Hermiston in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Hermiston sees average daytime highs around 44°F and overnight lows near 31°F, with 4.3 in of precipitation over about 27 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.

Over the season highs climb from about 43°F in early December to 50°F by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Hermiston's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Hermiston's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
44°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
31°F
Precipitation
4.3 in
27 wet days
Avg wind
6 mph
Travel score
0.8
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Hermiston in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 43°F in early December to 50°F by late February.

A typical winter day in Hermiston reaches about 44°F and drops to 31°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.

20°40°60°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Hermiston

Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 90 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
90
wind chill below the day's low

The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Hermiston 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan42° / 31°1.59.52.28.90.3
Feb48° / 33°1.27.71.510.11.8
Mar56° / 38°1.38.30.311.64.0
Apr65° / 44°1.06.3013.36.2
May74° / 51°0.95.4014.77.6
Jun81° / 57°0.63.3015.57.4
Jul91° / 63°0.11015.24.9
Aug89° / 62°0.21013.95.3
Sep79° / 55°0.32.2012.38.1
Oct65° / 45°1.05.90.110.76.5
Nov50° / 36°1.48.70.79.32.3
Dec42° / 31°1.69.62.68.50.2

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Hermiston gets around 4.3 in of rain and snow over 27 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 6 mph across winter.

0246810DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 42 min in early December to 10 h 42 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 1.8 kWh/m².

01234DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Is winter a good time to visit Hermiston?

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.

0.8
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Hermiston.

What to pack for Hermiston in Winter

From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In winter, Hermiston sees daytime highs around 44°F and nights near 31°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 27 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Hermiston in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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 Hermiston peaks around July 16 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 16UV 8Dec 15UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun7High
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep5Moderate
Oct4Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Hermiston in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Hermiston is worst in August — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.5× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1924 µg/m³Dec 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr10Good
May9Good
Jun9Good
Jul15Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov10Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Hermiston?

Hermiston sits at 45.8°N, 119.3°W, 459 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Kennewick, 27 mi away.

Topography around Hermiston

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Hermiston.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Hermiston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 236 ft around an average of 509 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 932 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,659 ft.

The land around Hermiston is covered by grassland (45%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 2 miles, grassland (45%) and cropland (41%) within 10 miles, and grassland (54%) and cropland (35%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
236 ft
10 miles
932 ft
50 miles
5,659 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Winter weather nearby: Kennewick 27 mi · Pendleton 27 mi · Tri-Cities 29 mi · Pasco 29 mi · Richland 31 mi · Sunnyside 48 mi · Walla Walla 48 mi · Yakima 78 mi

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
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

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 Hermiston (45.8404°, -119.2895°, elevation 459 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.