Seattle Municipal Light and Power Plant · Photo: Seattle Municipal Archives from Seattle, WA · CC BY 2.0Few U.S. towns get more rain and snow than Wilderness Rim: 82 inches a year
January mornings start at about 33°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Warming shows here too: 0.7° more than in 1901–2000, led by January. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from October to April, which average under 50°.
A year in Wilderness Rim at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Wilderness Rim’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Wilderness Rim’s place in Washington beside it.
What a year in Wilderness Rim feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 187 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 20 and the first by October 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Landsburg, WA, 10 miles from the town’s center, 450 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Wilderness Rim’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 42 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cedar Lake, WA, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 82 inches a year; November is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 193 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Wilderness Rim
98% 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 Landsburg, WA.
Living with Wilderness Rim’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
187 frost-free days in zone 8b. The last frost comes by Apr 20 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.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Wilderness Rim from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (87%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Wilderness Rim and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Wilderness Rim yet.
Climates most like Wilderness Rim’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilderness Rim, WA | 33° | 74° | 82" | 42" |
| Tillamook, OR | 38° | 71° | 87" | 0.2" |
| Boone, NC | 24° | 79° | 58" | 26" |
| Juneau, AK | 27° | 63° | 90" | 88" |
| 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 Wilderness Rim averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.0°).
A smaller shift than in 92% 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 Wilderness Rim compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Wilderness Rim’s place among Washington’s.
Wilderness Rim weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Wilderness Rim’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cedar Lake, WA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 33° | 10.9" | 8.0" | 19 | 13 | 33° – 43° |
| February | 46° | 33° | 7.5" | 9.7" | 17 | 9 | 32° – 46° |
| March | 50° | 34° | 8.5" | 7.7" | 20 | 9 | 38° – 48° |
| April | 56° | 37° | 7.3" | 2.7" | 19 | 2 | 41° – 53° |
| May | 63° | 43° | 5.3" | 0.2" | 17 | 0 | 48° – 57° |
| June | 67° | 48° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 54° – 64° |
| July | 74° | 52° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 57° – 66° |
| August | 74° | 52° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 59° – 67° |
| September | 69° | 47° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 55° – 62° |
| October | 58° | 41° | 8.3" | 0.0" | 18 | 0 | 46° – 54° |
| November | 48° | 36° | 12.0" | 3.7" | 21 | 3 | 37° – 47° |
| December | 42° | 33° | 10.3" | 10.0" | 20 | 11 | 33° – 41° |
| Year | 58° | 41° | 81.9" | 42.0" | 193 | 47 |
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 46°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Wilderness Rim’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 Wilderness Rim’s center.
- Snow: Cedar Lake, WA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Landsburg, WA, 10 miles from the town’s center, 450 ft lower; 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 Wilderness Rim’s climate
What is the weather like in Wilderness Rim?
A typical July afternoon reaches 74°, a January night drops to 33°, and about 42 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 77% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 158 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Wilderness Rim in winter?
February nights average 33°. About 70 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest February of the last 30 years the month averaged 32°.
How much snow does Wilderness Rim get?
About 42 inches in a normal winter at Cedar Lake, WA, most of it in February and December, with snow on the ground about 47 days a year.
How hot does it get in Wilderness Rim?
July, with a typical high of 74° and a low of 52°. About 5 days a year reach 90° (Landsburg, WA).
When is the first and last frost in Wilderness Rim?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 20 and the first fall frost by October 25, about 187 frost-free days, at Landsburg, WA.
What growing zone is Wilderness Rim 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 Wilderness Rim?
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 Wilderness Rim getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 92% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Wilderness Rim.
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.