Yakima, Washington climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Yakima's normal year runs from 23°F December nights to 90°F July afternoons, with 8.0 inches of precipitation and 20 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 10.4°C, December lows of −5°C, July highs of 32°C, 203 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationYakima Airport
- Station IDUSW00024243
- Location46.57°N 120.54°W
- Elevation1,064 ft (324 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population97,390
On October 22, the normal high in Yakima is 61°F and the normal low 33°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 21%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Yakima.
- Jan 40° 24°
- Feb 47° 26°
- Mar 57° 30°
- Apr 65° 35°
- May 74° 44°
- Jun 81° 50°
- Jul 90° 55°
- Aug 89° 53°
- Sep 79° 45°
- Oct 64° 35°
- Nov 49° 27°
- Dec 38° 23°
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 Yakima each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 90°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 23°F. The most precipitation falls in December (1.44 in), the least in July (0.20 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40°F | 24°F | 31.7°F | 1.19 | 6.2 | 10 | <1 | 27 | 9 h |
| February | 47°F | 26°F | 36.6°F | 0.81 | 2.7 | 7 | <1 | 23 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 57°F | 30°F | 43.4°F | 0.64 | 0.6 | 7 | <1 | 20 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 65°F | 35°F | 49.9°F | 0.55 | 0.0 | 6 | <1 | 11 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 74°F | 44°F | 58.8°F | 0.74 | 0.0 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 15 h |
| June | 81°F | 50°F | 65.1°F | 0.50 | 0.0 | 5 | 5 | <1 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 90°F | 55°F | 72.4°F | 0.20 | 0.0 | 2 | 17 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| August | 89°F | 53°F | 70.9°F | 0.21 | 0.0 | 2 | 14 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 79°F | 45°F | 62.2°F | 0.23 | 0.0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 64°F | 35°F | 49.8°F | 0.64 | 0.1 | 6 | <1 | 11 | 11 h |
| November | 49°F | 27°F | 38.0°F | 0.86 | 3.0 | 8 | <1 | 23 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 38°F | 23°F | 30.6°F | 1.44 | 7.7 | 10 | <1 | 28 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 64°F | 37°F | 50.8°F | 8.01 | 20.3 | 72 | 40 | 147 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4°C | −4°C | −0.2°C | 30 mm | 16 cm |
| February | 8°C | −3°C | 2.6°C | 21 mm | 7 cm |
| March | 14°C | −1°C | 6.3°C | 16 mm | 2 cm |
| April | 18°C | 2°C | 9.9°C | 14 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 23°C | 6°C | 14.9°C | 19 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 27°C | 10°C | 18.4°C | 13 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 32°C | 13°C | 22.4°C | 5 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 31°C | 12°C | 21.6°C | 5 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 26°C | 7°C | 16.8°C | 6 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 18°C | 2°C | 9.9°C | 16 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 9°C | −3°C | 3.3°C | 22 mm | 8 cm |
| December | 3°C | −5°C | −0.8°C | 37 mm | 20 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00024243; 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 Yakima?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (3).
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 USW00024243.
When is the last frost in Yakima?
In Yakima, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 8 in half of years and after May 27 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 4 in half of years and before September 23 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 May 27; 9 in 10 after April 24
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 41 year in 10 before September 23; 9 in 10 before October 17
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 149 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 175 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 23 in half of springs and before October 16 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Yakima in zone 7a in ZIP code 98902. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Yakima's NOAA station is in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 1°F (30 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 USW00024243; 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 in Yakima?
