Bellingham in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Bellingham sees average daytime highs around 44°F and overnight lows near 38°F, with 21.9 in of precipitation over about 52 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 44°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Bellingham's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Bellingham's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 44°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 38°F
- Precipitation
- 21.9 in
- 52 wet days
- Avg wind
- 7 mph
- Travel score
- 0.7
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Bellingham in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 44°F.
A typical winter day in Bellingham reaches about 44°F and drops to 38°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Bellingham
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 27 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Bellingham weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44° / 38° | 8.4 | 18.6 | 3.2 | 8.5 | 0.6 |
| Feb | 46° / 38° | 5.4 | 15.3 | 2.8 | 9.8 | 1.0 |
| Mar | 49° / 40° | 6.7 | 18.9 | 1.9 | 11.6 | 1.5 |
| Apr | 53° / 43° | 4.8 | 15.2 | 0.1 | 13.4 | 2.5 |
| May | 57° / 48° | 3.4 | 11.3 | 0 | 15 | 4.0 |
| Jun | 61° / 53° | 2.5 | 9.4 | 0 | 15.9 | 5.2 |
| Jul | 66° / 57° | 1.3 | 5.1 | 0 | 15.5 | 7.1 |
| Aug | 67° / 58° | 1.8 | 5.3 | 0 | 14.2 | 7.2 |
| Sep | 64° / 54° | 3.2 | 9.1 | 0 | 12.4 | 5.9 |
| Oct | 56° / 48° | 6.4 | 14.7 | 0 | 10.5 | 3.3 |
| Nov | 48° / 41° | 9.5 | 18.8 | 1.1 | 9 | 1.4 |
| Dec | 44° / 38° | 8.1 | 18.3 | 3.3 | 8.1 | 0.5 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Bellingham gets around 21.9 in of rain and snow over 52 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 7 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 8 h 24 min in early December to 10 h 36 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 1.3 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Bellingham
In winter, Bellingham overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Bellingham's rainy season runs October–April, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Bellingham?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Bellingham.
What to pack for Bellingham in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Bellingham sees daytime highs around 44°F and nights near 38°F. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 52 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Bellingham in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 46°F across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 19 mi away) is warmest in August at about 60°F and coldest in January near 45°F.
The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 45 | 45 | 46 | 49 | 53 | 56 | 59 | 60 | 57 | 52 | 49 | 46 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | Bracing |
| Feb | 45 | Bracing |
| Mar | 46 | Bracing |
| Apr | 49 | Bracing |
| May | 53 | Bracing |
| Jun | 56 | Bracing |
| Jul | 59 | Cool |
| Aug | 60 | Cool |
| Sep | 57 | Bracing |
| Oct | 52 | Bracing |
| Nov | 49 | Bracing |
| Dec | 46 | Bracing |
UV index in Bellingham in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bellingham peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 1 | Low |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 4 | Moderate |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 6 | High |
| Jul | 8 | Very high |
| Aug | 6 | High |
| Sep | 4 | Moderate |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 1 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Air quality in Bellingham in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Bellingham is worst in September — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.2× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 7 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 18 | 18 | 12 | 7 | 6 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Good |
| Feb | 9 | Good |
| Mar | 12 | Good |
| Apr | 12 | Good |
| May | 12 | Good |
| Jun | 11 | Good |
| Jul | 11 | Good |
| Aug | 18 | Moderate |
| Sep | 18 | Moderate |
| Oct | 12 | Good |
| Nov | 7 | Good |
| Dec | 6 | Good |
Where is Bellingham?
Bellingham sits at 48.8°N, 122.5°W, 69 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Anacortes, 18 mi away.
Topography around Bellingham
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Bellingham.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bellingham has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 666 ft around an average of 102 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,097 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10,758 ft.
The land around Bellingham is covered by trees (39%), artificial surfaces (29%) and water (23%) within 2 miles, trees (49%) and water (26%) within 10 miles, and trees (51%) and water (32%) within 50 miles.
United States travel facts
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 120 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 100% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $90,027
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 98%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 5.8
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 12.7
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Bellingham (48.7595°, -122.4882°, elevation 69 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.