Photo: SounderBruce · CC BY-SA 4.0Prineville sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for precipitation, with 11 inches a year
Expect July afternoons of about 87°. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 63% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with January up the most. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about June 1, with the first autumn frost due around September 22.
A year in Prineville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Prineville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Prineville’s place in Oregon beside it.
What a year in Prineville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 113 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 1 and the first by September 22. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Prineville, OR, 1.0 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Prineville’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −1°. 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 9 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Prineville, OR, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 11 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 73 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Prineville
95% 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 Prineville, OR.
Living with Prineville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
113 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Jun 1 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 22.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and September. 29 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Prineville from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (67%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Prineville and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Prineville yet.
Climates most like Prineville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prineville, OR | 25° | 87° | 11" | 8.8" |
| Indian Hills, NV | 25° | 86° | 14" | 14" |
| Silver City, NM | 26° | 87° | 16" | 13" |
| Connell, WA | 26° | 89° | 9" | 14" |
| Hamilton, MT | 20° | 86° | 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 Prineville averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.4°).
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 Prineville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Prineville’s place among Oregon’s.
Prineville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Prineville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Prineville, OR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 25° | 1.2" | 1.8" | 8 | 3 | 21° – 40° |
| February | 47° | 25° | 1.0" | 3.2" | 7 | 3 | 27° – 42° |
| March | 54° | 28° | 0.9" | 0.9" | 8 | 1 | 35° – 47° |
| April | 60° | 31° | 0.9" | 0.3" | 8 | 0 | 41° – 52° |
| May | 69° | 38° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| June | 77° | 43° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 56° – 67° |
| July | 87° | 49° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 59° – 71° |
| August | 86° | 47° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| September | 78° | 41° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 56° – 63° |
| October | 64° | 33° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 43° – 55° |
| November | 51° | 28° | 1.2" | 1.1" | 8 | 1 | 31° – 46° |
| December | 42° | 24° | 1.5" | 1.5" | 8 | 1 | 26° – 37° |
| Year | 63° | 34° | 11.0" | 8.8" | 73 | 9 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 21° to 40°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Prineville’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 Prineville’s center.
- Snow: Prineville, OR (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Prineville, OR, 1.0 miles from the town’s center, 160 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 Prineville’s climate
What is the weather like in Prineville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 63% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Prineville in winter?
December nights average 24°. About 166 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Prineville get?
About 8.8 inches in a normal winter at Prineville, OR, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 9 days a year.
How hot does it get in Prineville?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 49°. About 31 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Prineville, OR).
When is the first and last frost in Prineville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 1 and the first fall frost by September 22, about 113 frost-free days, at Prineville, OR.
What growing zone is Prineville in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Prineville?
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 Prineville 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 Prineville.
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.