Photo: M.O. Stevens · Public domainGarden Home-Whitford has cooler summers than 88% of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 36°. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 82% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with January up the most. The heating season runs November to March: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Garden Home-Whitford at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Garden Home-Whitford’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Garden Home-Whitford’s place in Oregon beside it.
What a year in Garden Home-Whitford feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 280 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by February 25 and the first by December 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Portland Kgw-tv, OR, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Garden Home-Whitford’s center in zone 9a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 20°. 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 4 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Portland Kgw-tv, OR, is heaviest from January through February, about 1 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 40 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 155 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Garden Home-Whitford
90% 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 Portland Kgw-tv, OR.
Living with Garden Home-Whitford’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
280 frost-free days in zone 9a. The last frost comes by Feb 25 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Dec 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 1.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Garden Home-Whitford from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (62%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Garden Home-Whitford and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Garden Home-Whitford in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Garden Home-Whitford’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garden Home-Whitford, OR | 36° | 81° | 40" | 3.6" |
| Seattle, WA | 37° | 77° | 38" | 3.8" |
| Scotts Valley, CA | 39° | 79° | 37" | 0.0" |
| Brigantine, NJ | 28° | 83° | 45" | 10" |
| Swannanoa, NC | 27° | 83° | 48" | 2.1" |
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 Garden Home-Whitford averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.8°).
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 Garden Home-Whitford compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Garden Home-Whitford’s place among Oregon’s.
Garden Home-Whitford weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Garden Home-Whitford’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Portland Kgw-tv, OR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 36° | 5.8" | 1.3" | 20 | 1 | 34° – 46° |
| February | 51° | 36° | 4.3" | 1.4" | 16 | 1 | 37° – 49° |
| March | 56° | 38° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 18 | 0 | 44° – 52° |
| April | 61° | 41° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 | 47° – 56° |
| May | 68° | 47° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 53° – 62° |
| June | 73° | 51° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| July | 81° | 56° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| August | 81° | 55° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 65° – 72° |
| September | 76° | 51° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 60° – 66° |
| October | 63° | 44° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 50° – 58° |
| November | 52° | 39° | 6.1" | 0.0" | 19 | 0 | 40° – 51° |
| December | 46° | 35° | 6.9" | 0.9" | 20 | 0 | 36° – 43° |
| Year | 63° | 44° | 40.4" | 3.6" | 155 | 2 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 37° to 49°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Garden Home-Whitford’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 Garden Home-Whitford’s center.
- Snow: Portland Kgw-tv, OR.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Portland Kgw-tv, OR, 5 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 Garden Home-Whitford’s climate
What is the weather like in Garden Home-Whitford?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 36°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 88% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Garden Home-Whitford in winter?
December nights average 35°. About 18 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 36°.
How much snow does Garden Home-Whitford get?
About 3.6 inches in a normal winter at Portland Kgw-tv, OR, heaviest from January through February, about 1 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 2 days a year.
How hot does it get in Garden Home-Whitford?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 56°. About 11 days a year reach 90° (Portland Kgw-tv, OR).
When is the first and last frost in Garden Home-Whitford?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by February 25 and the first fall frost by December 1, about 280 frost-free days, at Portland Kgw-tv, OR.
What growing zone is Garden Home-Whitford in?
Zone 9a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 20°.
What is the best time of year to visit Garden Home-Whitford?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Garden Home-Whitford 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 Garden Home-Whitford.
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.