Photo: Richard Bauer ("rustejunk") · CC BY 2.0Precipitation in Long Creek trails that of 93% of U.S. towns: 16 inches a year
Midwinter brings lows of about 23°. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 62°. The heating season runs October to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Long Creek at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Long Creek’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Long Creek’s place in Oregon beside it.
What a year in Long Creek feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 99 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 5 and the first by September 14. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Long Creek, OR, 0.1 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Long Creek’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −3°. 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 33 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Long Creek, OR, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; May is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 113 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Long Creek
97% 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 Long Creek, OR.
Living with Long Creek’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
99 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Jun 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 Sep 14.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Long Creek from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (55%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Long Creek and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Long Creek yet.
Climates most like Long Creek’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Creek, OR | 23° | 85° | 16" | 33" |
| Cheney, WA | 24° | 84° | 17" | 45" |
| Edgewood, NM | 19° | 85° | 15" | 29" |
| Cimarron Hills, CO | 18° | 85° | 17" | 33" |
| Polson, MT | 20° | 83° | 19" | 34" |
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 Long Creek averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.9°).
A bigger shift than in 57% 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 Long Creek compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Long Creek’s place among Oregon’s.
Long Creek weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Long Creek’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Long Creek, OR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 23° | 1.6" | 7.2" | 13 | 23° – 37° |
| February | 44° | 24° | 1.2" | 5.6" | 11 | 27° – 41° |
| March | 51° | 28° | 1.4" | 5.8" | 13 | 34° – 44° |
| April | 56° | 31° | 1.6" | 2.3" | 14 | 39° – 50° |
| May | 65° | 37° | 2.1" | 0.1" | 12 | 46° – 56° |
| June | 73° | 42° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 54° – 65° |
| July | 85° | 47° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 56° – 71° |
| August | 84° | 46° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 60° – 70° |
| September | 76° | 40° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 54° – 63° |
| October | 61° | 32° | 1.3" | 0.3" | 9 | 41° – 53° |
| November | 47° | 28° | 1.6" | 3.6" | 11 | 30° – 44° |
| December | 39° | 22° | 1.7" | 8.2" | 12 | 24° – 35° |
| Year | 60° | 33° | 15.5" | 33.1" | 113 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. July swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 56° to 71°. September is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Long Creek’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 Long Creek’s center.
- Snow: Long Creek, OR (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Long Creek, 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 Long Creek’s climate
What is the weather like in Long Creek?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 33 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 57% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 53% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Long Creek in winter?
December nights average 22°. About 165 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 24°.
How much snow does Long Creek get?
About 33 inches in a normal winter at Long Creek, OR, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Long Creek?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 47°. About 23 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Long Creek, OR).
When is the first and last frost in Long Creek?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 5 and the first fall frost by September 14, about 99 frost-free days, at Long Creek, OR.
What growing zone is Long Creek in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Long Creek?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Long Creek getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 57% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Long Creek.
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.