Climate and average weather in Wenatchee

In Wenatchee, the summers are warm, dry, and clear and the winters are very cold, snowy, and mostly cloudy.

Best: late May to late September

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Wenatchee typically varies from 22°F to 81°F, and is rarely below 9°F or above 93°F. July is the hottest month of the year, while December is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Wenatchee for warm-weather activities is from late May to late September.

Hottest
Jul
81°
Coldest
Dec
22°
Wettest
Dec
3.3 in
Driest
Aug
0.3 in
Rain / yr
19.4 in
92 wet days
Daylight
8.2–15.8 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
666 ft
47.4°N
Clearest
Jul
29% cloud

Wenatchee is city in Chelan County, Washington, United States.

Density
1,568/km²
people per km²
Founded
1892

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

Wenatchee 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 late May to late September.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

The hot season lasts 3.2 months, from June 13 to September 18, with daily high temperatures above 70°F. The hottest month of the year in Wenatchee is July, with an average high of 81°F and low of 55°F.

The cool season lasts 3.5 months, from November 15 to February 28, with daily high temperatures below 41°F. The coldest month of the year in Wenatchee is December, with an average low of 22°F and high of 32°F.

Days typically run about 18°F warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 26°F) in July.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
Jan3223
Feb3826
Mar4630
Apr5536
May6544
Jun7249
Jul8155
Aug8154
Sep7148
Oct5638
Nov4129
Dec3222

How hot and cold Wenatchee 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 coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about 17°F (around December 25), with roughly 175 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 32°F), worst in December.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feels-like high (°F)Air high (°F)Feels-like low (°F)Air low (°F)
Jan32321923
Feb38382226
Mar46462630
Apr55553236
May65654144
Jun72724849
Jul81815555
Aug81815454
Sep71714648
Oct56563538
Nov41412529
Dec32321822

Average hourly temperature in Wenatchee

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 81°F, and coldest before dawn in December, near 22°F.

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

Wenatchee 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
Jan32° / 23°3.012.8118.70.0
Feb38° / 26°2.19.98.29.90.0
Mar46° / 30°1.910.5611.61.2
Apr55° / 36°1.37.3113.33.7
May65° / 44°1.370.114.96.3
Jun72° / 49°0.84.9015.77.6
Jul81° / 55°0.32.3015.47.9
Aug81° / 54°0.32014.18.0
Sep71° / 48°0.73.50.112.48.0
Oct56° / 38°1.77.70.810.64.1
Nov41° / 29°2.811.56.39.10.3
Dec32° / 22°3.313.111.98.30.0

Chance of rain

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

Wenatchee gets about 19.4 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 5.9 months, from around Oct 18 to Apr 16, peaking in January at about 45% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Aug 3.

December is the wettest month by volume, with 3.3 in over about 13 wet days; August is the driest, with 0.3 in. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwetterdrierwettermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetJan 1 · 45%Aug 3 · 6%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan4113
Feb3610
Mar3411
Apr247
May227
Jun165
Jul82
Aug72
Sep124
Oct248
Nov3812
Dec4313

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Wenatchee collects about 19.4 in of rain across 92 wet days — roughly 1.6 in in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. December is the wettest month with 3.3 in, while August is the driest at just 0.3 in. The three wettest months alone bring about 47% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

00.511.522.533.54JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec3.02.11.91.31.30.80.30.30.71.72.83.3
Rainfall (in)Rain daysSnow days
Jan3.01311
Feb2.1108
Mar1.9116
Apr1.371
May1.370
Jun0.850
Jul0.320
Aug0.320
Sep0.740
Oct1.781
Nov2.8126
Dec3.31312

Snow in Wenatchee

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.

Wenatchee averages about 45 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Oct 12 to Apr 22 — about 6.3 months.

December is snowiest, with roughly 11 days of snow and an estimated 25 in of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 88 in of snow.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonsnow seasonDec 24
Snow daysSnowfall (in)
Jan1123
Feb814
Mar69
Apr11
May00
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct11
Nov613
Dec1225

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

In Wenatchee, 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 4.6 months, ending around October 15. The clearest month is July, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 81% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 16 and lasts for 6.3 months, ending around April 26. The cloudiest month is December, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 72% 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 30 · 87%Dec 18 · 26%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan2872
Feb3862
Mar3961
Apr4456
May5050
Jun6139
Jul8119
Aug8119
Sep6832
Oct5149
Nov3565
Dec2872

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 20, brings about 15 h 48 min of light; the shortest, around December 20, only 8 h 12 min — a swing of roughly 7 h 36 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan8.77:514:30
Feb9.97:175:14
Mar11.66:245:58
Apr13.35:206:43
May14.94:317:24
Jun15.74:107:53
Jul15.44:257:49
Aug14.15:037:08
Sep12.45:456:06
Oct10.66:285:04
Nov9.17:154:18
Dec8.37:494:06

Sunny days

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

Wenatchee averages about 11 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 4 and 23 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 4.2 months, from around Jun 9 to Oct 14. The sunniest month is July, with roughly 20 sunny days (bright).

