Photo: Nonvirtual · CC BY-SA 3.0Mount Rainier’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 6 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Mount Rainier at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Mount Rainier’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Mount Rainier’s place in Maryland beside it.
What a year in Mount Rainier feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 224 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 29 and the first by November 8. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Natl Arboretum Dc, MD, 2.1 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Mount Rainier’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 10°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 6 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Dalecarlia Reservoir, MD, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 123 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Mount Rainier
71% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Natl Arboretum Dc, MD.
Living with Mount Rainier’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
224 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Mar 29 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 8.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 0.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Mount Rainier from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (81%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Mount Rainier and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Mount Rainier in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Mount Rainier’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Rainier, MD | 26° | 88° | 45" | 5.8" |
| South Boston, VA | 27° | 88° | 46" | 5.5" |
| Mocksville, NC | 28° | 88° | 44" | 4.5" |
| Kingsport, TN | 28° | 87° | 45" | 5.1" |
| Fayetteville, AR | 26° | 89° | 47" | 6.5" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Mount Rainier averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.8°).
A bigger shift than in 72% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Mount Rainier compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Mount Rainier’s place among Maryland’s.
Mount Rainier weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Mount Rainier’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Dalecarlia Reservoir, MD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 26° | 2.9" | 2.9" | 10 | 2 | 27° – 42° |
| February | 47° | 28° | 2.6" | 1.4" | 9 | 2 | 27° – 45° |
| March | 55° | 35° | 3.8" | 0.7" | 12 | 1 | 39° – 54° |
| April | 67° | 45° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| May | 75° | 54° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 60° – 71° |
| June | 84° | 63° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| July | 88° | 68° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 73° – 82° |
| August | 86° | 67° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 72° – 80° |
| September | 80° | 60° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| October | 68° | 48° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| November | 57° | 37° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 41° – 52° |
| December | 48° | 30° | 3.7" | 0.8" | 11 | 1 | 30° – 50° |
| Year | 67° | 47° | 44.5" | 5.8" | 123 | 6 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 30° to 50°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Mount Rainier’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Mount Rainier’s center.
- Snow: Dalecarlia Reservoir, MD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Natl Arboretum Dc, MD, 2.1 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Mount Rainier’s climate
What is the weather like in Mount Rainier?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 6 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 67% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Mount Rainier in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 84 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does Mount Rainier get?
About 5.8 inches in a normal winter at Dalecarlia Reservoir, MD, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 6 days a year.
How hot does it get in Mount Rainier?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 68°. About 48 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Natl Arboretum Dc, MD).
When is the first and last frost in Mount Rainier?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 29 and the first fall frost by November 8, about 224 frost-free days, at Natl Arboretum Dc, MD.
What growing zone is Mount Rainier in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Mount Rainier?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Mount Rainier getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 72% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Mount Rainier.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.