Climateby Month

Tacoma, WA climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 250 ft elevation

Summers in Tacoma are mild; winters are chilly. Highs peak at 77°F in August and fall to 47°F in December. The wettest month is December (about 20 wet days) and the driest is July (about 4). Normal snowfall is about 5.6 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is June, July and August.

Warmest month
77°F
August normal high
Coldest month
37°F
December normal low
Wet days a year
156
40.8 in of precipitation
Snow a year
5.6 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Tacoma?

Normal highs range from 47°F in December to 77°F in August.

30°40°50°60°70°80° January: normal high 48°F (9°C), low 37°F (3°C) February: normal high 50°F (10°C), low 37°F (3°C) March: normal high 55°F (13°C), low 40°F (4°C) April: normal high 60°F (16°C), low 44°F (7°C) May: normal high 67°F (19°C), low 49°F (9°C) June: normal high 71°F (22°C), low 53°F (12°C) July: normal high 77°F (25°C), low 57°F (14°C) 77° 57° August: normal high 77°F (25°C), low 57°F (14°C) September: normal high 71°F (22°C), low 53°F (12°C) October: normal high 61°F (16°C), low 47°F (8°C) November: normal high 52°F (11°C), low 41°F (5°C) December: normal high 47°F (8°C), low 37°F (3°C) 47° 37° JFMAMJJASOND

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

How rainy is Tacoma?

December has the most wet days (about 20); the year brings about 41 in of precipitation.

January: 20 wet days February: 16 wet days March: 18 wet days April: 15 wet days May: 10 wet days June: 8 wet days July: 4 wet days 4 August: 4 wet days September: 7 wet days October: 15 wet days November: 19 wet days December: 20 wet days 20 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 5.6 in a year, most of it in January.

January: 1.5 in of snow 1.5 February: 0.5 in of snow March: 0.6 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: 1.5 in of snow December: 1.5 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Tacoma?

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 Mcchord AFB Airport, 7.3 mi SSW of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 8.6 hours in December to 15.9 hours in June.

January: 9.0 hours of daylight February: 10.3 hours of daylight March: 11.9 hours of daylight April: 13.6 hours of daylight May: 15.1 hours of daylight June: 15.9 hours of daylight 15.9 July: 15.5 hours of daylight August: 14.2 hours of daylight September: 12.6 hours of daylight October: 10.9 hours of daylight November: 9.3 hours of daylight December: 8.6 hours of daylight 8.6 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Tacoma, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 48°F37°F 6.0 in20 1.5 in 0 9.0 h
February 50°F37°F 4.0 in16 0.5 in 0 10.3 h
March 55°F40°F 4.4 in18 0.6 in 0 11.9 h
April 60°F44°F 3.4 in15 0.0 in 0 13.6 h
May 67°F49°F 2.0 in10 0.0 in 0 15.1 h
June 71°F53°F 1.4 in8 0.0 in 0 15.9 h
July 77°F57°F 0.6 in4 0.0 in 0 15.5 h
August 77°F57°F 0.8 in4 0.0 in 0 14.2 h
September 71°F53°F 1.6 in7 0.0 in 0 12.6 h
October 61°F47°F 4.1 in15 0.0 in 0 10.9 h
November 52°F41°F 6.5 in19 1.5 in 0 9.3 h
December 47°F37°F 6.0 in20 1.5 in 0 8.6 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 Tacoma

By our comfort score, the best months are June, July and August.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 320133
Feb 390101
Mar 452120
Apr 58790
May 771760
Jun 882340
Jul 882320
Aug 852220
Sep 822440
Oct 52790
Nov 361131
Dec 320143

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 Tacoma

The last spring frost typically comes around Mar 8, and the first fall frost around Nov 14, leaving 250 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Tacoma
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Mar 8after Mar 31
First fall frost (32°F)Nov 14before Oct 30
Last hard freeze (28°F)Feb 11after Mar 4
First hard freeze (28°F)Dec 1before Nov 8
Frost-free season250 daysunder 223 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: Tacoma #1 (USC00458278), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Washington.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 96°F (August 16, 2020); the lowest was 13°F (December 22, 1998).

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

Near Tacoma

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain and frost dates: Tacoma #1 (USC00458278), 1.6 mi ESE of the city center, 25 ft (225 ft lower than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Snowfall and snow depth: Mcmillin Rsvr (USC00455224), 12 mi SE of the city center, 579 ft (329 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Humidity and wind by hour: Tacoma Mcchord AFB (USW00024207), 7.3 mi SSW of the city center, 289 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Mcchord AFB Airport (742060-24207), 7.3 mi SSW of the city center, 322 ft (72 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