The greyest month is December, down near 5 sunny days — about 75% fewer than the July peak.

0510152025JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedbrightbrilliantJul 3023 daysDec 174 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan6Gloomy
Feb7Gloomy
Mar7Gloomy
Apr8Gloomy
May9Mixed
Jun12Mixed
Jul21Bright
Aug20Bright
Sep16Bright
Oct11Mixed
Nov6Gloomy
Dec5Gloomy

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 Wenatchee, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in August, 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 (%)
Jan100
Feb100
Mar100
Apr100
May100
Jun100
Jul100
Aug100
Sep100
Oct100
Nov100
Dec100

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 Wenatchee is typically calm, near 4 mph, and varies little with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 6.0 months, from around Mar 20 to Sep 17. The windiest month is June, averaging about 6 mph (calm).

The calmer part of the year runs from around Sep 18 to Mar 19, with December the calmest month at about 3 mph.

0510JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccalmerwindiercalmercalmlight breezeJun 17 · 6 mphDec 24 · 3 mph
Wind speed (mph)Feels
Jan3calm
Feb3calm
Mar4calm
Apr5calm
May5calm
Jun6calm
Jul5calm
Aug5calm
Sep4calm
Oct4calm
Nov3calm
Dec3calm

Best time to visit Wenatchee

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

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

Around early June, Wenatchee is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.

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 time of year to visit Wenatchee for general outdoor tourist activities is from late May to late September, with a peak score in the first week of September.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationSep 2 · 8.5

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
Jan0.0poor
Feb0.0poor
Mar1.2poor
Apr3.7fair
May6.3good
Jun7.6ideal
Jul7.9ideal
Aug8.0ideal
Sep7.9ideal
Oct4.1fair
Nov0.4poor
Dec0.0poor

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 Wenatchee for hot-weather activities is from late June to early September, with a peak score in the last week of July.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationJul 31 · 8.8

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 Wenatchee, 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 81°F), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around December (highs near 32°F), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In July, Wenatchee sees daytime highs around 81°F and nights near 55°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

UV index (midday) in Wenatchee 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 Wenatchee peaks around July 17 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 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 17UV 9Dec 13UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Average hourly UV index in Wenatchee

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
Mar40
Apr60
May7.53.5
Jun7.52.5
Jul8.55
Aug72.5
Sep4.50
Oct1.50
Nov00
Dec00

Air quality in Wenatchee 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 Wenatchee is worst in August — around 29 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.2× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 2028 µg/m³Dec 177 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr10Good
May9Good
Jun9Good
Jul12Good
Aug29Moderate
Sep23Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

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

The growing season in Wenatchee typically lasts about 221 days, from around March 28 to November 3 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from May 4 to October 12.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonJan 410%Mar 2850%May 490%Oct 1290%Nov 350%Dec 1710%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1331
Feb1828
Mar3631
Apr7430
May962
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct8220
Nov3330
Dec1131

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. Wenatchee banks about 1,849 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.

05001,0001,5002,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°F·days)
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May138
Jun318
Jul555
Aug540
Sep281
Oct17
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.

Wenatchee receives about 4.3 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.2 and 7.6 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.0 months, from around Mar 24 to Sep 22. The brightest month is July, averaging about 7.6 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is December, down near 1.2 kWh/m² — roughly 84% less than the July peak.

0123456789JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseJul 87.6 kWhDec 171.2 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan1.5Dim
Feb2.5Moderate
Mar4.0Moderate
Apr5.5Bright
May6.6Intense
Jun7.3Intense
Jul7.6Intense
Aug6.5Intense
Sep4.8Bright
Oct2.9Moderate
Nov1.6Dim
Dec1.2Dim

Where is Wenatchee?

Wenatchee sits at 47.4°N, 120.3°W, 666 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ellensburg, 32 mi away.

Topography around Wenatchee

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Wenatchee has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,099 ft around an average of 810 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,236 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,609 ft.

The land around Wenatchee is covered by artificial surfaces (53%) within 2 miles, grassland (59%) and trees (26%) within 10 miles, and grassland (42%) and trees (37%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,099 ft
10 miles
5,236 ft
50 miles
8,609 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Nearby: Ellensburg 32 mi · Moses Lake 52 mi · Yakima 58 mi · Sunnyside 77 mi · Issaquah 81 mi · Maple Valley 81 mi · City of Sammamish 81 mi · Union Hill-Novelty Hill 82 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 Wenatchee (47.4235°, -120.3103°, elevation 666 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).