Orchards, WA climate
Orchards has mild winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 36°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Orchards feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Orchards 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° | 36° | 7.0" | 1.7" | 19 | 1 | 34° – 45° |
| February | 51° | 36° | 5.3" | 1.2" | 16 | 1 | 37° – 48° |
| March | 56° | 38° | 5.7" | 0.1" | 18 | 0 | 44° – 51° |
| April | 61° | 41° | 4.5" | 0 | 17 | 0 | 47° – 56° |
| May | 68° | 47° | 3.4" | 0 | 13 | 0 | 53° – 61° |
| June | 73° | 51° | 2.4" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| July | 81° | 55° | 0.6" | 0 | 4 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| August | 81° | 55° | 0.8" | 0 | 4 | 0 | 65° – 71° |
| September | 75° | 51° | 2.1" | 0 | 7 | 0 | 60° – 65° |
| October | 63° | 44° | 4.8" | 0 | 14 | 0 | 49° – 58° |
| November | 52° | 39° | 7.6" | 0 | 18 | 0 | 40° – 51° |
| December | 46° | 35° | 7.9" | 1.2" | 19 | 1 | 36° – 43° |
| Year | 63° | 44° | 52.2" | 4.2" | 157 | 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 Orchards
Orchards gets 52 inches of rain and melted snow a year. December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 157 days a year.
About 247 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 13 and the first one by November 19. That leaves about 247 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 90% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Orchards
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Orchards, 89% of that work is heating and 11% 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.
Orchards and its neighbors
Orchards borders 3 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.6°. Hockinson has the coldest January nights (35°) and Vancouver the hottest July afternoons (81°). Orchards’s January low is 36° and its July high 81°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How Orchards 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 Orchards averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.2°). The shift is larger than in 57% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Orchards’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 45°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Common questions about Orchards’s climate
What is the coldest month in Orchards?
December, with a typical high of 46° and a low of 35°.
What is the hottest month in Orchards?
August, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 55°. About 15 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Orchards get?
About 4 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.
When is the first frost in Orchards?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by November 19, and the last spring frost by March 13.
What is the rainiest month in Orchards?
December, with 7.9 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 52 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Orchards itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Portland Intl Airport, OR (8 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.