Photo: Tedder · CC BY 3.0Black Butte Ranch gets about 85 inches of snow a winter, more than 96% of U.S. towns
Sunny July days climb to about 82°. The wettest month is December; the driest is July. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 88% of U.S. towns. Homes need heating from October to April, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Black Butte Ranch at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Black Butte Ranch’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Black Butte Ranch’s place in Oregon beside it.
What a year in Black Butte Ranch feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 202 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 4 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from Sisters, OR, 8 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Black Butte Ranch’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −8°. 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 85 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Marion Forks Fish Hatchery, OR, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 22 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 165 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Black Butte Ranch
98% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Sisters, OR.
Living with Black Butte Ranch’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 6a, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 57 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 19 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Black Butte Ranch from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (36%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Black Butte Ranch and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Black Butte Ranch yet.
Climates most like Black Butte Ranch’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Butte Ranch, OR | 25° | 82° | 22" | 85" |
| Big Bear City, CA | 27° | 81° | 18" | 59" |
| Moscow, ID | 25° | 84° | 25" | 51" |
| Whitefish, MT | 17° | 82° | 18" | 63" |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 16° | 84° | 18" | 90" |
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 Black Butte Ranch averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.3°).
A smaller shift than in 76% 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 Black Butte Ranch compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Black Butte Ranch’s place among Oregon’s.
Black Butte Ranch weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Black Butte Ranch’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Marion Forks Fish Hatchery, OR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 25° | 3.4" | 24.3" | 19 | 20 | 25° – 38° |
| February | 44° | 26° | 2.4" | 17.5" | 16 | 19 | 27° – 41° |
| March | 49° | 28° | 2.0" | 13.0" | 20 | 15 | 34° – 44° |
| April | 54° | 31° | 1.5" | 2.9" | 18 | 4 | 38° – 48° |
| May | 63° | 37° | 1.4" | 0.2" | 15 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| June | 71° | 41° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 53° – 63° |
| July | 82° | 46° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 56° – 67° |
| August | 81° | 45° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 59° – 67° |
| September | 73° | 40° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 53° – 60° |
| October | 59° | 34° | 1.7" | 0.1" | 14 | 0 | 41° – 52° |
| November | 46° | 29° | 3.1" | 7.6" | 19 | 6 | 31° – 43° |
| December | 39° | 24° | 4.3" | 19.6" | 19 | 17 | 26° – 35° |
| Year | 59° | 34° | 22.2" | 85.2" | 165 | 80 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 41°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Black Butte Ranch’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 Black Butte Ranch’s center.
- Snow: Marion Forks Fish Hatchery, OR.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sisters, OR, 8 miles from the town’s center, 180 ft lower; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- 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 Black Butte Ranch’s climate
What is the weather like in Black Butte Ranch?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 85 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 64% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 83% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Black Butte Ranch in winter?
December nights average 24°. About 202 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Black Butte Ranch get?
About 85 inches in a normal winter at Marion Forks Fish Hatchery, OR, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 80 days a year.
How hot does it get in Black Butte Ranch?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 46°. About 25 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Sisters, OR).
When is the first and last frost in Black Butte Ranch?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Sisters, OR, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 202 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 57 days.
What growing zone is Black Butte Ranch in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −8°.
What is the best time of year to visit Black Butte Ranch?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Black Butte Ranch getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 76% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Black Butte Ranch.
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.