Climateby Month

Salem, OR climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 157 ft elevation

Salem has warm summers and chilly winters. Highs peak at 84°F in August and fall to 47°F in December. The wettest month is December (about 19 wet days) and the driest is July (about 2). Normal snowfall is about 2.9 in a year. By our comfort score the best month is June.

Warmest month
84°F
August normal high
Coldest month
35°F
December normal low
Wet days a year
148
40.1 in of precipitation
Snow a year
2.9 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Salem?

Normal highs range from 47°F in December to 84°F in August.

30°40°50°60°70°80°90° January: normal high 48°F (9°C), low 36°F (2°C) February: normal high 52°F (11°C), low 36°F (2°C) March: normal high 57°F (14°C), low 38°F (3°C) April: normal high 62°F (17°C), low 41°F (5°C) May: normal high 69°F (21°C), low 46°F (8°C) June: normal high 75°F (24°C), low 51°F (11°C) July: normal high 84°F (29°C), low 55°F (13°C) 84° 55° August: normal high 84°F (29°C), low 55°F (13°C) September: normal high 78°F (26°C), low 51°F (11°C) October: normal high 65°F (18°C), low 44°F (7°C) November: normal high 54°F (12°C), low 39°F (4°C) December: normal high 47°F (8°C), low 35°F (2°C) 47° 35° JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is Salem?

December has the most wet days (about 19); the year brings about 40 in of precipitation.

January: 18 wet days February: 16 wet days March: 18 wet days April: 16 wet days May: 12 wet days June: 8 wet days July: 2 wet days 2 August: 3 wet days September: 6 wet days October: 13 wet days November: 18 wet days December: 19 wet days 19 JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How much does it snow?

Normal snowfall is 2.9 in a year, most of it in February.

January: 0.5 in of snow February: 1.6 in of snow 1.6 March: 0.1 in of snow April: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 May: 0.0 in of snow June: 0.0 in of snow July: 0.0 in of snow August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.0 in of snow October: 0.0 in of snow November: 0.0 in of snow December: 0.7 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Salem?

Muggy days (dew point 65°F or higher) are rare in any month.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 0 muggy days June: 0 muggy days July: 0 muggy days August: 0 muggy days September: 0 muggy days October: 0 muggy days November: 0 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Mcnary Field Airport, 3.1 mi SSE of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 8.8 hours in December to 15.6 hours in June.

January: 9.2 hours of daylight February: 10.4 hours of daylight March: 11.9 hours of daylight April: 13.5 hours of daylight May: 14.9 hours of daylight June: 15.6 hours of daylight 15.6 July: 15.2 hours of daylight August: 14.0 hours of daylight September: 12.5 hours of daylight October: 11.0 hours of daylight November: 9.6 hours of daylight December: 8.8 hours of daylight 8.8 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Salem, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 48°F36°F 6.1 in18 0.5 in 0 9.2 h
February 52°F36°F 4.5 in16 1.6 in 0 10.4 h
March 57°F38°F 4.3 in18 0.1 in 0 11.9 h
April 62°F41°F 3.1 in16 0.0 in 0 13.5 h
May 69°F46°F 2.3 in12 0.0 in 0 14.9 h
June 75°F51°F 1.3 in8 0.0 in 0 15.6 h
July 84°F55°F 0.3 in2 0.0 in 0 15.2 h
August 84°F55°F 0.4 in3 0.0 in 0 14.0 h
September 78°F51°F 1.5 in6 0.0 in 0 12.5 h
October 65°F44°F 3.5 in13 0.0 in 0 11.0 h
November 54°F39°F 6.0 in18 0.0 in 0 9.6 h
December 47°F35°F 7.0 in19 0.7 in 0 8.8 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit Salem

By our comfort score, the best month is June.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 330134
Feb 391101
Mar 484110
Apr 598100
May 731561
Jun 811942
Jul 711217
Aug 671217
Sep 731832
Oct 601370
Nov 371121
Dec 320135

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. How the score works.

Frost dates in Salem

The last spring frost typically comes around Apr 3, and the first fall frost around Nov 1, leaving 212 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Salem
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Apr 3after Apr 27
First fall frost (32°F)Nov 1before Oct 16
Last hard freeze (28°F)Mar 2after Mar 30
First hard freeze (28°F)Nov 22before Oct 30
Frost-free season212 daysunder 183 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: Salem Mcnary Fld (USW00024232), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Oregon.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 107°F (July 28, 2009); the lowest was 8°F (December 8, 2013).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Near Salem

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, frost dates and humidity and wind by hour: Salem Mcnary Fld (USW00024232), 3.1 mi SSE of the city center, 205 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Snowfall: Corvallis State Univ (USC00351862), 23 mi SSW of the city center, 225 ft (68 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Snow depth: Silverton (USC00357823), 14 mi ENE of the city center, 408 ft (251 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Mcnary Field Airport (726940-24232), 3.1 mi SSE of the city center, 208 ft (51 ft higher than the city). Hourly observations, 1991-2020.
  • Not available for this location: cloud cover (no station close enough or similar enough in elevation).

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error