Vale, Oregon climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Vale's normal year runs from 19°F December nights to 93°F July afternoons, with 10.0 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.9°C, December lows of −7°C, July highs of 34°C, 254 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationVale
- Station IDUSC00358797
- Location43.98°N 117.24°W
- Elevation2,240 ft (683 m)
- Population2,057
On October 23, the normal high in Vale is 59°F and the normal low 31°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 13%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Vale.
- Jan 35° 21°
- Feb 44° 24°
- Mar 56° 30°
- Apr 63° 35°
- May 74° 44°
- Jun 82° 49°
- Jul 93° 57°
- Aug 91° 53°
- Sep 80° 44°
- Oct 64° 33°
- Nov 47° 25°
- Dec 37° 19°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Vale each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 93°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 19°F. The most precipitation falls in December (1.31 in), the least in August (0.18 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35°F | 21°F | 28.3°F | 1.18 | 6 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 44°F | 24°F | 34.3°F | 0.94 | 4 | <1 | 24 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 56°F | 30°F | 42.6°F | 0.96 | 5 | <1 | 18 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 63°F | 35°F | 48.7°F | 0.91 | 5 | <1 | 10 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 74°F | 44°F | 58.7°F | 1.29 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 82°F | 49°F | 65.3°F | 0.78 | 4 | 7 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 93°F | 57°F | 74.8°F | 0.43 | 2 | 23 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 91°F | 53°F | 72.1°F | 0.18 | 1 | 19 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 80°F | 44°F | 62.2°F | 0.40 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 64°F | 33°F | 48.4°F | 0.67 | 3 | <1 | 11 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 47°F | 25°F | 35.6°F | 0.96 | 6 | <1 | 22 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 37°F | 19°F | 28.0°F | 1.31 | 6 | <1 | 29 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 64°F | 36°F | 49.9°F | 10.01 | 50 | 55 | 147 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2°C | −6°C | −2.1°C | 30 mm |
| February | 7°C | −4°C | 1.3°C | 24 mm |
| March | 13°C | −1°C | 5.9°C | 24 mm |
| April | 17°C | 1°C | 9.3°C | 23 mm |
| May | 23°C | 7°C | 14.8°C | 33 mm |
| June | 28°C | 10°C | 18.5°C | 20 mm |
| July | 34°C | 14°C | 23.8°C | 11 mm |
| August | 33°C | 12°C | 22.3°C | 5 mm |
| September | 27°C | 7°C | 16.8°C | 10 mm |
| October | 18°C | 1°C | 9.1°C | 17 mm |
| November | 8°C | −4°C | 2.0°C | 24 mm |
| December | 3°C | −7°C | −2.2°C | 33 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Malheur Branch Experiment Station (11 miles away), gets 15 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00358797; 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.
When is the best weather to visit Vale?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (1).
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 USC00358797.
When is the last frost in Vale?
In Vale, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 8 in half of years and after June 7 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 29 in half of years and before September 11 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
- May 81 year in 10 after June 7; 9 in 10 after April 23
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 291 year in 10 before September 11; 9 in 10 before October 11
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 140 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 167 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 25 in half of springs and before October 9 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Vale in zone 7a in ZIP code 97918, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Oregon · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00358797; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. 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 in Vale?
In a normal year in Vale, 55 days a year reach 90°F (10 of them 100°F or more), 147 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 50 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 55a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 10a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 147a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 25high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 50a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1893) is 111°F, on June 17, 1916; the lowest is −35°F, on December 26, 1924.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1940, with 14.70 in; the snowiest season is 1955–56, with 37.3 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00358797; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00358797. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Vale?
Over a year 81% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Vale, 4.5 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (92%) and December the cloudiest (58%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 61% | 1.6 |
| February | 68% | 2.6 |
| March | 72% | 4.0 |
| April | 77% | 5.5 |
| May | 79% | 6.6 |
| June | 85% | 7.5 |
| July | 92% | 7.7 |
| August | 91% | 6.7 |
| September | 88% | 5.2 |
| October | 82% | 3.5 |
| November | 72% | 2.1 |
| December | 58% | 1.3 |
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 much heating and cooling does Vale need?
A normal year in Vale brings 6,202 heating degree days, 15% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 730 cooling degree days, 20% 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 2,730 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,138 | 0 |
| February | 861 | 0 |
| March | 696 | 0 |
| April | 491 | 1 |
| May | 229 | 32 |
| June | 81 | 91 |
| July | 8 | 313 |
| August | 18 | 238 |
| September | 136 | 53 |
| October | 515 | 2 |
| November | 882 | 0 |
| December | 1,148 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,202 | 730 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00358797. 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.
How does Vale's climate compare?
Vale is warmer than 34 of the other 104 places with their own NOAA record in Oregon, and wetter than 6. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 49.9°F is warmer than 40%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Vale is BSk: cold semi-arid steppe. 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 Vale's climate
What is the coldest month in Vale?
December, with a normal high of 37°F and a normal low of 19°F. The warmest is July (93°F by day, 57°F at night).
Does it snow in Vale?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Vale's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Malheur Branch Experiment Station (11 miles away), records 15 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Vale?
December, with 1.31 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is August with 0.18 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Vale in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Vale in zone 7a in ZIP code 97918, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Vale?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 8; in one year in ten it comes after June 7. Waiting until June 7 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Oregon climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Malheur Branch Experiment Station, OR11 miles from this station, 52.2°F a year
- Ontario, OR12 miles from this station, 53.7°F a year
- Nyssa, OR14 miles from this station, 51.8°F a year
- Payette, ID17 miles from this station, 53.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made