Climate and average weather in Pasco

In Pasco, the summers are sweltering, dry, and clear and the winters are cold, snowy, and partly cloudy.

Best: mid April to mid June

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Pasco typically varies from 30°F to 93°F, and is rarely below 18°F or above 104°F. July is the hottest month of the year, while December is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Pasco for warm-weather activities are from mid April to mid June and early September to mid October.

Hottest
Jul
93°
Coldest
Dec
30°
Wettest
Dec
1.5 in
Driest
Jul
0.2 in
Rain / yr
10.3 in
64 wet days
Daylight
8.4–15.6 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
387 ft
46.2°N
Clearest
Jul
23% cloud

Pasco is seat of Franklin County, Washington, United States.

Density
748/km²
people per km²
Founded
1891

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Pasco weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around mid April to mid June.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Pasco, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 3.4 months, from June 5 to September 15, with daily high temperatures above 81°F. The hottest month of the year in Pasco is July, with an average high of 93°F and low of 64°F.

The cool season lasts 3.4 months, from November 15 to February 25, with daily high temperatures below 51°F. The coldest month of the year in Pasco is December, with an average low of 30°F and high of 41°F.

Days typically run about 21°F warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 29°F) in July.

20°40°60°80°100°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
Jan4230
Feb4832
Mar5738
Apr6744
May7752
Jun8458
Jul9364
Aug9163
Sep8155
Oct6545
Nov5036
Dec4130

How hot and cold Pasco really feels

Feels-like highFeels-like lowactual air temp

The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.

On the hottest afternoons, once humidity is folded in, Pasco feels like about 95°F (around July 26). About 52 days a year carry some heat stress, peaking in July.

On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about 23°F (around January 2), with roughly 118 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 32°F), worst in January.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feels-like high (°F)Air high (°F)Feels-like low (°F)Air low (°F)
Jan41422430
Feb48482732
Mar57573338
Apr67674044
May77775152
Jun84845858
Jul93936464
Aug91916363
Sep81815555
Oct65654245
Nov50503136
Dec41412430

Average hourly temperature in Pasco

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 93°F, and coldest before dawn in December, near 30°F.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Pasco weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan42° / 30°1.58.92.38.80.2
Feb48° / 32°1.06.81.3101.9
Mar57° / 38°1.170.411.64.4
Apr67° / 44°0.85.5013.36.7
May77° / 52°0.85014.77.6
Jun84° / 58°0.63015.56.7
Jul93° / 64°0.21.2015.24.0
Aug91° / 63°0.21.10144.6
Sep81° / 55°0.32.2012.37.7
Oct65° / 45°0.95.8010.76.6
Nov50° / 36°1.38.20.69.22.3
Dec41° / 30°1.59.22.68.50.1

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Pasco gets about 10.3 in of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 6.1 months, from around Oct 16 to Apr 18, peaking in January at about 30% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Aug 4.

December is the wettest month by volume, with 1.5 in over about 9 wet days; July is the driest, with 0.2 in. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwetterdrierwettermostly drysome rainoften wetJan 12 · 30%Aug 4 · 3%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan299
Feb247
Mar227
Apr186
May165
Jun103
Jul41
Aug41
Sep82
Oct186
Nov278
Dec309

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Pasco collects about 10.3 in of rain across 64 wet days — roughly 0.9 in in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. December is the wettest month with 1.5 in, while July is the driest at just 0.2 in. The three wettest months alone bring about 42% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

00.511.52JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec1.51.01.10.80.80.60.20.20.30.91.31.5
Rainfall (in)Rain daysSnow days
Jan1.592
Feb1.071
Mar1.170
Apr0.860
May0.850
Jun0.630
Jul0.210
Aug0.210
Sep0.320
Oct0.960
Nov1.381
Dec1.593

Snow in Pasco

Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.

Pasco averages about 7 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Nov 16 to Mar 10 — about 3.8 months.

December is snowiest, with roughly 3 days of snow and an estimated 3 in of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 10 in of snow.

0246JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonsnow seasonDec 28
Snow daysSnowfall (in)
Jan23
Feb12
Mar00
Apr00
May00
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct00
Nov11
Dec33

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Pasco, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around May 28 and lasts for 4.9 months, ending around October 24. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 86% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 25 and lasts for 7.1 months, ending around May 27. The cloudiest month is December, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 68% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJul 29 · 90%Jan 9 · 31%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan3268
Feb4060
Mar4258
Apr4357
May5149
Jun6436
Jul8614
Aug8614
Sep7525
Oct5941
Nov3961
Dec3268

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 15, brings about 15 h 36 min of light; the shortest, around December 15, only 8 h 24 min — a swing of roughly 7 h 12 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan8.87:424:30
Feb10.07:105:12
Mar11.66:185:54
Apr13.35:176:36
May14.74:307:16
Jun15.54:107:44
Jul15.24:257:39
Aug14.05:017:00
Sep12.35:416:00
Oct10.76:225:01
Nov9.27:064:17
Dec8.57:404:06

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Pasco averages about 12 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 5 and 24 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 4.4 months, from around Jun 11 to Oct 22. The sunniest month is July, with roughly 22 sunny days (bright).

