Kittitas, WA climate
Kittitas has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 23°.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Kittitas feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Kittitas weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 23° | 1.3" | 20° – 36° |
| February | 44° | 26° | 0.9" | 24° – 41° |
| March | 54° | 30° | 0.9" | 35° – 48° |
| April | 62° | 36° | 0.7" | 44° – 56° |
| May | 71° | 44° | 0.9" | 53° – 63° |
| June | 78° | 50° | 0.6" | 60° – 73° |
| July | 87° | 56° | 0.3" | 64° – 76° |
| August | 86° | 54° | 0.2" | 66° – 74° |
| September | 78° | 46° | 0.4" | 58° – 67° |
| October | 62° | 36° | 0.9" | 43° – 55° |
| November | 47° | 28° | 1.1" | 32° – 43° |
| December | 36° | 23° | 1.6" | 24° – 35° |
| Year | 62° | 38° | 9.7" |
“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 Kittitas
Kittitas gets 10 inches of rain and melted snow a year. December is the wettest month and August the driest.
About 163 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 28 and the first one by October 7. That leaves about 163 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 68% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Kittitas
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Kittitas, 91% of that work is heating and 9% 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 Kittitas 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 Kittitas averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.8°). The shift is smaller than in 58% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Kittitas’s spot on NOAA’s grid
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. February swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 24° to 41°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Common questions about Kittitas’s climate
What is the coldest month in Kittitas?
December, with a typical high of 36° and a low of 23°.
What is the hottest month in Kittitas?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 56°. About 34 days a year reach 90°.
When is the first frost in Kittitas?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 7, and the last spring frost by April 28.
What is the rainiest month in Kittitas?
December, with 1.6 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 10 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Kittitas itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Ellensburg Bowers Fld, WA (6 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.