Photo: Richard Bauer · CC BY 2.0Biggs Junction’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 30°, and about 6 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Biggs Junction at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Biggs Junction’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Biggs Junction’s place in Oregon beside it.
What a year in Biggs Junction feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 197 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 11 and the first by October 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at The Dalles Muni Airport, 16 miles from the town’s center, 180 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Biggs Junction’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 12°. 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 The Dalles, OR, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 15 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 87 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Biggs Junction
85% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at The Dalles Muni Airport.
Living with Biggs Junction’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
197 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Apr 11 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Biggs Junction from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (58%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Biggs Junction and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Biggs Junction yet.
Climates most like Biggs Junction’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biggs Junction, OR | 30° | 88° | 15" | 5.5" |
| Alpine, TX | 30° | 90° | 15" | 2.2" |
| Silver City, NM | 26° | 87° | 16" | 13" |
| Prescott, AZ | 26° | 90° | 15" | 10" |
| Indian Hills, NV | 25° | 86° | 14" | 14" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Biggs Junction averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.7°).
A bigger shift than in 53% 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 Biggs Junction compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Biggs Junction’s place among Oregon’s.
Biggs Junction weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Biggs Junction’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from The Dalles, OR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 30° | 2.2" | 1.9" | 12 | 25° – 41° |
| February | 47° | 31° | 1.5" | 0.8" | 10 | 29° – 45° |
| March | 56° | 34° | 1.4" | 0.1" | 10 | 36° – 50° |
| April | 63° | 39° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 46° – 57° |
| May | 72° | 46° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 54° – 65° |
| June | 78° | 52° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 3 | 61° – 73° |
| July | 88° | 57° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 65° – 76° |
| August | 88° | 57° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 67° – 76° |
| September | 80° | 50° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 2 | 61° – 68° |
| October | 65° | 40° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 48° – 58° |
| November | 50° | 34° | 2.1" | 0.7" | 12 | 36° – 48° |
| December | 40° | 29° | 2.6" | 2.0" | 11 | 30° – 38° |
| Year | 64° | 42° | 15.0" | 5.5" | 87 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 41°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Biggs Junction’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 Biggs Junction’s center.
- Snow: The Dalles, OR.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: The Dalles Muni Airport, 16 miles from the town’s center, 180 ft lower; 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 Biggs Junction’s climate
What is the weather like in Biggs Junction?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 30°, and about 6 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 72% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 68% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Biggs Junction in winter?
December nights average 29°. About 72 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 30°.
How much snow does Biggs Junction get?
About 5.5 inches in a normal winter at The Dalles, OR, most of it in January and December.
How hot does it get in Biggs Junction?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 57°. About 43 days a year reach 90° and 8 reach 100° (The Dalles Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Biggs Junction?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 11 and the first fall frost by October 26, about 197 frost-free days, at The Dalles Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Biggs Junction in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Biggs Junction?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Biggs Junction getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 53% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Biggs Junction.
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.