Photo: Ian Poellet · CC BY-SA 3.0Gold Hill reaches 100° on about 11 days a year, more than 91% of U.S. towns
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 33°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 87% of U.S. towns. January has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 1.4° rise. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to March, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Gold Hill at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Gold Hill’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Gold Hill’s place in Oregon beside it.
What a year in Gold Hill feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 204 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 8 and the first by October 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Medford Rogue Vly Airport, 10 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Gold Hill’s center in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 18°. 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 3 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Medford Rogue Vly Airport, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 26 inches a year; December is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 103 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Gold Hill
82% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November 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 Medford Rogue Vly Airport.
Living with Gold Hill’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
204 frost-free days in zone 8b. The last frost comes by Apr 8 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 29.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, September and October. 0.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Gold Hill from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (50%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Gold Hill and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Gold Hill yet.
Climates most like Gold Hill’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Hill, OR | 33° | 91° | 26" | 3.4" |
| Slaton, TX | 29° | 93° | 20" | 5.0" |
| Walla Walla, WA | 30° | 91° | 16" | 9.0" |
| Oakhurst, CA | 34° | 95° | 29" | 2.5" |
| Sierra Vista Southeast, AZ | 32° | 91° | 15" | 0.7" |
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 Gold Hill averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.6°).
A bigger shift than in 54% 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 Gold Hill compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Gold Hill’s place among Oregon’s.
Gold Hill weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Gold Hill’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Medford Rogue Vly Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 33° | 4.3" | 1.0" | 14 | 0 | 37° – 46° |
| February | 54° | 34° | 3.0" | 1.2" | 12 | 0 | 37° – 50° |
| March | 60° | 36° | 2.8" | 0.2" | 13 | 0 | 43° – 53° |
| April | 65° | 39° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 48° – 57° |
| May | 74° | 44° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 53° – 66° |
| June | 81° | 49° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 61° – 72° |
| July | 91° | 55° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 64° – 77° |
| August | 90° | 54° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| September | 84° | 48° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 62° – 69° |
| October | 70° | 40° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 51° – 60° |
| November | 54° | 36° | 3.6" | 0.1" | 13 | 0 | 38° – 50° |
| December | 46° | 33° | 5.1" | 0.9" | 14 | 0 | 35° – 44° |
| Year | 68° | 42° | 25.7" | 3.4" | 103 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. July swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 64° to 77°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Gold Hill’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 Gold Hill’s center.
- Snow: Medford Rogue Vly Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Medford Rogue Vly Airport, 10 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 Gold Hill’s climate
What is the weather like in Gold Hill?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 33°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 76% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 80% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Gold Hill in winter?
December nights average 33°. About 64 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 35°.
How much snow does Gold Hill get?
About 3.4 inches in a normal winter at Medford Rogue Vly Airport, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Gold Hill?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 55°. About 61 days a year reach 90° and 11 reach 100° (Medford Rogue Vly Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Gold Hill?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 8 and the first fall frost by October 29, about 204 frost-free days, at Medford Rogue Vly Airport.
What growing zone is Gold Hill in?
Zone 8b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 18°.
What is the best time of year to visit Gold Hill?
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 Gold Hill getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 54% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Gold Hill.
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.