Photo: Finetooth · CC BY-SA 3.0Wallowa’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 48 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Wallowa at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Wallowa’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Wallowa’s place in Oregon beside it.
What a year in Wallowa feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 91 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 7 and the first by September 9. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Wallowa, OR, 0.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Wallowa’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −6°. 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 48 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Wallowa, OR, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; May is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 122 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Wallowa
97% 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 Wallowa, OR.
Living with Wallowa’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
91 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Jun 7 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 9.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Wallowa from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (39%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Wallowa and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Wallowa yet.
Climates most like Wallowa’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wallowa, OR | 21° | 87° | 18" | 48" |
| Applewood, CO | 20° | 87° | 18" | 58" |
| Suncrest, WA | 23° | 87° | 16" | 48" |
| Los Alamos, NM | 19° | 85° | 15" | 42" |
| Doney Park, AZ | 17° | 86° | 16" | 52" |
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 Wallowa averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.3°).
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 Wallowa compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Wallowa’s place among Oregon’s.
Wallowa weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Wallowa’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Wallowa, OR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 21° | 1.7" | 12.4" | 13 | 20° – 35° |
| February | 43° | 23° | 1.4" | 10.4" | 11 | 25° – 40° |
| March | 52° | 28° | 1.5" | 3.2" | 13 | 31° – 44° |
| April | 59° | 32° | 1.8" | 1.0" | 11 | 40° – 53° |
| May | 68° | 38° | 2.2" | 0.1" | 12 | 49° – 58° |
| June | 75° | 43° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 56° – 65° |
| July | 87° | 48° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 59° – 72° |
| August | 87° | 46° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 62° – 69° |
| September | 77° | 39° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 54° – 63° |
| October | 62° | 32° | 1.5" | 0.2" | 11 | 41° – 53° |
| November | 46° | 26° | 1.9" | 5.8" | 15 | 29° – 41° |
| December | 37° | 20° | 2.0" | 14.8" | 14 | 20° – 33° |
| Year | 61° | 33° | 17.8" | 47.9" | 122 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 40°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Wallowa’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 Wallowa’s center.
- Snow: Wallowa, OR (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Wallowa, 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 Wallowa’s climate
What is the weather like in Wallowa?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 48 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 56% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 59% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Wallowa in winter?
December nights average 20°. About 171 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 20°.
How much snow does Wallowa get?
About 48 inches in a normal winter at Wallowa, OR, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Wallowa?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 48°. About 37 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Wallowa, OR).
When is the first and last frost in Wallowa?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 7 and the first fall frost by September 9, about 91 frost-free days, at Wallowa, OR.
What growing zone is Wallowa in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Wallowa?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Wallowa 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 Wallowa.
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.