Washington climate
Washington is warmest in July, with average highs of 31 °C, and coldest in January, when nights average -1.9 °C. September is the wettest month (116 mm) and February the driest (73 mm). Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.
Across a full year Washington averages 1,113 mm of rain, 124 days above 25 °C and 71 days below freezing.
United States · 7 m elevation · population 689,545 · 1991–2020 normals
Temperature below 0 °C to above 30 °C Rain band height is that month’s share of the wettest month
- Warmest month July 31 °C
- Coldest month January -1.9 °C
- Driest month February 73 mm
- Wettest month September 116 mm
- Least cloud October 49 % cloud
- Hottest on record July 41 °C
- Coldest on record January -24 °C
What to expectWashington through the year
Washington has a clear annual cycle: average daily highs run from 6.3 °C in January to 31 °C in July, a swing of 24 °C in mean temperature across the year.
Counted across a normal year, 124 days a year reach 25 °C, 53 of them reach 30 °C, 71 nights drop below freezing. The warmest reading in the 1991–2020 record is 41 °C, in July.
Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year, from 73 mm in February to 116 mm in September. There is no dry season to aim for.
Month by month
| Month | Avg high | Rainfall | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.3 °C | 79 mm | 57 % |
| February | 8.1 °C | 73 mm | 57 % |
| March | 12.8 °C | 100 mm | 58 % |
| April | 19.2 °C | 87 mm | 58 % |
| May | 23.9 °C | 100 mm | 59 % |
| June | 28.6 °C | 91 mm | 58 % |
| July | 31.0 °C | 110 mm | 55 % |
| August | 29.8 °C | 98 mm | 54 % |
| September | 26.1 °C | 116 mm | 53 % |
| October | 19.8 °C | 89 mm | 49 % |
| November | 13.6 °C | 78 mm | 53 % |
| December | 8.3 °C | 91 mm | 58 % |
Temperature month by month
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Mean | Record high | Record low | Days above 25 °C | Days above 30 °C | Days below 0 °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.3 °C | -1.9 °C | 1.6 °C | 22.8 °C | -23.8 °C | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| February | 8.1 °C | -1.3 °C | 2.7 °C | 26.0 °C | -23.2 °C | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| March | 12.8 °C | 2.2 °C | 6.9 °C | 29.9 °C | -18.5 °C | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| April | 19.2 °C | 7.9 °C | 13.0 °C | 33.5 °C | -3.1 °C | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| May | 23.9 °C | 13.4 °C | 18.3 °C | 35.8 °C | 0.7 °C | 13 | 4 | 0 |
| June | 28.6 °C | 18.5 °C | 23.3 °C | 40.3 °C | 8.1 °C | 25 | 11 | 0 |
| July | 31.0 °C | 21.3 °C | 25.9 °C | 41.2 °C | 13.9 °C | 30 | 19 | 0 |
| August | 29.8 °C | 20.5 °C | 24.9 °C | 38.3 °C | 12.5 °C | 29 | 14 | 0 |
| September | 26.1 °C | 17.1 °C | 21.2 °C | 35.7 °C | 6.8 °C | 18 | 5 | 0 |
| October | 19.8 °C | 10.7 °C | 14.8 °C | 34.7 °C | 0.1 °C | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| November | 13.6 °C | 4.9 °C | 8.7 °C | 26.2 °C | -5.5 °C | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| December | 8.3 °C | 0.5 °C | 3.9 °C | 24.8 °C | -14.4 °C | 0 | 0 | 15 |
Rain, sun and wind month by month
| Month | Rainfall | Wet days | Daylight | Cloud cover | Humidity | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 79 mm | 9 | 9.7 h/day | 57 % | 67 % | 18 km/h |
| February | 73 mm | 9 | 11 h/day | 57 % | 66 % | 18 km/h |
| March | 100 mm | 10 | 12 h/day | 58 % | 65 % | 18 km/h |
| April | 87 mm | 10 | 13 h/day | 58 % | 65 % | 18 km/h |
| May | 100 mm | 11 | 14 h/day | 59 % | 69 % | 16 km/h |
| June | 91 mm | 12 | 15 h/day | 58 % | 69 % | 14 km/h |
| July | 110 mm | 12 | 15 h/day | 55 % | 69 % | 13 km/h |
| August | 98 mm | 11 | 14 h/day | 54 % | 71 % | 12 km/h |
| September | 116 mm | 9 | 12 h/day | 53 % | 72 % | 14 km/h |
| October | 89 mm | 8 | 11 h/day | 49 % | 72 % | 15 km/h |
| November | 78 mm | 8 | 10 h/day | 53 % | 70 % | 16 km/h |
| December | 91 mm | 9 | 9.5 h/day | 58 % | 71 % | 17 km/h |
Where Washington ranks
| Ranking | Position | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Places with the best weather in North America in May | 40th of 50 | 87/100 |
Planning a trip? See the best time to visit Washington.
QuestionsCommon questions about Washington’s climate
When is the best time to visit Washington?
That depends on what you want, so the honest answer is a comparison rather than a single month. May, June, September sit closest to 20 °C on average, July is the warmest month and February the driest. The month-by-month table above has the full picture.
How hot does Washington get?
In July, the warmest month, daily highs average 31 °C. About 53 days a year pass 30 °C. The highest value in the 1991–2020 record is 41 °C.
How cold does it get in winter?
Nights average -1.9 °C in January, the coldest month. A normal year has 71 nights below freezing.
Which month is wettest in Washington?
September, averaging 116 mm over 9 days with rain. The driest month is February with 73 mm. The year as a whole averages 1,113 mm.
Are these figures a forecast?
No. They are 1991–2020 climate normals: the average of thirty years, which describes what a month is usually like in Washington rather than what any particular week will bring. Individual years can differ substantially from the normal.
Data sources and method
- ERA5 / ERA5-Land reanalysis — Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), ECMWF. Copernicus Licence
- Open-Meteo — Open-Meteo.com. CC BY 4.0
- NOAA OISST v2.1 — NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory. Public domain
- GeoNames — GeoNames.org. CC BY 4.0
- Normal period
- 1991–2020
- Data point
- 38.895°, -77.036° , 7 m above sea level (the coordinates the reanalysis values are taken for)
- Dataset version
- era5-1991-2020-scores1.1
- Last processed
Measured values come from ERA5 reanalysis and are reproduced unchanged. Calculated by us: monthly rankings, daylight hours, beach and comfort scores. Full formulas are on the methodology page.
Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.