Glacier Ranger Station · Photo: Chris Light · CC BY-SA 4.0Hardly any U.S. towns collect more precipitation than Glacier: 68 inches a year
In January the night’s low is typically 30°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.3° higher. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 18, with the first autumn frost due around October 18.
A year in Glacier at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Glacier’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Glacier’s place in Washington beside it.
What a year in Glacier feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 185 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 18 and the first by October 18. Frost and day counts come from Clearbrook, WA, 19 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Glacier’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 13°. 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 42 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Upper Baker Dam, WA, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 68 inches a year; November is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 188 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Glacier
99% 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 Clearbrook, WA.
Living with Glacier’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
185 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Apr 18 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 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 6.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Glacier from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (71%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Glacier and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Glacier yet.
Climates most like Glacier’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glacier, WA | 30° | 74° | 68" | 42" |
| Boone, NC | 24° | 79° | 58" | 26" |
| Hazleton, PA | 16° | 78° | 51" | 42" |
| Sandwich, MA | 23° | 81° | 50" | 37" |
| Rockland, ME | 14° | 75° | 49" | 69" |
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 Glacier averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.3°).
A smaller 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 Glacier compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Glacier’s place among Washington’s.
Glacier weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Glacier’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Upper Baker Dam, WA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 30° | 9.8" | 13.1" | 21 | 16 | 26° – 40° |
| February | 44° | 30° | 6.1" | 10.6" | 17 | 11 | 29° – 43° |
| March | 48° | 33° | 6.7" | 3.4" | 21 | 6 | 36° – 46° |
| April | 55° | 36° | 4.8" | 0.2" | 18 | 0 | 40° – 52° |
| May | 63° | 42° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| June | 66° | 47° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| July | 74° | 51° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 57° – 66° |
| August | 74° | 50° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 58° – 66° |
| September | 67° | 47° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 53° – 61° |
| October | 55° | 40° | 6.5" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 | 45° – 52° |
| November | 45° | 34° | 11.1" | 2.2" | 21 | 2 | 35° – 43° |
| December | 39° | 30° | 9.1" | 12.9" | 21 | 12 | 29° – 38° |
| Year | 56° | 39° | 68.4" | 42.4" | 188 | 47 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 29° to 43°. October is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Glacier’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 Glacier’s center.
- Snow: Upper Baker Dam, WA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Clearbrook, WA, 19 miles from the town’s center, 930 ft lower; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- 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 Glacier’s climate
What is the weather like in Glacier?
A typical July afternoon reaches 74°, a January night drops to 30°, and about 42 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 72% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 152 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Glacier in winter?
January nights average 30°. About 57 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Glacier get?
About 42 inches in a normal winter at Upper Baker Dam, WA, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 47 days a year.
How hot does it get in Glacier?
July, with a typical high of 74° and a low of 51°. About 2 days a year reach 90° (Clearbrook, WA).
When is the first and last frost in Glacier?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 18 and the first fall frost by October 18, about 185 frost-free days, at Clearbrook, WA.
What growing zone is Glacier in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 13°.
What is the best time of year to visit Glacier?
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 Glacier getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Glacier.
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.