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Climate in Washington: Average Weather by City
Washington spans more climate variety than most states, and its city normals prove it. The warmest city we track, Seattle, averages 53.7°F across the year, while the coolest, Spokane, averages 48.6°F — a gap of 5.1°F inside one state. Rainfall runs from 16.4 in a year in Spokane to 39.3 in in Seattle. This page compares every Washington city in our dataset side by side using the same yardstick — the official NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from each city's representative weather station — so you can pick the corner of the state that fits the weather you actually want, and the month to go see it.
Washington cities compared
Every Washington city in the dataset, ranked by yearly mean temperature. Click a city for its full month-by-month normals, season-by-season analysis, and best months to visit.
| City | Yearly Mean (°F) | Avg High | Avg Low | Rain (in/yr) | Snow (in/yr) | Warmest | Coldest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 53.7 | 61.3 | 46.1 | 39.34 | 6.3 | Aug | Dec |
| Spokane | 48.6 | 58.0 | 39.2 | 16.45 | 45.4 | Jul | Dec |
Seattle is Washington's warm pole. Its year-round mean of 53.7°F peaks in August at 67.4°F and never drops below a 42.0°F mean in December. It collects 39.3 in of precipitation a year and 6.3 in of snow. For the full month-by-month profile, see the Seattle climate page.
Spokane anchors the cool end. With a yearly mean of 48.6°F, a coldest month (December) averaging 29.1°F, and a warmest month that reaches only 71.0°F, it offers the state's most pronounced seasons — a swing of 41.9°F between its coldest and warmest months. Its profile is on the Spokane climate page.
Rain, snow, and when to visit
Rain is its own map. Seattle is Washington's wettest tracked city at 39.3 in a year — 2.4 times the 16.4 in that Spokane, the driest, receives. For snow, Spokane leads the state at 45.4 in a year. Anyone choosing where in Washington to live should weigh those totals as heavily as temperature: they decide everything from flood exposure to how many grey weeks a winter holds.
When to go where: Seattle peaks in July; Spokane peaks in June. Each city's own page ranks all twelve of its months by the same comfort score — mild mean temperatures rewarded, heavy rain and snow penalized — so the recommendation is always traceable to the normals table rather than to anyone's opinion, ours included.
Washington climate FAQ
What is the warmest city in Washington?
Of the Washington cities in our dataset, Seattle is warmest with a yearly mean of 53.7°F (1991–2020 normals); Spokane is coolest at 48.6°F.
What is the wettest city in Washington?
Seattle averages the most precipitation, 39.34 in a year; the driest is Spokane at 16.45 in.
Where in Washington has the mildest climate?
By annual temperature swing, Seattle is the most even-keeled, varying just 25.4°F between its coldest and warmest months, while Spokane swings 41.9°F.
Source: 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) — ncei.noaa.gov. One representative station per city; station names and IDs are listed on each city page. Figures checked October 2026.