In a normal year in Yakima, 40 days a year reach 90°F (6 of them 100°F or more), 147 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 72 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 40a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 6a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 147a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 19high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 72a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 7a normal year
The highest temperature in Yakima's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1946) is 113°F, on June 29, 2021; the lowest is −25°F, on February 1, 1950.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1996, with 14.78 in; the snowiest season is 1955–56, with 74.9 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00024243; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record YKMthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Yakima, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 46°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 48°F; the driest air comes in December (24°F). April is the windiest month (7.4 mph on average), and July has the most clear or nearly clear hours (89%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27°F | 78% | 62% | 4.4 mph | 44% | 38% |
| February | 27°F | 65% | 44% | 5.8 mph | 55% | 24% |
| March | 31°F | 56% | 35% | 7.1 mph | 60% | 16% |
| April | 35°F | 49% | 29% | 7.4 mph | 65% | 12% |
| May | 42°F | 47% | 29% | 7.2 mph | 65% | 12% |
| June | 45°F | 43% | 25% | 7.3 mph | 80% | 4% |
| July | 48°F | 41% | 22% | 6.7 mph | 89% | 2% |
| August | 46°F | 49% | 26% | 6.3 mph | 84% | 3% |
| September | 40°F | 57% | 31% | 5.9 mph | 80% | 6% |
| October | 32°F | 68% | 45% | 4.9 mph | 64% | 20% |
| November | 26°F | 78% | 63% | 4.2 mph | 49% | 35% |
| December | 24°F | 80% | 69% | 3.9 mph | 40% | 45% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00024243. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Yakima?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Yakima, 4.1 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (90%) and December the cloudiest (56%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 243rd (with 32 others) in sunshine.
| 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 much heating and cooling does Yakima need?
A normal year in Yakima brings 5,756 heating degree days, 7% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 606 cooling degree days, 33% 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 2,628 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,031 | 0 |
| February | 794 | 0 |
| March | 670 | 0 |
| April | 452 | 1 |
| May | 219 | 27 |
| June | 82 | 85 |
| July | 14 | 244 |
| August | 19 | 202 |
| September | 131 | 46 |
| October | 471 | 1 |
| November | 809 | 0 |
| December | 1,065 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,756 | 606 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00024243. 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.
Has Yakima been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 52.8°F, 2.0°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 50.8°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 52.9°F | +2.1°F | 6.10 | – |
| 2022 | 50.1°F | −0.7°F | 7.32 | – |
| 2023 | 52.2°F | +1.4°F | 7.36 | – |
| 2024 | 51.9°F | +1.1°F | 8.35 | – |
| 2025 | 52.8°F | +2.0°F | 7.51 | – |
Over 76 complete years from 1947 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 5.1°F per century (+0.28°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00024243; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Yakima's climate compare?
Yakima is warmer than 52 of the other 95 places with their own NOAA record in Washington, and wetter than 9. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 50.8°F is warmer than 44%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Yakima 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.
Which places near Yakima share this climate record?
6 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.
- Terrace Heights, WA9,480 people · 6 mi NE
- Union Gap, WA6,582 people · 3 mi E
- Moxee, WA4,791 people · 7 mi E
- Ahtanum, WA3,570 people · 3 mi W
- Summitview, WA2,031 people · 6 mi W
- Tampico, WA514 people · 16 mi W
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Yakima's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Yakima. This page uses Yakima Airport; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yakima #2 USC00459463 | 1 mi W | 1,142 ft | 52.9°F | 27°F | 88°F | 8.6 | – | April 8 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Yakima's climate
What is the coldest month in Yakima?
December, with a normal high of 38°F and a normal low of 23°F. The warmest is July (90°F by day, 55°F at night).
Does it snow in Yakima?
Yes: 20 inches in a normal year, falling on 14 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (7.7 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Yakima?
December, with 1.44 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 0.20 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Yakima in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Yakima in zone 7a in ZIP code 98902. By the same method at Yakima's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 1°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 7a.
How late can frost come in Yakima?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 8; in one year in ten it comes after May 27. Waiting until May 27 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Yakima in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Washington climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Selah, WA7 miles from this station, 49.2°F a year
- Wapato, WA11 miles from this station, 52.3°F a year
- Moxee City (10 mi E), WA19 miles from this station, 50.2°F a year
- Sunnyside, WA30 miles from this station, 49.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made