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Tacoma weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Tacoma has well-marked seasons, with 24.7°F between its warmest and coolest monthly means. Rain here skips the warm season: the bulk of it falls from October to March. Tacoma weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, extremes and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+9.0°Fhigh well above average

67° / 42°Today
58° / 47°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+2.1°Faverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–498frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 16 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 16 in the 1940s4days above 86°F a year now (2016–2025) · 2 in the 1940sdays above 86°F · 2 in the 1940s+2.1°F vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 7.0 incheshigh 45°low 37°February, rain 5.4 incheshigh 48°low 38°March, rain 5.4 incheshigh 51°low 40°April, rain 3.8 incheshigh 57°low 43°May, rain 2.6 incheshigh 63°low 49°June, rain 1.8 incheshigh 69°low 54°July, rain 0.8 incheshigh 75°low 57°August, rain 1.1 incheshigh 75°low 58°September, rain 2.2 incheshigh 70°low 54°October, rain 4.7 incheshigh 60°low 48°November, rain 7.4 incheshigh 50°low 42°December, rain 7.5 incheshigh 45°low 39°wettest month December, 7.5 inches · 49.8 inches a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Clear

Right now

44.4°

41°feels like
81%humidity
39°dew point
3 mphfrom NW
UV index0.0
sunrise07:37sunset18:11day length10h 34m
TodayClear67°42°
ThuOvercast58°45°
FriOvercast55°46°
SatOvercast57°42°
SunDrizzle48°45°
MonClear56°40°
TueOvercast56°38°

On this date: October 21

Today (forecast)
67° / 42°
Average for October 21
58° / 47°

High well above average · +9.0°F

  • Highest since 1940: 66.6° · 2003
  • Lowest since 1940: 37.4° · 1949
  • One year ago: 57° / 44°

Every October 21 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 21 on record (n = 86). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Tacoma is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 47.25°N, 122.44°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
47.25°N, 122.44°W
Time zone
America/Los Angeles
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

14 of the last 30 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +0.5°F.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

August brings the year's peak warmth, with afternoons typically reaching 75.1°F and nights around 58.0°F. The coolest month is January, when afternoons reach about 44.8°F and overnight lows sit around 37.4°F.

The yearly total for Tacoma comes to about 49.8 inches; monthly amounts range from 0.8 inches in July up to 7.5 inches in December. A typical year brings rain or snow on around 126 days.

The record here starts in 1940, and since then the annual mean in Tacoma has climbed 2.1°F from the first ten years to the last ten. Where the first decade averaged 15 frost days a year, the recent one saw about 8.

Climate graph (climograph)

August is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 25°F. Wettest month: December (~7.5 in). Whole year averages ~49.8 inches of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 126 rainy days a year: most in December (~17), fewest in July (~3).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 0.08 in per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Tacoma month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Highest and Lowest are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightHighestLowest
January44.8°37.4°7.0 in168.7 h60.3° (2005)5.9° (1950)
February47.8°38.4°5.4 in1310.0 h65.7° (1986)6.6° (1950)
March51.5°40.1°5.4 in1411.6 h74.7° (2004)17.5° (1989)
April56.6°43.5°3.8 in1213.4 h83.6° (2016)30.9° (1948)
May63.4°48.8°2.6 in814.9 h90.3° (1972)33.6° (1952)
June68.7°53.6°1.8 in615.7 h95.3° (2021)40.5° (1976)
July74.8°57.4°0.8 in315.4 h97.3° (1941)46.0° (1962)
August75.1°58.0°1.1 in414.1 h94.5° (1945)47.2° (1960)
September69.7°54.4°2.2 in612.3 h89.1° (1981)39.5° (1972)
October59.9°48.3°4.7 in1110.6 h83.6° (1987)31.4° (1971)
November50.4°42.3°7.4 in169.1 h65.1° (1975)12.6° (1985)
December45.3°38.6°7.5 in178.3 h61.5° (2014)10.6° (1964)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +2.1°F.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.29°F per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Dec–Feb is warming fastest: +0.37°F per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 86°F per year: 1.7 early in the record → 3.8 recently. Frost days: 16 → 8.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

Hottest day since 1940 in 1941, coldest in 1950: 97.3°F / 5.9°F.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~49.8 in/year on average. Last decade: −4% vs that average. Long-term trend: −0.46 in per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Tacoma

Which is the warmest month in Tacoma?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Tacoma is August (mean daily temperature of about 65.2°F) and the coolest is January (about 40.4°F).
How does today's temperature in Tacoma compare to the historical average?
On October 21, 2026, Tacoma is forecast to reach a high of 66.7°F and a low of 41.5°F. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 57.7°F and a low of 47.2°F, so today's high is 9.0°F warmer than that average.
How much has Tacoma warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Tacoma is about 2.1°F warmer.
How much does it rain in Tacoma?
Tacoma receives about 49.8 inches of precipitation per year on long-term average, with December typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Tacoma?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Tacoma is about 51.9°F. The warmest month is August and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Tacoma by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Tacoma (°F, full record since 1940): January 45°/37°, February 48°/38°, March 51°/40°, April 57°/43°, May 63°/49°, June 69°/54°, July 75°/57°, August 75°/58°, September 70°/54°, October 60°/48°, November 50°/42°, December 45°/39°.
What is the weather like in Tacoma in summer?
In summer, June through August, Tacoma is pleasantly warm. It warms from 69°F by day and 54°F at night in June to 75°F and 58°F in August. Rain eases through the season: 6 rainy days and 1.8 inches in June, 4 days and 1.1 inches in August. It is the driest season of the year.
What is the weather like in Tacoma in winter?
In winter, December through February, Tacoma is wet and cold. Afternoons run 45–48°F and nights 37–39°F; January is the coldest month. Rain is steady at around 6.6 inches a month, spread over roughly 15 days. It is the wettest season of the year.
What is the weather like in Tacoma in spring?
March to May is spring in Tacoma, and it is wet and cool. It warms from 51°F by day and 40°F at night in March to 63°F and 49°F in May. Rain eases through the season: 14 rainy days and 5.4 inches in March, 8 days and 2.6 inches in May.
What is the weather like in Tacoma in autumn?
September to November is autumn in Tacoma, and it is wet and fairly mild. September still brings 70°F afternoons and 54°F nights, November only 50°F and 42°F. Rain rises from 2.2 inches on 6 days in September to 7.4 inches on 16 days in November.
How many days a year does it rain in Tacoma?
On long-term average, Tacoma has about 126 days a year with at least 0.08 inches of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 49.8 inches.

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