Anacortes, WA climate
Anacortes has mild winters and cool summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 73°, a January night drops to 35°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Anacortes feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Anacortes weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 35° | 4.2" | 1.1" | 20 | 1 | 34° – 46° |
| February | 49° | 35° | 2.8" | 0.6" | 16 | 0 | 36° – 47° |
| March | 53° | 38° | 2.9" | 0.5" | 18 | 0 | 41° – 49° |
| April | 58° | 41° | 2.4" | 0 | 15 | 0 | 45° – 54° |
| May | 64° | 46° | 2.1" | 0 | 11 | 0 | 51° – 58° |
| June | 68° | 50° | 1.5" | 0 | 10 | 0 | 55° – 63° |
| July | 73° | 52° | 0.9" | 0 | 6 | 0 | 60° – 66° |
| August | 73° | 53° | 1.0" | 0 | 6 | 0 | 60° – 65° |
| September | 68° | 49° | 1.7" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 56° – 61° |
| October | 59° | 44° | 3.3" | 0.1" | 16 | 0 | 49° – 56° |
| November | 51° | 39° | 4.9" | 0.8" | 20 | 1 | 41° – 50° |
| December | 46° | 35° | 4.0" | 0.3" | 20 | 1 | 36° – 44° |
| Year | 59° | 43° | 31.7" | 3.4" | 166 | 3 |
“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.
Rain and snow in Anacortes
Anacortes gets 32 inches of rain and melted snow a year. November is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 166 days a year.
About 255 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 8 and the first one by November 20. That leaves about 255 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 91% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Anacortes
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Anacortes, 98% of that work is heating and 2% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
How Anacortes compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Anacortes averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.9°). The shift is larger than in 55% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Anacortes’s spot on NOAA’s grid
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. January swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 34° to 46°. September is the most reliable, staying within 5°.
Common questions about Anacortes’s climate
What is the coldest month in Anacortes?
December, with a typical high of 46° and a low of 35°.
What is the hottest month in Anacortes?
August, with a typical high of 73° and a low of 53°.
How much snow does Anacortes get?
About 3 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.
When is the first frost in Anacortes?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by November 20, and the last spring frost by March 8.
What is the rainiest month in Anacortes?
November, with 4.9 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 32 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Anacortes itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Bellingham 3 Ssw, WA (17 mi, snow) and Anacortes, WA (2 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.