Photo: Little Mountain 5 · CC BY-SA 3.0Trail is drier than 81% of U.S. towns: 33 inches of precipitation a year
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 90°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 58° apart. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 76% of U.S. towns. Radiators earn their keep from November to March, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Trail at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Trail’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Trail’s place in Oregon beside it.
What a year in Trail feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 171 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first by October 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lost Creek Dam, OR, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Trail’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 15°. 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 1 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lost Creek Dam, OR, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 33 inches a year; December is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 127 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Trail
89% 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 Lost Creek Dam, OR.
Living with Trail’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
171 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Apr 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 Oct 17.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Trail from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (55%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Trail and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Trail yet.
Climates most like Trail’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trail, OR | 32° | 90° | 33" | 1.3" |
| St. Helena, CA | 38° | 89° | 32" | 0.0" |
| Indian Trail, NC | 31° | 90° | 43" | 2.1" |
| Fredericksburg, TX | 35° | 94° | 30" | 0.2" |
| Lancaster, SC | 31° | 91° | 43" | 2.6" |
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 Trail averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.9°).
A bigger shift than in 58% 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 Trail compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Trail’s place among Oregon’s.
Trail weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Trail’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lost Creek Dam, OR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 32° | 5.1" | 0.1" | 17 | 0 | 36° – 46° |
| February | 54° | 33° | 3.6" | 0.1" | 14 | 0 | 36° – 48° |
| March | 58° | 35° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 42° – 52° |
| April | 63° | 38° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| May | 72° | 43° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| June | 80° | 48° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 60° – 71° |
| July | 90° | 53° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 63° – 76° |
| August | 90° | 53° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| September | 83° | 47° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 60° – 69° |
| October | 69° | 39° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 50° – 60° |
| November | 54° | 35° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 | 37° – 49° |
| December | 46° | 32° | 6.3" | 1.1" | 18 | 1 | 35° – 43° |
| Year | 67° | 41° | 33.3" | 1.3" | 127 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. July swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 63° to 76°. December is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Trail’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 Trail’s center.
- Snow: Lost Creek Dam, OR.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lost Creek Dam, OR, 7 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 Trail’s climate
What is the weather like in Trail?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 32°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 75% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 76% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Trail in winter?
December nights average 32°. About 109 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 35°.
How much snow does Trail get?
About 1.3 inches in a normal winter at Lost Creek Dam, OR, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Trail?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 53°. About 57 days a year reach 90° and 9 reach 100° (Lost Creek Dam, OR).
When is the first and last frost in Trail?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 29 and the first fall frost by October 17, about 171 frost-free days, at Lost Creek Dam, OR.
What growing zone is Trail in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 15°.
What is the best time of year to visit Trail?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Trail getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 58% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Trail.
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.