Region Six Personnel Training Station · Photo: Ian Poellet · CC BY-SA 3.0Carson’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 33°, and about 17 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Carson at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Carson’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Carson’s place in Washington beside it.
What a year in Carson feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 242 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 24 and the first by November 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cascade Locks, OR, 5 miles from the town’s center, 380 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Carson’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 14°. 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 17 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Hood Rvr Exp Stn, OR, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 36 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 132 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Carson
93% 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 Cascade Locks, OR.
Living with Carson’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
242 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 24 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 2.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Carson from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (58%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 32%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Carson and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Carson yet.
Climates most like Carson’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carson, WA | 33° | 82° | 36" | 17" |
| Lake Arrowhead, CA | 33° | 83° | 33" | 22" |
| Atlantic City, NJ | 28° | 83° | 45" | 17" |
| Christiansburg, VA | 25° | 83° | 42" | 22" |
| Princeton, WV | 23° | 82° | 41" | 24" |
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 Carson averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.3°).
A smaller 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 Carson compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Carson’s place among Washington’s.
Carson weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Carson’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Hood Rvr Exp Stn, OR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 33° | 5.8" | 6.9" | 19 | 6 | 30° – 42° |
| February | 48° | 33° | 4.1" | 2.5" | 15 | 2 | 33° – 46° |
| March | 55° | 36° | 3.7" | 0.7" | 15 | 1 | 41° – 51° |
| April | 61° | 39° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| May | 69° | 46° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| June | 74° | 50° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| July | 82° | 54° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 61° – 72° |
| August | 82° | 54° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 64° – 72° |
| September | 76° | 48° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 59° – 65° |
| October | 63° | 41° | 3.2" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 48° – 57° |
| November | 50° | 37° | 5.7" | 1.5" | 18 | 1 | 38° – 48° |
| December | 42° | 32° | 6.6" | 5.5" | 19 | 3 | 33° – 40° |
| Year | 62° | 42° | 36.0" | 17.2" | 132 | 12 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 33° to 46°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Carson’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 Carson’s center.
- Snow: Hood Rvr Exp Stn, OR.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cascade Locks, OR, 5 miles from the town’s center, 380 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 Carson’s climate
What is the weather like in Carson?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 33°, and about 17 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 76% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 81% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Carson in winter?
December nights average 32°. About 55 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 33°.
How much snow does Carson get?
About 17 inches in a normal winter at Hood Rvr Exp Stn, OR, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 12 days a year.
How hot does it get in Carson?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 54°. About 17 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Cascade Locks, OR).
When is the first and last frost in Carson?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 24 and the first fall frost by November 20, about 242 frost-free days, at Cascade Locks, OR.
What growing zone is Carson in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 14°.
What is the best time of year to visit Carson?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Carson getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 63% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Carson.
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.