Silver Falls State Park Concession Building Area · Photo: Ian Poellet · CC BY-SA 3.0Few U.S. towns get more rain and snow than Mehama: 65 inches a year
July afternoons average 80°. A year here swings 47° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 91% of U.S. towns. The outdoor season runs from May to October, with highs of 62–81°.
A year in Mehama at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Mehama’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Mehama’s place in Oregon beside it.
What a year in Mehama feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 222 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 29 and the first by November 6. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Stayton, OR, 9 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Mehama’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 16 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Stayton 6 Ene, OR, falls mostly in March. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 65 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 173 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Mehama
95% 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 Stayton, OR.
Living with Mehama’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
222 frost-free days in zone 8b. The last frost comes by Mar 29 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 6.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Mehama 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 →Mehama and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Mehama yet.
Climates most like Mehama’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mehama, OR | 34° | 80° | 65" | 16" |
| East Flat Rock, NC | 29° | 83° | 64" | 6.7" |
| Shelton, WA | 34° | 77° | 62" | 4.4" |
| Crossville, TN | 27° | 84° | 59" | 14" |
| 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 Mehama averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 65% 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 Mehama compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Mehama’s place among Oregon’s.
Mehama weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Mehama’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Stayton 6 Ene, OR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 34° | 8.7" | 3.6" | 18 | 3 | 35° – 45° |
| February | 50° | 34° | 6.8" | 3.9" | 18 | 3 | 36° – 47° |
| March | 55° | 36° | 7.9" | 4.4" | 21 | 2 | 42° – 50° |
| April | 59° | 39° | 6.1" | 0.4" | 19 | 0 | 45° – 54° |
| May | 66° | 44° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 50° – 59° |
| June | 72° | 48° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 56° – 66° |
| July | 80° | 52° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 60° – 70° |
| August | 81° | 51° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 63° – 69° |
| September | 75° | 48° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 58° – 64° |
| October | 62° | 42° | 5.8" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| November | 51° | 37° | 9.1" | 0.2" | 20 | 0 | 38° – 49° |
| December | 45° | 34° | 10.1" | 3.5" | 20 | 3 | 34° – 43° |
| Year | 62° | 42° | 65.4" | 16.0" | 173 | 11 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 36° to 47°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Mehama’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 Mehama’s center.
- Snow: Stayton 6 Ene, OR.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Stayton, OR, 9 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft lower; 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 Mehama’s climate
What is the weather like in Mehama?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 34°, and about 16 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 79% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Mehama in winter?
December nights average 34°. About 51 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 34°.
How much snow does Mehama get?
About 16 inches in a normal winter at Stayton 6 Ene, OR, most of it in March, with snow on the ground about 11 days a year.
How hot does it get in Mehama?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 52°. About 12 days a year reach 90° (Stayton, OR).
When is the first and last frost in Mehama?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 29 and the first fall frost by November 6, about 222 frost-free days, at Stayton, OR.
What growing zone is Mehama 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 Mehama?
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 Mehama getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 65% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Mehama.
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.