Photo: Doc Searls from Santa Barbara, USA · CC BY 2.0Few U.S. towns get less rain and snow than Chelan Falls: 12 inches a year
January mornings start at about 22°. December is the wettest month, August the driest. Its July heat outdoes that of 72% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around April 17; autumn frost returns near October 22.
A year in Chelan Falls at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Chelan Falls’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Chelan Falls’ place in Washington beside it.
What a year in Chelan Falls feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 187 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 17 and the first by October 22. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Chelan, WA, 2.5 miles from the town’s center, 430 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Chelan Falls’ center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 7°. 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 21 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Chelan, WA, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; December is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 71 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Chelan Falls
90% 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 Chelan, WA.
Living with Chelan Falls’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
187 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 17 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 22.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 0.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Chelan Falls from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (51%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Chelan Falls and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Chelan Falls yet.
Climates most like Chelan Falls’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelan Falls, WA | 22° | 89° | 12" | 21" |
| Burley, ID | 21° | 89° | 10" | 21" |
| Cold Springs, NV | 23° | 88° | 13" | 17" |
| White Rock, NM | 18° | 89° | 13" | 20" |
| Snowflake, AZ | 20° | 90° | 10" | 13" |
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 Chelan Falls averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.2°).
A smaller shift than in 57% 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 Chelan Falls compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Chelan Falls’ place among Washington’s.
Chelan Falls weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Chelan Falls’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Chelan, WA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 22° | 1.7" | 7.7" | 9 | 20° – 34° |
| February | 42° | 25° | 1.1" | 2.0" | 7 | 22° – 40° |
| March | 54° | 32° | 1.1" | 0.7" | 7 | 37° – 49° |
| April | 64° | 38° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 46° – 57° |
| May | 73° | 46° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 55° – 65° |
| June | 79° | 53° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 62° – 74° |
| July | 89° | 59° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 66° – 78° |
| August | 88° | 58° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 67° – 77° |
| September | 79° | 49° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 61° – 69° |
| October | 63° | 38° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 45° – 55° |
| November | 45° | 30° | 1.6" | 1.4" | 9 | 32° – 44° |
| December | 34° | 23° | 2.1" | 8.7" | 10 | 22° – 34° |
| Year | 62° | 39° | 12.1" | 20.5" | 71 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 22° to 40°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Chelan Falls’ 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 Chelan Falls’ center.
- Snow: Chelan, WA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Chelan, WA, 2.5 miles from the town’s center, 430 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 Chelan Falls’ climate
What is the weather like in Chelan Falls?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 21 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 53% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 72% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Chelan Falls in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 109 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Chelan Falls get?
About 21 inches in a normal winter at Chelan, WA, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Chelan Falls?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 59°. About 25 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Chelan, WA).
When is the first and last frost in Chelan Falls?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 17 and the first fall frost by October 22, about 187 frost-free days, at Chelan, WA.
What growing zone is Chelan Falls in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Chelan Falls?
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 Chelan Falls getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 57% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Chelan Falls.
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.