Photo: Ian Poellet · CC BY-SA 3.0Few U.S. towns get more rain and snow than Wheeler: 91 inches a year
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 38°. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. January has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 1.1° rise. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from June to September, with highs of 63–68°.
A year in Wheeler at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Wheeler’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Wheeler’s place in Oregon beside it.
What a year in Wheeler feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 183 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 22 and the first by October 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Tillamook, OR, 16 miles from the town’s center, 240 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Wheeler’s center in zone 9a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 22°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 1 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Nehalem 9 Ne, OR, is heaviest from January through February, about 1 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 91 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 184 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Wheeler
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 Tillamook, OR.
Living with Wheeler’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
183 frost-free days in zone 9a. The last frost comes by Apr 22 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 21.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Wheeler from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (50%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Wheeler and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Wheeler yet.
Climates most like Wheeler’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheeler, OR | 38° | 67° | 91" | 1.4" |
| Crescent City, CA | 42° | 64° | 69" | 0.0" |
| Sultan, WA | 35° | 76° | 75" | 3.0" |
| Kodiak, AK | 26° | 62° | 78" | 70" |
| Brevard, NC | 27° | 83° | 69" | 7.1" |
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 Wheeler averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.9°).
A smaller shift than in 68% 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 Wheeler compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Wheeler’s place among Oregon’s.
Wheeler weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Wheeler’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Nehalem 9 Ne, OR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 38° | 13.4" | 0.6" | 21 | 0 | 39° – 48° |
| February | 52° | 37° | 9.2" | 0.6" | 18 | 0 | 38° – 50° |
| March | 53° | 38° | 10.4" | 0.0" | 21 | 0 | 42° – 50° |
| April | 56° | 41° | 7.5" | 0.0" | 19 | 0 | 43° – 53° |
| May | 60° | 45° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 48° – 56° |
| June | 63° | 49° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 54° – 60° |
| July | 67° | 52° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 56° – 62° |
| August | 68° | 52° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 58° – 62° |
| September | 67° | 49° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 54° – 61° |
| October | 61° | 44° | 8.4" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 | 50° – 57° |
| November | 54° | 40° | 13.6" | 0.0" | 21 | 0 | 42° – 51° |
| December | 49° | 38° | 14.5" | 0.2" | 21 | 0 | 39° – 47° |
| Year | 58° | 44° | 90.5" | 1.4" | 184 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 38° to 50°. August is the most reliable, staying within 4°.
Where Wheeler’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 Wheeler’s center.
- Snow: Nehalem 9 Ne, OR.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Tillamook, OR, 16 miles from the town’s center, 240 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 Wheeler’s climate
What is the weather like in Wheeler?
A typical July afternoon reaches 67°, a January night drops to 38°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 86% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 41 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Wheeler in winter?
February nights average 37°. About 47 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest February of the last 30 years the month averaged 38°.
How much snow does Wheeler get?
About 1.4 inches in a normal winter at Nehalem 9 Ne, OR, heaviest from January through February, about 1 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 0 days a year.
How hot does it get in Wheeler?
July, with a typical high of 67°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Tillamook, OR.
When is the first and last frost in Wheeler?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 22 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 183 frost-free days, at Tillamook, OR.
What growing zone is Wheeler in?
Zone 9a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 22°.
What is the best time of year to visit Wheeler?
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 Wheeler getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 68% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Wheeler.
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.