Photo: Tedder · CC BY 3.0Svensen is among the wettest of U.S. towns: 73 inches of precipitation a year
Nights in January average 36°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. The latest 30-year average runs 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with January up the most. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly March 26 to November 11.
A year in Svensen at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Svensen’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Svensen’s place in Oregon beside it.
What a year in Svensen feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 232 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 26 and the first by November 11. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Astoria Rgnl Airport, 11 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Svensen’s center in zone 9a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 21°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 2 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Naselle 2 Ene, WA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 73 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 201 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Svensen
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. 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 Astoria Rgnl Airport.
Living with Svensen’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
232 frost-free days in zone 9a. The last frost comes by Mar 26 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 11.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 1.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Svensen from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (55%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Svensen and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Svensen yet.
Climates most like Svensen’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Svensen, OR | 36° | 70° | 73" | 1.7" |
| Crescent City, CA | 42° | 64° | 69" | 0.0" |
| Sedro-Woolley, WA | 35° | 74° | 58" | 5.7" |
| Boone, NC | 24° | 79° | 58" | 26" |
| Kodiak, AK | 26° | 62° | 78" | 70" |
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 Svensen averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.8°).
A smaller shift than in 60% 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 Svensen compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Svensen’s place among Oregon’s.
Svensen weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Svensen’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Naselle 2 Ene, WA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 36° | 11.0" | 1.0" | 22 | 1 | 37° – 47° |
| February | 51° | 35° | 7.5" | 0.3" | 19 | 0 | 37° – 49° |
| March | 54° | 37° | 8.2" | 0.1" | 22 | 0 | 42° – 50° |
| April | 57° | 40° | 5.9" | 0.0" | 20 | 0 | 44° – 53° |
| May | 62° | 44° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 | 49° – 56° |
| June | 65° | 48° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 54° – 61° |
| July | 70° | 52° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 58° – 64° |
| August | 71° | 52° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 59° – 63° |
| September | 69° | 48° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 56° – 62° |
| October | 61° | 43° | 6.6" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 | 49° – 57° |
| November | 53° | 39° | 11.3" | 0.0" | 22 | 0 | 41° – 51° |
| December | 48° | 36° | 11.7" | 0.3" | 23 | 0 | 38° – 45° |
| Year | 59° | 42° | 72.5" | 1.7" | 201 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 37° to 49°. August is the most reliable, staying within 4°.
Where Svensen’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 Svensen’s center.
- Snow: Naselle 2 Ene, WA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Astoria Rgnl Airport, 11 miles from the town’s center, 120 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 Svensen’s climate
What is the weather like in Svensen?
A typical July afternoon reaches 70°, a January night drops to 36°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 83% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 74 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Svensen in winter?
February nights average 35°. About 29 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest February of the last 30 years the month averaged 37°.
How much snow does Svensen get?
About 1.7 inches in a normal winter at Naselle 2 Ene, WA, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Svensen?
July, with a typical high of 70°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Astoria Rgnl Airport.
When is the first and last frost in Svensen?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 26 and the first fall frost by November 11, about 232 frost-free days, at Astoria Rgnl Airport.
What growing zone is Svensen in?
Zone 9a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 21°.
What is the best time of year to visit Svensen?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Svensen getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 60% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Svensen.
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.