Photo: Squarestate7 · CC BY-SA 3.0Walla Walla’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 30°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Walla Walla at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Walla Walla’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Walla Walla’s place in Washington beside it.
What a year in Walla Walla feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 219 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 27 and the first by October 31. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Walla Walla Rgnl Airport, 3 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Walla Walla’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 6°. 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 9 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Mill Creek Dam, WA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 105 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Walla Walla
84% of the work is heating. 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 Walla Walla Rgnl Airport.
Living with Walla Walla’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
219 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Mar 27 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 31.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 6.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Walla Walla from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (41%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 17%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Walla Walla and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Walla Walla in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Walla Walla’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walla Walla, WA | 30° | 91° | 16" | 9.0" |
| Yreka, CA | 29° | 91° | 20" | 12" |
| Prescott, AZ | 26° | 90° | 15" | 10" |
| Talent, OR | 31° | 92° | 19" | 3.6" |
| Levelland, TX | 27° | 93° | 18" | 6.2" |
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 Walla Walla averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.1°).
A bigger shift than in 60% 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 Walla Walla compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Walla Walla’s place among Washington’s.
Walla Walla weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Walla Walla’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mill Creek Dam, WA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 30° | 1.8" | 4.2" | 13 | 23° – 44° |
| February | 48° | 31° | 1.5" | 2.5" | 11 | 28° – 46° |
| March | 57° | 36° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 38° – 51° |
| April | 64° | 41° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 47° – 57° |
| May | 73° | 48° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 56° – 65° |
| June | 80° | 53° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 62° – 75° |
| July | 91° | 60° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 3 | 67° – 80° |
| August | 90° | 59° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 69° – 77° |
| September | 80° | 51° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 62° – 70° |
| October | 65° | 41° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 48° – 59° |
| November | 51° | 34° | 2.0" | 0.1" | 12 | 36° – 49° |
| December | 42° | 29° | 2.0" | 2.2" | 13 | 29° – 40° |
| Year | 65° | 43° | 16.4" | 9.0" | 105 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 23° to 44°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Walla Walla’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 Walla Walla’s center.
- Snow: Mill Creek Dam, WA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Walla Walla Rgnl Airport, 3 miles from the town’s center, 220 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 Walla Walla’s climate
What is the weather like in Walla Walla?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 30°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 72% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 80% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Walla Walla in winter?
December nights average 29°. About 70 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 29°.
How much snow does Walla Walla get?
About 9.0 inches in a normal winter at Mill Creek Dam, WA, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Walla Walla?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 60°. About 42 days a year reach 90° and 8 reach 100° (Walla Walla Rgnl Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Walla Walla?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 27 and the first fall frost by October 31, about 219 frost-free days, at Walla Walla Rgnl Airport.
What growing zone is Walla Walla in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Walla Walla?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Walla Walla getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 60% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Walla Walla.
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.