Photo: Snackateria · CC BY 2.0Merrill is among the driest of U.S. towns: 12 inches of precipitation a year
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 86°. The latest 30-year average runs 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with January up the most. The heating season runs October to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Merrill at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Merrill’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Merrill’s place in Oregon beside it.
What a year in Merrill feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 97 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 6 and the first by September 14. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Tulelake, CA, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Merrill’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −2°. 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 23 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Tulelake, CA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 102 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Merrill
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 Tulelake, CA.
Living with Merrill’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
97 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Jun 6 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.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Merrill from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (43%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Merrill and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Merrill yet.
Climates most like Merrill’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merrill, OR | 22° | 86° | 12" | 23" |
| Hamilton, MT | 20° | 86° | 13" | 17" |
| Eldorado at Santa Fe, NM | 19° | 87° | 13" | 20" |
| Show Low, AZ | 19° | 86° | 15" | 19" |
| Cold Springs, NV | 23° | 88° | 13" | 17" |
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 Merrill averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.2°).
A bigger shift than in 67% 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 Merrill compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Merrill’s place among Oregon’s.
Merrill weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Merrill’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Tulelake, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 22° | 1.6" | 6.2" | 15 | 24° – 39° |
| February | 46° | 23° | 1.1" | 4.0" | 11 | 28° – 41° |
| March | 52° | 27° | 1.4" | 2.8" | 13 | 33° – 45° |
| April | 59° | 30° | 1.1" | 1.6" | 11 | 40° – 50° |
| May | 68° | 37° | 1.2" | 0.1" | 9 | 45° – 60° |
| June | 76° | 42° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 54° – 66° |
| July | 86° | 48° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 58° – 72° |
| August | 85° | 46° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 61° – 70° |
| September | 78° | 40° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 55° – 64° |
| October | 65° | 32° | 0.7" | 0.1" | 6 | 44° – 54° |
| November | 50° | 25° | 1.4" | 3.0" | 12 | 29° – 43° |
| December | 41° | 21° | 1.7" | 5.0" | 13 | 26° – 36° |
| Year | 62° | 33° | 11.8" | 22.8" | 102 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 45° to 60°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Merrill’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 Merrill’s center.
- Snow: Tulelake, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Tulelake, CA, 8 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 Merrill’s climate
What is the weather like in Merrill?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 23 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 51% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 55% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Merrill in winter?
December nights average 21°. About 182 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 26°.
How much snow does Merrill get?
About 23 inches in a normal winter at Tulelake, CA, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Merrill?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 48°. About 20 days a year reach 90° (Tulelake, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Merrill?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 6 and the first fall frost by September 14, about 97 frost-free days, at Tulelake, CA.
What growing zone is Merrill in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −2°.
What is the best time of year to visit Merrill?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Merrill getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 67% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Merrill.
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.