Photo: Finetooth · CC BY-SA 3.0Gates’ winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 33°, and about 10 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Gates at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Gates’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Gates’ place in Oregon beside it.
What a year in Gates feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 270 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 9 and the first by December 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Detroit Dam, OR, 8 miles from the town’s center, 200 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Gates’ center in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 17°. 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 10 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Detroit Dam, OR, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 73 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 176 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Gates
93% 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 Detroit Dam, OR.
Living with Gates’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
270 frost-free days in zone 8b. The last frost comes by Mar 9 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 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Gates from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (74%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Gates and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Gates yet.
Climates most like Gates’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gates, OR | 33° | 80° | 73" | 10" |
| Sultan, WA | 35° | 76° | 75" | 3.0" |
| Brevard, NC | 27° | 83° | 69" | 7.1" |
| Signal Mountain, TN | 29° | 85° | 62" | 4.3" |
| Fort Payne, AL | 31° | 86° | 60" | 5.0" |
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 Gates averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.9°).
A smaller shift than in 64% 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 Gates compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Gates’ place among Oregon’s.
Gates weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Gates’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Detroit Dam, OR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 33° | 9.7" | 5.6" | 20 | 3 | 33° – 45° |
| February | 49° | 32° | 7.5" | 2.2" | 18 | 2 | 34° – 47° |
| March | 53° | 35° | 8.4" | 0.9" | 21 | 1 | 40° – 50° |
| April | 58° | 37° | 6.7" | 0.0" | 20 | 0 | 43° – 53° |
| May | 66° | 43° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 | 49° – 61° |
| June | 71° | 47° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| July | 80° | 51° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| August | 80° | 50° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 61° – 70° |
| September | 74° | 46° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 56° – 63° |
| October | 61° | 40° | 6.4" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| November | 50° | 36° | 10.4" | 0.2" | 20 | 0 | 36° – 47° |
| December | 43° | 32° | 11.3" | 1.3" | 21 | 2 | 33° – 41° |
| Year | 61° | 40° | 72.5" | 10.2" | 176 | 7 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 34° to 47°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Gates’ 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 Gates’ center.
- Snow: Detroit Dam, OR.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Detroit Dam, OR, 8 miles from the town’s center, 200 ft higher; 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 Gates’ climate
What is the weather like in Gates?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 33°, and about 10 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 77% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Gates in winter?
December nights average 32°. About 46 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 33°.
How much snow does Gates get?
About 10 inches in a normal winter at Detroit Dam, OR, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 7 days a year.
How hot does it get in Gates?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 51°. About 13 days a year reach 90° (Detroit Dam, OR).
When is the first and last frost in Gates?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 9 and the first fall frost by December 3, about 270 frost-free days, at Detroit Dam, OR.
What growing zone is Gates in?
Zone 8b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 17°.
What is the best time of year to visit Gates?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Gates getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 64% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Gates.
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.