The greyest month is December, down near 6 sunny days — about 75% fewer than the July peak.

051015202530JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedbrightbrilliantJul 2724 daysDec 165 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan6Gloomy
Feb7Mixed
Mar7Gloomy
Apr8Gloomy
May10Mixed
Jun13Mixed
Jul23Bright
Aug23Bright
Sep18Bright
Oct13Mixed
Nov8Gloomy
Dec6Gloomy

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Pasco, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in May, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 0% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdry
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
Jan1000
Feb1000
Mar1000
Apr1000
May1000
Jun991
Jul973
Aug955
Sep982
Oct1000
Nov1000
Dec1000

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Across the year, average wind speed in Pasco is typically calm, near 6 mph, and varies little with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 4.6 months, from around Feb 24 to Jul 14. The windiest month is June, averaging about 7 mph (calm).

The calmer part of the year runs from around Jul 15 to Feb 23, with January the calmest month at about 5 mph.

0510JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccalmerwindiercalmercalmlight breezeJun 10 · 7 mphJan 21 · 5 mph
Wind speed (mph)Feels
Jan5calm
Feb6calm
Mar6calm
Apr7calm
May7calm
Jun7calm
Jul6calm
Aug6calm
Sep5calm
Oct6calm
Nov6calm
Dec5calm

Best time to visit Pasco

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Pasco throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around early June, Pasco is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 64°F and 82°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Pasco for general outdoor tourist activities run from mid April to mid June and again from early September to mid October, with a peak score in the last week of September.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationSep 26 · 8.4

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan0.2poor
Feb1.9poor
Mar4.4fair
Apr6.7good
May7.5ideal
Jun6.6good
Jul4.1fair
Aug4.7fair
Sep7.6ideal
Oct6.6good
Nov2.4poor
Dec0.2poor

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 75°F and 93°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Pasco for hot-weather activities is from late May to late September, with a peak score in the first week of September.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationSep 5 · 8.6

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Pasco, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 93°F), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around December (highs near 41°F), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In July, Pasco sees daytime highs around 93°F and nights near 64°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

UV index (midday) in Pasco by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Pasco peaks around July 16 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 16UV 8Dec 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Average hourly UV index in Pasco

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in July the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan00
Feb00
Mar30
Apr5.50
May7.53.5
Jun7.53
Jul8.55
Aug71.5
Sep50
Oct20
Nov00
Dec00

Air quality in Pasco by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.

Air quality in Pasco is worst in August — around 27 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.1× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodAug 2026 µg/m³Dec 189 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb11Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr11Good
May9Good
Jun10Good
Jul13Moderate
Aug27Moderate
Sep21Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec9Good
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayTypical season (≥50%)

The growing season in Pasco typically lasts about 293 days, from around February 10 to November 29 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from March 20 to October 27.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonFeb 1050%Mar 2090%Oct 2790%Nov 2950%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan3931
Feb5228
Mar8319
Apr980
May1000
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct965
Nov6930
Dec4031

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 50°F)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 50°F: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Pasco banks about 3,660 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.

01,0002,0003,0004,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°F·days)
Jan0
Feb0
Mar5
Apr169
May449
Jun628
Jul882
Aug833
Sep533
Oct161
Nov0
Dec0

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Pasco receives about 4.5 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.2 and 7.9 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.0 months, from around Mar 26 to Sep 24. The brightest month is July, averaging about 7.8 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is December, down near 1.3 kWh/m² — roughly 84% less than the July peak.

0123456789JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseJul 87.9 kWhDec 171.2 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan1.5Dim
Feb2.5Moderate
Mar4.0Moderate
Apr5.7Bright
May6.8Intense
Jun7.5Intense
Jul7.8Intense
Aug6.8Intense
Sep5.0Bright
Oct3.1Moderate
Nov1.7Dim
Dec1.3Dim

Where is Pasco?

Pasco sits at 46.2°N, 119.1°W, 387 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Kennewick, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Pasco

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Pasco has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 118 ft around an average of 387 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,886 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,009 ft.

The land around Pasco is covered by artificial surfaces (54%) within 2 miles, grassland (36%) and cropland (32%) within 10 miles, and grassland (50%) and cropland (43%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
118 ft
10 miles
1,886 ft
50 miles
4,009 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Nearby: Kennewick 2.5 mi · Tri-Cities 4.3 mi · Richland 9.3 mi · Hermiston 29 mi · Walla Walla 39 mi · Pendleton 42 mi · Sunnyside 43 mi · Moses Lake 62 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 Pasco (46.2396°, -119.1006°, elevation 387 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).