Photo: Sam Beebe/Ecotrust · CC BY-SA 3.0Hardly any U.S. towns collect less precipitation than Wasco: 12 inches a year
July afternoons average 87°. By January nights alone, it runs milder than 70% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.5° above 1901–2000. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to April, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Wasco at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Wasco’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Wasco’s place in Oregon beside it.
What a year in Wasco feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 126 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 19 and the first by September 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Goldendale, WA, 17 miles from the town’s center, 350 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Wasco’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 5°. 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 6 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Wasco, OR, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 69 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Wasco
95% 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 Goldendale, WA.
Living with Wasco’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
126 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by May 19 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 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Wasco from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (58%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Wasco and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Wasco yet.
Climates most like Wasco’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wasco, OR | 28° | 87° | 12" | 6.3" |
| Indian Hills, NV | 25° | 86° | 14" | 14" |
| Silver City, NM | 26° | 87° | 16" | 13" |
| Alpine, TX | 30° | 90° | 15" | 2.2" |
| Prescott, AZ | 26° | 90° | 15" | 10" |
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 Wasco averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.0°).
A bigger shift than in 61% 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 Wasco compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Wasco’s place among Oregon’s.
Wasco weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Wasco’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Wasco, OR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 28° | 1.7" | 0.6" | 9 | 23° – 40° |
| February | 46° | 30° | 1.2" | 0.5" | 8 | 28° – 44° |
| March | 54° | 34° | 1.0" | 0.1" | 7 | 35° – 49° |
| April | 61° | 38° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 44° – 56° |
| May | 70° | 45° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 52° – 63° |
| June | 77° | 50° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 3 | 59° – 72° |
| July | 87° | 56° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 63° – 75° |
| August | 87° | 55° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 66° – 75° |
| September | 78° | 49° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 60° – 67° |
| October | 64° | 40° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 47° – 57° |
| November | 49° | 33° | 1.6" | 1.1" | 9 | 34° – 47° |
| December | 39° | 28° | 2.0" | 4.0" | 9 | 28° – 38° |
| Year | 63° | 40° | 11.7" | 6.3" | 69 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 23° to 40°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Wasco’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 Wasco’s center.
- Snow: Wasco, OR (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Goldendale, WA, 17 miles from the town’s center, 350 ft higher; 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 Wasco’s climate
What is the weather like in Wasco?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 6 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 70% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Wasco in winter?
December nights average 28°. About 144 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 28°.
How much snow does Wasco get?
About 6.3 inches in a normal winter at Wasco, OR, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Wasco?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 56°. About 35 days a year reach 90° and 6 reach 100° (Goldendale, WA).
When is the first and last frost in Wasco?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 19 and the first fall frost by September 25, about 126 frost-free days, at Goldendale, WA.
What growing zone is Wasco in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Wasco?
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 Wasco getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 61% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Wasco.
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.