Photo: Ken Gallager · CC BY-SA 4.0Pacific Beach is among the wettest of U.S. towns: 88 inches of precipitation a year
High summer brings afternoon highs near 66°. Seasons differ by 31°, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from June to September, with highs of 63–67°.
A year in Pacific Beach at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Pacific Beach’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Pacific Beach’s place in Washington beside it.
What a year in Pacific Beach feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 180 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 22. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Humptulips Salmon Hatchery, WA, 10 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Pacific Beach’s center in zone 9a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 22°. 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 1 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Humptulips Salmon Hatchery, WA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 88 inches a year; January is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 175 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Pacific Beach
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. 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 Humptulips Salmon Hatchery, WA.
Living with Pacific Beach’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
180 frost-free days in zone 9a. 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 22.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 1.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Pacific Beach from natural hazards, tsunamis are the largest share (68%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Pacific Beach and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Pacific Beach yet.
Climates most like Pacific Beach’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Beach, WA | 36° | 66° | 88" | 1.0" |
| Lincoln City, OR | 40° | 67° | 88" | 0.1" |
| Crescent City, CA | 42° | 64° | 69" | 0.0" |
| Kodiak, AK | 26° | 62° | 78" | 70" |
| Brevard, NC | 27° | 83° | 69" | 7.1" |
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 Pacific Beach averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 77% 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 Pacific Beach compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Pacific Beach’s place among Washington’s.
Pacific Beach weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Pacific Beach’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Humptulips Salmon Hatchery, WA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 36° | 13.4" | 0.5" | 21 | 0 | 37° – 47° |
| February | 50° | 36° | 8.1" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 | 37° – 49° |
| March | 53° | 38° | 10.2" | 0.0" | 20 | 0 | 41° – 50° |
| April | 56° | 40° | 6.9" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 | 44° – 53° |
| May | 60° | 45° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 49° – 56° |
| June | 63° | 49° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 53° – 58° |
| July | 66° | 51° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 56° – 61° |
| August | 67° | 51° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 57° – 61° |
| September | 66° | 48° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 54° – 60° |
| October | 59° | 44° | 9.4" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 | 48° – 57° |
| November | 52° | 39° | 13.1" | 0.1" | 20 | 0 | 41° – 50° |
| December | 48° | 36° | 13.2" | 0.4" | 20 | 0 | 38° – 45° |
| Year | 57° | 43° | 88.2" | 1.0" | 175 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 37° to 49°. August is the most reliable, staying within 5°.
Where Pacific Beach’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 Pacific Beach’s center.
- Snow: Humptulips Salmon Hatchery, WA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Humptulips Salmon Hatchery, WA, 10 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 Pacific Beach’s climate
What is the weather like in Pacific Beach?
A typical July afternoon reaches 66°, a January night drops to 36°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 84% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 33 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Pacific Beach in winter?
December nights average 36°. About 73 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 38°.
How much snow does Pacific Beach get?
About 1.0 inches in a normal winter at Humptulips Salmon Hatchery, WA, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 0 days a year.
How hot does it get in Pacific Beach?
July, with a typical high of 66° and a low of 51°. About 2 days a year reach 90° (Humptulips Salmon Hatchery, WA).
When is the first and last frost in Pacific Beach?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 22, about 180 frost-free days, at Humptulips Salmon Hatchery, WA.
What growing zone is Pacific Beach in?
Zone 9a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 22°.
What is the best time of year to visit Pacific Beach?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Pacific Beach getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 77% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Pacific Beach.
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.