F is warmer than 56%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Tacoma #1 is Csb: temperate, dry-summer, warm 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.
Which places near Tacoma #1 share this climate record?
14 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Federal Way, WAalso near: Kent (9 mi, 53.8°F a year); Seattle (9 mi, 53.7°F a year)100,252 people · 6 mi NE
- Parkland, WA39,174 people · 7 mi S
- Edgewood, WA13,496 people · 6 mi E
- Lakeland South, WA12,869 people · 6 mi E
- Fife, WA11,077 people · 3 mi E
- Milton, WA8,833 people · 4 mi E
- Midland, WA8,676 people · 5 mi S
- Waller, WA7,857 people · 4 mi SE
- Pacific, WA7,085 people · 8 mi E
- Algona, WA3,269 people · 8 mi E
- McChord AFB, WA2,895 people · 9 mi SW
- Fife Heights, WA1,508 people · 3 mi E
- Browns Point, WA998 people · 4 mi N
- Dash Point, WA984 people · 5 mi N
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Tacoma #1's climate
What is the coldest month at Tacoma #1?
December, with a normal high of 47°F and a normal low of 37°F. The warmest is July (77°F by day, 57°F at night).
Does it snow at Tacoma #1?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, McMillin (11 miles away), records 6 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Tacoma #1?
November, with 6.50 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 0.55 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Tacoma #1 in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Tacoma #1 in zone 9a in ZIP code 98421, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 21°F (21 years, 1991-2020): zone 9a.
How late can frost come at Tacoma #1?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 8; in one year in ten it comes after March 31. Waiting until March 31 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Washington climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Tacoma, WA8 miles from this station, 51.9°F a year
- McMillin, WA11 miles from this station, 50.5°F a year
- Kent, WA14 miles from this station, 53.8°F a year
- Seattle, WA14 miles from this station, 53.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made