Photo: Caseyjminnick · CC BY-SA 4.0Few U.S. towns get less rain and snow than Silver Lake: 9 inches a year
Nights in January average 20°. Only 68° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. Its July heat outdoes that of 61% of U.S. towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from October to April, which average under 50°.
A year in Silver Lake at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Silver Lake’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Silver Lake’s place in Oregon beside it.
What a year in Silver Lake feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 208 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 5 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Silver Lake Rs, OR, 0.6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Silver Lake’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −8°. 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 7 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at The Poplars, OR, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 9 inches a year; December is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 60 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Silver Lake
98% 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 Silver Lake Rs, OR.
Living with Silver Lake’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 6a, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 63 days.
1.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Silver Lake from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (67%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Silver Lake and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Silver Lake yet.
Climates most like Silver Lake’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Lake, OR | 20° | 87° | 9" | 6.8" |
| Grants, NM | 16° | 89° | 10" | 7.9" |
| Blackfoot, ID | 16° | 88° | 11" | 15" |
| Hamilton, MT | 20° | 86° | 13" | 17" |
| East Wenatchee, WA | 24° | 88° | 10" | 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 Silver Lake averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.2°).
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 Silver Lake compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Silver Lake’s place among Oregon’s.
Silver Lake weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Silver Lake’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from The Poplars, OR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 20° | 1.1" | 1.0" | 7 | 1 | 22° – 37° |
| February | 45° | 22° | 0.8" | 3.0" | 6 | 1 | 24° – 40° |
| March | 52° | 25° | 0.8" | 0.9" | 7 | 0 | 34° – 44° |
| April | 58° | 28° | 0.8" | 0.5" | 7 | 0 | 38° – 48° |
| May | 67° | 34° | 1.2" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 45° – 57° |
| June | 76° | 39° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| July | 87° | 45° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 56° – 70° |
| August | 85° | 43° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 59° – 67° |
| September | 77° | 36° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 53° – 60° |
| October | 64° | 28° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 40° – 53° |
| November | 48° | 23° | 0.9" | 0.4" | 6 | 0 | 27° – 41° |
| December | 39° | 19° | 1.3" | 0.9" | 6 | 0 | 24° – 34° |
| Year | 62° | 30° | 9.4" | 6.8" | 60 | 2 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 24° to 40°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Silver Lake’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 Silver Lake’s center.
- Snow: The Poplars, OR.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Silver Lake Rs, OR, 0.6 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 Silver Lake’s climate
What is the weather like in Silver Lake?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 57% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 61% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Silver Lake in winter?
December nights average 19°. About 208 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 24°.
How much snow does Silver Lake get?
About 6.8 inches in a normal winter at The Poplars, OR, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 2 days a year.
How hot does it get in Silver Lake?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 45°. About 22 days a year reach 90° (Silver Lake Rs, OR).
When is the first and last frost in Silver Lake?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Silver Lake Rs, OR, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 208 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 63 days.
What growing zone is Silver Lake in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −8°.
What is the best time of year to visit Silver Lake?
No month meets the simple rule we use (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more). The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Silver Lake 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 Silver Lake.
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.