Photo: Photo by Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 4.0Few U.S. towns have cooler summers than Cottage Lake
Deep winter brings January lows near 36°. A year here swings 41° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. By January nights alone, it runs milder than 82% of U.S. towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to April, which average under 50°.
A year in Cottage Lake at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cottage Lake’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cottage Lake’s place in Washington beside it.
What a year in Cottage Lake feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 188 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 17 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Monroe, WA, 8 miles from the town’s center, 240 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cottage Lake’s center in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 19°. 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 4 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Seattle Sand Pt Wsfo, WA, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; November is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 163 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cottage Lake
99% 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 Monroe, WA.
Living with Cottage Lake’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
188 frost-free days in zone 8b. 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 26 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cottage Lake from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (61%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cottage Lake and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Cottage Lake in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Cottage Lake’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cottage Lake, WA | 36° | 75° | 45" | 3.8" |
| West Haven-Sylvan, OR | 36° | 80° | 44" | 3.6" |
| Fairfax, CA | 41° | 76° | 38" | 0.0" |
| Nantucket, MA | 26° | 76° | 44" | 25" |
| Swannanoa, NC | 27° | 83° | 48" | 2.1" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Cottage Lake averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 82% 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 Cottage Lake compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cottage Lake’s place among Washington’s.
Cottage Lake weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cottage Lake’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Seattle Sand Pt Wsfo, WA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 36° | 5.9" | 0.9" | 19 | 1 | 36° – 45° |
| February | 49° | 35° | 4.2" | 1.0" | 16 | 1 | 35° – 47° |
| March | 53° | 37° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 18 | 0 | 41° – 50° |
| April | 58° | 41° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 | 45° – 55° |
| May | 65° | 47° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 51° – 60° |
| June | 69° | 51° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 57° – 65° |
| July | 75° | 54° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 61° – 69° |
| August | 76° | 55° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 61° – 68° |
| September | 70° | 51° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 57° – 64° |
| October | 60° | 44° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 49° – 57° |
| November | 51° | 39° | 6.7" | 0.2" | 19 | 0 | 41° – 49° |
| December | 45° | 35° | 6.3" | 1.7" | 20 | 1 | 36° – 44° |
| Year | 60° | 44° | 44.5" | 3.8" | 163 | 2 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 35° to 47°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Cottage Lake’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 Cottage Lake’s center.
- Snow: Seattle Sand Pt Wsfo, WA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Monroe, WA, 8 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 Cottage Lake’s climate
What is the weather like in Cottage Lake?
A typical July afternoon reaches 75°, a January night drops to 36°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 98% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cottage Lake in winter?
December nights average 35°. About 60 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 36°.
How much snow does Cottage Lake get?
About 3.8 inches in a normal winter at Seattle Sand Pt Wsfo, WA, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 2 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cottage Lake?
July, with a typical high of 75° and a low of 54°. About 2 days a year reach 90° (Monroe, WA).
When is the first and last frost in Cottage Lake?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 17 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 188 frost-free days, at Monroe, WA.
What growing zone is Cottage Lake in?
Zone 8b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cottage Lake?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Cottage Lake getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cottage Lake.
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.