Photo: M.O. Stevens · CC BY 3.0Lafayette has milder winter nights than 83% of U.S. towns
July afternoons average 83°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 75% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with January up the most. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 5, with the first autumn frost due around November 7.
A year in Lafayette at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lafayette’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lafayette’s place in Oregon beside it.
What a year in Lafayette feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 216 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 5 and the first by November 7. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mc Minnville, OR, 3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lafayette’s center in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 19°. 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 1 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Rex 1 S, OR, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 39 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 153 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lafayette
92% 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 Mc Minnville, OR.
Living with Lafayette’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
216 frost-free days in zone 8b. The last frost comes by Apr 5 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 0.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Lafayette from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (48%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 12%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lafayette and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Lafayette yet.
Climates most like Lafayette’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette, OR | 36° | 83° | 39" | 1.0" |
| Healdsburg, CA | 38° | 85° | 41" | 0.0" |
| Mercer Island, WA | 37° | 77° | 37" | 3.8" |
| Kill Devil Hills, NC | 35° | 86° | 50" | 1.1" |
| Brigantine, NJ | 28° | 83° | 45" | 10" |
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 Lafayette averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 66% 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 Lafayette compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lafayette’s place among Oregon’s.
Lafayette weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lafayette’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Rex 1 S, OR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 36° | 5.9" | 0.6" | 20 | 0 | 36° – 46° |
| February | 51° | 36° | 4.3" | 0.1" | 16 | 0 | 38° – 49° |
| March | 56° | 38° | 4.2" | 0.2" | 18 | 0 | 44° – 52° |
| April | 61° | 41° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| May | 69° | 46° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| June | 74° | 50° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| July | 83° | 54° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| August | 83° | 54° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 65° – 72° |
| September | 77° | 50° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 60° – 67° |
| October | 64° | 44° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 50° – 60° |
| November | 53° | 39° | 6.0" | 0.0" | 19 | 0 | 41° – 50° |
| December | 46° | 35° | 6.9" | 0.1" | 20 | 0 | 36° – 45° |
| Year | 64° | 44° | 39.0" | 1.0" | 153 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 38° to 49°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Lafayette’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 Lafayette’s center.
- Snow: Rex 1 S, OR.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mc Minnville, OR, 3 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 Lafayette’s climate
What is the weather like in Lafayette?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 36°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 83% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 75% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lafayette in winter?
December nights average 35°. About 46 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 36°.
How much snow does Lafayette get?
About 1.0 inches in a normal winter at Rex 1 S, OR, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 0 days a year.
How hot does it get in Lafayette?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 54°. About 19 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Mc Minnville, OR).
When is the first and last frost in Lafayette?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 5 and the first fall frost by November 7, about 216 frost-free days, at Mc Minnville, OR.
What growing zone is Lafayette in?
Zone 8b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Lafayette?
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 Lafayette getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 66% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Lafayette.
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.