Photo: Jo Levine · CC BY 2.0Vale reaches 100° on about 10 days a year, more than 91% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Vale at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Vale’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Vale’s place in Oregon beside it.
What a year in Vale feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 140 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 8 and the first by September 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Vale, OR, 0.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Vale’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 0°. 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 15 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Malheur Branch Exp Stn, OR, falls mostly in January. 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 91 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Vale
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 Vale, OR.
Living with Vale’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
140 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by May 8 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 29.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 3.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Vale from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (70%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Vale and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Vale yet.
Climates most like Vale’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vale, OR | 22° | 93° | 9" | 15" |
| Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM | 21° | 94° | 9" | 12" |
| Winnemucca, NV | 21° | 93° | 8" | 22" |
| Fruitvale, CO | 19° | 94° | 10" | 13" |
| Kanab, UT | 23° | 94° | 13" | 22" |
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 Vale averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.4°).
A bigger shift than in 63% 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 Vale compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Vale’s place among Oregon’s.
Vale weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Vale’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Malheur Branch Exp Stn, OR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 22° | 1.1" | 6.1" | 11 | 17° – 35° |
| February | 46° | 26° | 0.8" | 2.3" | 8 | 26° – 43° |
| March | 57° | 31° | 0.9" | 0.5" | 11 | 39° – 49° |
| April | 65° | 36° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 45° – 55° |
| May | 75° | 45° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 53° – 65° |
| June | 82° | 51° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 62° – 75° |
| July | 93° | 58° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 66° – 81° |
| August | 92° | 55° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 3 | 68° – 76° |
| September | 81° | 46° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 59° – 68° |
| October | 66° | 35° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 43° – 57° |
| November | 49° | 27° | 0.9" | 1.1" | 10 | 30° – 43° |
| December | 38° | 21° | 1.3" | 5.4" | 11 | 20° – 36° |
| Year | 65° | 38° | 9.4" | 15.4" | 91 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 17° to 35°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Vale’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 Vale’s center.
- Snow: Malheur Branch Exp Stn, OR.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Vale, OR, 0.2 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 Vale’s climate
What is the weather like in Vale?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 51% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Vale in winter?
December nights average 21°. About 147 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 20°.
How much snow does Vale get?
About 15 inches in a normal winter at Malheur Branch Exp Stn, OR, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Vale?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 58°. About 55 days a year reach 90° and 10 reach 100° (Vale, OR).
When is the first and last frost in Vale?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 8 and the first fall frost by September 29, about 140 frost-free days, at Vale, OR.
What growing zone is Vale in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 0°.
What is the best time of year to visit Vale?
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 Vale getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 63% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Vale.
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.