Photo: SounderBruce · CC BY-SA 4.0Sultan’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 76°, a January night drops to 35°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Sultan at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sultan’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sultan’s place in Washington beside it.
What a year in Sultan feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 192 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 15 and the first by October 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Startup 1 E, WA, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sultan’s center in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 17°. 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 3 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Monroe, WA, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 75 inches a year; November is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 187 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sultan
97% 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 Startup 1 E, WA.
Living with Sultan’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
192 frost-free days in zone 8b. The last frost comes by Apr 15 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 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 4.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sultan from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (66%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sultan and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Sultan in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Sultan’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sultan, WA | 35° | 76° | 75" | 3.0" |
| Tillamook, OR | 38° | 71° | 87" | 0.2" |
| Brevard, NC | 27° | 83° | 69" | 7.1" |
| Signal Mountain, TN | 29° | 85° | 62" | 4.3" |
| Fortuna, CA | 42° | 70° | 55" | 0.7" |
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 Sultan averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.1°).
A smaller shift than in 82% 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 Sultan compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sultan’s place among Washington’s.
Sultan weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sultan’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Monroe, WA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 35° | 9.9" | 0.1" | 20 | 1 | 36° – 45° |
| February | 49° | 35° | 6.8" | 2.2" | 17 | 1 | 34° – 48° |
| March | 54° | 37° | 7.9" | 0.2" | 20 | 0 | 41° – 51° |
| April | 59° | 40° | 6.5" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 | 44° – 55° |
| May | 66° | 46° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 52° – 60° |
| June | 70° | 50° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 57° – 65° |
| July | 76° | 53° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 61° – 69° |
| August | 77° | 53° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 61° – 69° |
| September | 71° | 49° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 57° – 63° |
| October | 61° | 43° | 7.7" | 0.0" | 18 | 0 | 48° – 57° |
| November | 51° | 38° | 11.0" | 0.3" | 22 | 0 | 39° – 49° |
| December | 45° | 34° | 9.7" | 0.2" | 22 | 1 | 35° – 43° |
| Year | 61° | 43° | 75.4" | 3.0" | 187 | 3 |
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 48°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Sultan’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 Sultan’s center.
- Snow: Monroe, WA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Startup 1 E, WA, 4 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 Sultan’s climate
What is the weather like in Sultan?
A typical July afternoon reaches 76°, a January night drops to 35°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 80% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 98% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sultan in winter?
December nights average 34°. About 53 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 35°.
How much snow does Sultan get?
About 3.0 inches in a normal winter at Monroe, WA, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 3 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sultan?
July, with a typical high of 76° and a low of 53°. About 5 days a year reach 90° (Startup 1 E, WA).
When is the first and last frost in Sultan?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 15 and the first fall frost by October 25, about 192 frost-free days, at Startup 1 E, WA.
What growing zone is Sultan in?
Zone 8b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 17°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sultan?
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 Sultan getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sultan.
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.