Photo: Ian Poellet (User:Werewombat) · CC BY-SA 3.0Less rain and snow falls on Dufur than on 93% of U.S. towns: 14 inches a year
January mornings start at about 27°. December is the wettest month, July the driest. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 68% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around May 12; autumn frost returns near October 7.
A year in Dufur at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dufur’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dufur’s place in Oregon beside it.
What a year in Dufur feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 148 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 12 and the first by October 7. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Dufur, OR, 0.1 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dufur’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 4°. 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 22 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Dufur, OR, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 14 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 112 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Dufur
93% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. 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 Dufur, OR.
Living with Dufur’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
148 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by May 12 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 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 0.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Dufur from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (75%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dufur and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Dufur yet.
Climates most like Dufur’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dufur, OR | 27° | 85° | 14" | 22" |
| Indian Hills, NV | 25° | 86° | 14" | 14" |
| Silver City, NM | 26° | 87° | 16" | 13" |
| Pullman, WA | 27° | 84° | 20" | 33" |
| Hamilton, MT | 20° | 86° | 13" | 17" |
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 Dufur averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.2°).
A smaller shift than in 60% 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 Dufur compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dufur’s place among Oregon’s.
Dufur weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Dufur’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Dufur, OR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 27° | 2.2" | 6.5" | 16 | 8 | 23° – 38° |
| February | 45° | 29° | 1.5" | 4.1" | 12 | 3 | 28° – 43° |
| March | 53° | 33° | 1.3" | 0.6" | 12 | 0 | 36° – 49° |
| April | 60° | 37° | 1.2" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 43° – 55° |
| May | 69° | 43° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 51° – 62° |
| June | 75° | 48° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 57° – 71° |
| July | 85° | 53° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 61° – 73° |
| August | 85° | 53° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| September | 77° | 47° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 59° – 66° |
| October | 62° | 39° | 1.2" | 0.2" | 9 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| November | 48° | 32° | 1.9" | 1.9" | 14 | 2 | 33° – 45° |
| December | 39° | 27° | 2.6" | 8.1" | 17 | 7 | 28° – 36° |
| Year | 61° | 39° | 14.4" | 21.5" | 112 | 19 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 28° to 43°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Dufur’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 Dufur’s center.
- Snow: Dufur, OR (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Dufur, OR, 0.1 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 Dufur’s climate
What is the weather like in Dufur?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 22 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 68% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Dufur in winter?
December nights average 27°. About 132 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 28°.
How much snow does Dufur get?
About 22 inches in a normal winter at Dufur, OR, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 19 days a year.
How hot does it get in Dufur?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 53°. About 41 days a year reach 90° and 7 reach 100° (Dufur, OR).
When is the first and last frost in Dufur?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 12 and the first fall frost by October 7, about 148 frost-free days, at Dufur, OR.
What growing zone is Dufur in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Dufur?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Dufur getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 60% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Dufur.
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.