The Dalles, OR Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Annual temperature and rainfall from NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 normals →; comfort score computed by PlainClimate
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from The Dalles's primary NOAA station, THE DALLES.
The climate verdict for The Dalles
Dryness leads the climate profile for The Dalles, Oregon, with 14.0 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 54°F. Its climate comfort score of 58/100 (moderate) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 37% of station-mapped location scores.
- 54°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 58/100
- comfort score, above 37% of station-mapped location scores
- 14.0"
- annual precipitation · 6" snow
- 192 days
- growing season, frost-free days
The Dalles: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00358407 · The Dalles, OR 54°F mean · 14.0" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 54°F
- RANK-MID #3,774
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Snowflake
- PRCP-DRY 14.0"
- SWING-MID 37°F
- COMF-MID 58/100
- LOAD-HEAT 4,890 HDD
- STN-1 USC00358407
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Snowflake, 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.
- The Dalles (this station) 54°F
- Hot Lebanon, VA 54°F
- Near Snowflake, AZ 54°F
- Near Sparks, NV 54°F
- Cold Richlands, VA 53°F
Climate Living Index · The Dalles
The Dalles: 54/100 · grade D
The Dalles publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for The Dalles, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 58/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Snowfall burden | 5.5 inches/year | 70/100 · B |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 125 calendar days | 62/100 · C |
| Frost-free season | 192 days/year | 59/100 · C |
| Annual temperature balance | 53.5°F · 14.0° from 67.5°F | 54/100 · D |
| Precipitation balance | 14.0 in · 21.0 from 35 in | 25/100 · F |
The Dalles · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
The Dalles is a temperate Köppen climate: Csa
Coldest-month mean 36.0°F and warmest-month mean 73.3°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
- 73.3°F
- Coldest month
- 36.0°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 The Dalles sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for The Dalles's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 55th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 85%
- The Dalles's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 76%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for The Dalles is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How The Dalles compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
The Dalles's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
58 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
The Dalles's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 74 complete annual observations from 1894 to 2022, THE DALLES warmed at a fitted rate of 0.18°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- The Dalles primary station fitted change +0.18 °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 | 43°F (6°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 2.5" | 1.9" | 18.2 | 0.0 |
| February | 49°F (10°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 1.6" | 0.8" | 17.3 | 0.0 |
| March | 57°F (14°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 1.3" | 0.1" | 11.0 | 0.0 |
| April | 65°F (18°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 1.0" | 0.0" | 3.7 | 0.0 |
| May | 73°F (23°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 60°F (16°C) | 0.8" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 2.0 |
| June | 79°F (26°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 0.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 4.6 |
| July | 88°F (31°C) | 58°F (15°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 0.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 14.2 |
| August | 89°F (31°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 0.2" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 13.7 |
| September | 81°F (27°C) | 49°F (10°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 0.3" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 6.9 |
| October | 67°F (20°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 1.1" | 0.0" | 3.9 | 0.1 |
| November | 52°F (11°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 1.9" | 0.7" | 11.8 | 0.0 |
| December | 43°F (6°C) | 29°F (-1°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 2.9" | 2.0" | 19.1 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
The Dalles works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 91°F by July 28 and hold at or above 90°F on 21 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 104 dates, bottoming at 29°F around January 1.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from July 21 through August 10, covering 21 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs May 3 to October 11.
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 7, then returns to freezing around November 25, covering 104 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 43% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is July 12 at 4%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 87 wet dates a year.
The widest day
September 15 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 32°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for The Dalles.
Where The Dalles Stands Nationally
A drier-than-most normal water year — around 14 inches, below what four out of five ranked stations collect.
The Dalles 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: 1.9"
12.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.8"
9.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
10.4 days with precipitation
7.8 days with precipitation
6.4 days with precipitation
3.2 days with precipitation
0.9 days with precipitation
1.8 days with precipitation
2.3 days with precipitation
8.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.7"
12.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.0"
11.4 days with precipitation
The Dalles's wet season runs through the cold months
December, January and February carry 50% of the year's precipitation here, while June through August contribute 5%. 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 37.3°F seasonal spread.
- Wettest month
- December, 2.9"
- Driest month
- July, 0.1"
- Wettest three months
- December, January, November (52% 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.
The Dalles is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 87 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 24% of the calendar, and they carry 14.0" 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 November at about 12 wet days; the driest is July 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.
Snow reaches The Dalles, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 5.5 inches of snow a year here, most likely in December. 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 4 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 23
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 14
50% probability date
Growing Season
192 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
4,890
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
738
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside OR closest to The Dalles 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 (54°F here).
- Bison, KS 54°F · 0.0°F off
- Bodega, CA 54°F · 0.0°F off
- Brookville, IN 54°F · 0.0°F off
- Brownell, KS 54°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (14.0" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Andrews, TX 14.0" · 0.0" off
- Davenport, WA 14.0" · 0.0" off
- Douglas, AZ 14.0" · 0.0" off
- Manley Hot Springs, AK 14.0" · 0.0" off
Scarce-water calendar
Where The Dalles's limited precipitation lands
heating led · dry · mid swing
The Dalles's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 4,890 annual heating degree days against 738 for cooling. Its 37.3°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
The Dalles's frost-free season lasts about 192 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 The Dalles's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 37.3°F. The annual average is 54°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
The Dalles's cold-season load does not imply a wet climate. Annual precipitation is 14.0 inches, which places the station in PlainClimate's dry range. Annual snowfall totals 5.5 inches. The snowfall and rainfall fields should be read separately rather than inferred from temperature.
The Dalles wettest normal
December
December concentrates the scarce annual total (14.0 inches).
The Dalles driest normal
July
July is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.
Questions about The Dalles's climate
How dry is The Dalles? ▼
How many days above 90°F does The Dalles get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in The Dalles? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from The Dalles's primary station: THE DALLES (USC00358407). 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 4172950). Match rule for The Dalles: 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 The Dalles 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.