Wallowa, OR 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 Wallowa's primary NOAA station, WALLOWA.
The climate verdict for Wallowa
Dryness leads the climate profile for Wallowa, Oregon, with 18.0 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 47°F. At 49/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 18% of scores.
- 47°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 49/100
- comfort score, above 18% of station-mapped location scores
- 18.0"
- annual precipitation · 48" snow
- 94 days
- frost-free growing season
Wallowa: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00358997 · Wallowa, OR 47°F mean · 18.0" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 47°F
- RANK-COOL #1,784
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Lund
- PRCP-DRY 18.0"
- SWING-MID 40°F
- COMF-LOW 49/100
- LOAD-HEAT 6,846 HDD
- STN-1 USC00358997
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Lund, NV (+ 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.
- Wallowa (this station) 47°F
- Cold Canaan Valley, WV 47°F
- Hot Chalk Hill, PA 47°F
- Near Lund, NV 47°F
- Near Satus Pass, WA 47°F
Climate Living Index · Wallowa
Wallowa: 20/100 · grade F
Wallowa publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Wallowa, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 49/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 18.0 in · 17.0 from 35 in | 40/100 · D |
| Annual temperature balance | 46.8°F · 20.7° from 67.5°F | 26/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 47.9 inches/year | 22/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 208 calendar days | 10/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 94 days/year | 0/100 · F |
Wallowa · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Wallowa is a continental Köppen climate: Dsb
Coldest-month mean 27.5°F and warmest-month mean 67.2°F place this station in continental, dry-summer, warm summer climates (Dsb). Class Dsb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, dry-summer, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Dsb
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 67.2°F
- Coldest month
- 27.5°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 Wallowa sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Wallowa's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 74%
- Among 6,861 stations, Wallowa sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 76%
- Wallowa's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 34th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Wallowa compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Wallowa's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
49 18th percentile score exceeds 18% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 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
Wallowa's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 60 complete annual observations from 1956 to 2025, WALLOWA warmed at a fitted rate of 0.12°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Wallowa primary station fitted change +0.12 °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 | 36°F (2°C) | 20°F (-7°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 1.8" | 12.4" | 28.4 | 0.0 |
| February | 43°F (6°C) | 22°F (-5°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 1.6" | 10.4" | 24.6 | 0.0 |
| March | 52°F (11°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 1.6" | 3.2" | 22.1 | 0.0 |
| April | 60°F (16°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 1.6" | 1.0" | 15.2 | 0.0 |
| May | 69°F (21°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 2.2" | 0.1" | 5.8 | 0.4 |
| June | 77°F (25°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 60°F (16°C) | 1.6" | 0.0" | 0.6 | 2.8 |
| July | 88°F (31°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 67°F (20°C) | 0.5" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 13.7 |
| August | 88°F (31°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 0.8" | 0.0" | 0.4 | 14.7 |
| September | 79°F (26°C) | 38°F (4°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 0.7" | 0.0" | 5.6 | 5.3 |
| October | 63°F (17°C) | 31°F (0°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 1.5" | 0.2" | 16.2 | 0.1 |
| November | 46°F (8°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 1.9" | 5.8" | 23.1 | 0.0 |
| December | 36°F (2°C) | 19°F (-7°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 2.1" | 14.8" | 28.6 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Wallowa works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 91°F by July 28 and hold at or above 90°F on 15 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 193 dates, bottoming at 18°F around December 22.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from July 23 through August 6, covering 15 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs May 18 to October 4.
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 April 20, then returns to freezing around October 11, covering 193 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 22, when 48% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is July 25 at 12%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 122 wet dates a year.
The widest day
August 2 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 43°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Wallowa.
Where Wallowa Stands Nationally
Day-to-night contrast is extreme by national standards — the widest normal daily swing reaches about 43°F, sharper than nine in ten ranked stations see.
Freezing is routine here by normals standards — the normal low reaches 32°F or colder on about 193 nights a year, more than most ranked stations.
Wallowa earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 12.4"
12.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 10.4"
11.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.2"
12.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.0"
11.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
11.8 days with precipitation
8.9 days with precipitation
3.6 days with precipitation
4.6 days with precipitation
5.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.2"
10.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.8"
14.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 14.8"
14.2 days with precipitation
Wallowa spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 16% of the annual total and December through February 31%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Wallowa has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 39.7°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: May averages 2.2" and July 0.5". The three wettest months together take 35% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
Rain reaches Wallowa in small, frequent amounts
Wallowa records about 122 days with measurable precipitation a year and 18.0" in total, which works out to roughly 0.15 inches on an average wet day. Precipitation on 33% of all days, arriving that lightly, is the damp many-grey-days pattern rather than the storm-driven one.
Places in this band read as wetter than their annual totals suggest, because what people notice is the number of overcast days, not the depth in the gauge.
- Most wet days: November, about 15 of them.
- Fewest: July, about 4.
- Average depth per wet day: 0.15 inches.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Winter brings real snow to Wallowa
Wallowa averages 47.9 inches of snowfall a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 28 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 47.9 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 28 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 27% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
September 9
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
June 7
50% probability date
Growing Season
94 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
6,846
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
244
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside OR closest to Wallowa 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 (47°F here).
- Bigfork, MT 47°F · 0.0°F off
- Chamberlain, SD 47°F · 0.0°F off
- Cody, WY 47°F · 0.0°F off
- Dakota City, IA 47°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (18.0" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Cripple Creek, CO 18.0" · 0.0" off
- Belle Fourche, SD 18.0" · 0.0" off
- Goodwell, OK 18.0" · 0.0" off
- Lemmon, SD 18.0" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Wallowa
heating led · dry · mid swing
Wallowa's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 6,846 annual heating degree days against 244 for cooling. Its 39.7°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 94 days are frost-free in a normal year. That short interval is consistent with the cold-season signal, but the measure does not predict the exact first or last freeze in any one year.
-
1. Wallowa coldest normal
December
The monthly mean of 28°F (-2°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Wallowa typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Wallowa snow peak
December
Wallowa averages 47.9 inches of snow a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Wallowa's climate
How much snow does Wallowa get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Wallowa get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Wallowa? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Wallowa's primary station: WALLOWA (USC00358997). 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 4178150). Match rule for Wallowa: 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 Wallowa 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.