Photo: SpokaneWilly · CC BY-SA 4.0Fairwood is drier than 91% of U.S. towns: 17 inches of precipitation a year
Midsummer highs settle at about 86°. A year here swings 62° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Its January nights stay gentler than in 61% of U.S. towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit May, June and September, with highs of 69–75°.
A year in Fairwood at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fairwood’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fairwood’s place in Washington beside it.
What a year in Fairwood feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 170 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Spokane Felts Fld, WA, 7 miles from the town’s center, 140 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fairwood’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 3°. 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 45 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Spokane International Airport, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 17 inches a year; December is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 113 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fairwood
92% 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 Spokane Felts Fld, WA.
Living with Fairwood’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
170 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 26 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 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 7.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fairwood from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 37%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fairwood and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Fairwood in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Fairwood’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairwood, WA | 24° | 86° | 17" | 45" |
| Klamath Falls, OR | 22° | 86° | 14" | 52" |
| Applewood, CO | 20° | 87° | 18" | 58" |
| Los Alamos, NM | 19° | 85° | 15" | 42" |
| Orchard Homes, MT | 18° | 86° | 13" | 43" |
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 Fairwood averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.9°).
A smaller shift than in 64% 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 Fairwood compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fairwood’s place among Washington’s.
Fairwood weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fairwood’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Spokane International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 24° | 2.1" | 12.3" | 14 | 16 | 22° – 36° |
| February | 41° | 25° | 1.4" | 7.8" | 11 | 10 | 22° – 40° |
| March | 51° | 30° | 1.8" | 3.9" | 12 | 4 | 35° – 47° |
| April | 60° | 35° | 1.4" | 0.7" | 10 | 0 | 42° – 55° |
| May | 69° | 43° | 1.6" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 50° – 62° |
| June | 75° | 49° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 57° – 71° |
| July | 86° | 54° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 60° – 75° |
| August | 85° | 53° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| September | 75° | 45° | 0.6" | 0.1" | 5 | 0 | 55° – 65° |
| October | 59° | 35° | 1.4" | 0.5" | 9 | 0 | 42° – 54° |
| November | 44° | 29° | 2.1" | 6.2" | 13 | 4 | 29° – 44° |
| December | 35° | 24° | 2.6" | 13.8" | 14 | 13 | 24° – 34° |
| Year | 60° | 37° | 17.4" | 45.4" | 113 | 48 |
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°. August is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Fairwood’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 Fairwood’s center.
- Snow: Spokane International Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Spokane Felts Fld, WA, 7 miles from the town’s center, 140 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 Fairwood’s climate
What is the weather like in Fairwood?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 45 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 61% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 57% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fairwood in winter?
December nights average 24°. About 123 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 24°.
How much snow does Fairwood get?
About 45 inches in a normal winter at Spokane International Airport, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 48 days a year.
How hot does it get in Fairwood?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 54°. About 29 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Spokane Felts Fld, WA).
When is the first and last frost in Fairwood?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 170 frost-free days, at Spokane Felts Fld, WA.
What growing zone is Fairwood in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Fairwood?
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 Fairwood getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 64% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fairwood.
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.