Photo: Steven Baltakatei Sandoval · CC BY-SA 4.0Cougar’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to 34°, and about 16 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Cougar at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cougar’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cougar’s place in Washington beside it.
What a year in Cougar feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 227 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 1 and the first by November 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cougar 6 E, WA, 5 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cougar’s center in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 18°. 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 16 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cougar 6 E, WA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 96 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 179 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cougar
93% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. 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 Cougar 6 E, WA.
Living with Cougar’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
227 frost-free days in zone 8b. The last frost comes by Apr 1 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 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 1.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cougar from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (49%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cougar and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cougar yet.
Climates most like Cougar’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cougar, WA | 34° | 78° | 96" | 16" |
| Brevard, NC | 27° | 83° | 69" | 7.1" |
| Brookings, OR | 42° | 69° | 73" | 0.0" |
| Signal Mountain, TN | 29° | 85° | 62" | 4.3" |
| Dahlonega, GA | 30° | 87° | 63" | 3.3" |
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 Cougar averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.6°).
A bigger shift than in 52% 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 Cougar compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cougar’s place among Washington’s.
Cougar weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cougar’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cougar 6 E, WA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 34° | 14.0" | 6.5" | 21 | 5 | 33° – 45° |
| February | 47° | 33° | 10.4" | 3.1" | 18 | 4 | 34° – 47° |
| March | 52° | 35° | 10.6" | 1.7" | 21 | 1 | 38° – 51° |
| April | 57° | 38° | 8.0" | 0.1" | 19 | 0 | 42° – 54° |
| May | 65° | 43° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| June | 70° | 47° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 54° – 66° |
| July | 78° | 52° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| August | 78° | 51° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 60° – 70° |
| September | 72° | 47° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 56° – 63° |
| October | 59° | 41° | 9.2" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 | 46° – 55° |
| November | 49° | 37° | 14.6" | 0.7" | 20 | 1 | 36° – 47° |
| December | 43° | 33° | 15.2" | 4.1" | 21 | 3 | 33° – 41° |
| Year | 59° | 41° | 96.4" | 16.2" | 179 | 14 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 34° to 47°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Cougar’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 Cougar’s center.
- Snow: Cougar 6 E, WA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cougar 6 E, WA, 5 miles from the town’s center, 120 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 Cougar’s climate
What is the weather like in Cougar?
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to 34°, and about 16 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 78% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cougar in winter?
December nights average 33°. About 35 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 33°.
How much snow does Cougar get?
About 16 inches in a normal winter at Cougar 6 E, WA, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 14 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cougar?
July, with a typical high of 78° and a low of 52°. About 18 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Cougar 6 E, WA).
When is the first and last frost in Cougar?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 1 and the first fall frost by November 18, about 227 frost-free days, at Cougar 6 E, WA.
What growing zone is Cougar in?
Zone 8b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 18°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cougar?
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 Cougar getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cougar.
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.