Photo: Walter Siegmund · CC BY-SA 3.0Packwood is among the wettest of U.S. towns: 58 inches of precipitation a year
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 79°. The wettest month is November; the driest is July. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 95% of U.S. towns. Central heating does most of its work from October to April, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Packwood at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Packwood’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Packwood’s place in Washington beside it.
What a year in Packwood feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 162 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 8. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Packwood, WA, 0.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Packwood’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 12°. 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 32 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Packwood, WA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 58 inches a year; November is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 168 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Packwood
96% 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 Packwood, WA.
Living with Packwood’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
162 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Apr 30 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 8.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Packwood from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (67%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Packwood and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Packwood yet.
Climates most like Packwood’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packwood, WA | 30° | 79° | 58" | 32" |
| Boone, NC | 24° | 79° | 58" | 26" |
| Sandwich, MA | 23° | 81° | 50" | 37" |
| South Kingstown, RI | 24° | 80° | 47" | 35" |
| Crossville, TN | 27° | 84° | 59" | 14" |
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 Packwood averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.3°).
A smaller shift than in 68% 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 Packwood compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Packwood’s place among Washington’s.
Packwood weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Packwood’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Packwood, WA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 30° | 8.9" | 13.4" | 20 | 12 | 30° – 42° |
| February | 46° | 31° | 6.3" | 2.6" | 16 | 7 | 32° – 45° |
| March | 52° | 34° | 5.9" | 3.3" | 20 | 1 | 39° – 50° |
| April | 58° | 38° | 3.9" | 0.4" | 18 | 0 | 42° – 54° |
| May | 66° | 44° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 50° – 59° |
| June | 71° | 48° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| July | 79° | 52° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 58° – 70° |
| August | 79° | 51° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 60° – 70° |
| September | 73° | 46° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 56° – 64° |
| October | 60° | 39° | 5.8" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 45° – 55° |
| November | 48° | 35° | 9.1" | 2.5" | 20 | 2 | 35° – 46° |
| December | 40° | 30° | 9.0" | 9.3" | 19 | 8 | 30° – 39° |
| Year | 60° | 40° | 57.5" | 31.5" | 168 | 29 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 32° to 45°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Packwood’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 Packwood’s center.
- Snow: Packwood, WA (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Packwood, WA, 0.2 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 Packwood’s climate
What is the weather like in Packwood?
A typical July afternoon reaches 79°, a January night drops to 30°, and about 32 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 73% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 95% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Packwood in winter?
December nights average 30°. About 82 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 30°.
How much snow does Packwood get?
About 32 inches in a normal winter at Packwood, WA, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 29 days a year.
How hot does it get in Packwood?
July, with a typical high of 79° and a low of 52°. About 11 days a year reach 90° (Packwood, WA).
When is the first and last frost in Packwood?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 8, about 162 frost-free days, at Packwood, WA.
What growing zone is Packwood in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Packwood?
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 Packwood getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 68% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Packwood.
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.