Issaquah in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Issaquah sees average daytime highs around 46°F and overnight lows near 35°F, with 22.2 in of precipitation over about 53 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 45°F in early December to 49°F by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

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

Avg daytime high
46°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
35°F
Precipitation
22.2 in
53 wet days
Avg wind
6 mph
Travel score
1.0
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Issaquah in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 45°F in early December to 49°F by late February.

A typical winter day in Issaquah reaches about 46°F and drops to 35°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.

20°30°40°50°60°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Issaquah

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.

Issaquah 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
Jan45° / 35°8.318.73.68.70.8
Feb48° / 36°5.815.52.69.91.5
Mar52° / 37°6.518.71.811.62.2
Apr57° / 41°5.416.50.213.33.4
May63° / 46°3.812.8014.95.1
Jun67° / 50°3.211.4015.75.9
Jul74° / 54°1.36.5015.47.7
Aug74° / 54°1.65.7014.17.9
Sep68° / 49°3.49012.46.6
Oct58° / 43°6.615.1010.63.9
Nov49° / 38°9.018.719.11.6
Dec44° / 35°8.118.43.48.30.6

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Issaquah gets around 22.2 in of rain and snow over 53 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%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 30 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 1.3 kWh/m².

0123DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Issaquah

In seasonPeak

In winter, Issaquah overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Issaquah's rainy season runs October–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is winter a good time to visit Issaquah?

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.

1.0
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 Issaquah.

What to pack for Issaquah in Winter

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

In winter, Issaquah sees daytime highs around 46°F and nights near 35°F. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 53 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

UV index in Issaquah 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 Issaquah 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Dec 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Issaquah 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 Issaquah is worst in September — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.4× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodGoodModerateGoodSep 1322 µg/m³Dec 177 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Good
May11Good
Jun10Good
Jul10Good
Aug18Moderate
Sep22Moderate
Oct12Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Issaquah?

Issaquah sits at 47.5°N, 122.0°W, 108 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is West Lake Sammamish, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around Issaquah

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Issaquah has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,998 ft around an average of 512 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,002 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 14,413 ft.

The land around Issaquah is covered by trees (78%) within 2 miles, trees (77%) within 10 miles, and trees (76%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,998 ft
10 miles
3,002 ft
50 miles
14,413 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Winter weather nearby: West Lake Sammamish 4.3 mi · City of Sammamish 5.0 mi · Sammamish 8.1 mi · Fairwood 8.1 mi · Renton 9.3 mi · Mercer Island 9.3 mi · Maple Valley 9.3 mi · Bellevue 9.3 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 Issaquah (47.5301°, -122.0326°, elevation 108 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.