Lake Tapps, WA climate
Lake Tapps has mild winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 77°, a January night drops to 35°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Lake Tapps feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Lake Tapps 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° | 6.0" | 0.2" | 19 | 0 | 36° – 45° |
| February | 49° | 35° | 4.1" | 1.3" | 15 | 0 | 35° – 47° |
| March | 53° | 37° | 4.6" | 0.2" | 20 | 0 | 41° – 49° |
| April | 58° | 41° | 3.8" | 0 | 18 | 0 | 45° – 55° |
| May | 65° | 46° | 2.6" | 0 | 15 | 0 | 51° – 59° |
| June | 70° | 50° | 2.1" | 0 | 12 | 0 | 57° – 66° |
| July | 77° | 54° | 0.8" | 0 | 6 | 0 | 60° – 69° |
| August | 77° | 54° | 1.0" | 0 | 6 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| September | 71° | 50° | 1.9" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 57° – 64° |
| October | 60° | 44° | 4.3" | 0 | 16 | 0 | 48° – 57° |
| November | 51° | 38° | 6.6" | 1.5" | 19 | 0 | 40° – 49° |
| December | 46° | 35° | 6.0" | 1.1" | 18 | 0 | 36° – 42° |
| Year | 60° | 43° | 43.7" | 4.3" | 174 | 0 |
“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 Lake Tapps
Lake Tapps gets 44 inches of rain and melted snow a year. November is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 174 days a year.
About 204 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 7 and the first one by October 30. That leaves about 204 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 75% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Lake Tapps
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Lake Tapps, 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.
Lake Tapps and its neighbors
Lake Tapps borders 3 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.7°. Bonney Lake has the coldest January nights (35°) and Sumner the hottest July afternoons (77°). Lake Tapps’s January low is 35° and its July high 77°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How Lake Tapps 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 Lake Tapps averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.7°). The shift is smaller than in 62% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Lake Tapps’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 35° to 47°. December is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Common questions about Lake Tapps’s climate
What is the coldest month in Lake Tapps?
December, with a typical high of 46° and a low of 35°.
What is the hottest month in Lake Tapps?
August, with a typical high of 77° and a low of 54°. About 4 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Lake Tapps get?
About 4 inches in a normal winter, most of it in November.
When is the first frost in Lake Tapps?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 30, and the last spring frost by April 7.
What is the rainiest month in Lake Tapps?
November, with 6.6 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 44 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Lake Tapps itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Buckley 1 Ne, WA (9 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.