Climate - Ephrata (Washington)

The climate of Ephrata is arid continental, with very cold, relatively rainy winters and hot, sunny summers.
The town is located in the central part of the state of Washington, at almost 400 meters (1,300 ft) above sea level, in an area where the waters of the Columbia River are used to irrigate an otherwise very arid ground.

During the winter, sometimes as early as in mid-November, cold spells can occur, in which the temperature drops to -20 °C (-4 °F) or below. The temperature dropped to -28 °C (-18.5 °F) in January 1979, and to -24.5 °C (-12 °F) in February 1985.
Snowfalls are quite frequent, but generally not abundant. On average, 47 cm (18.5 in) of snow fall per year, which given the cold winter it's not much.
In summer, very hot days can occur, when the temperature can reach 40 °C (104 °F.
The average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of -2.4 °C (28 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 24 °C (75 °F). Here are the average temperatures.

Precipitation amounts to 190 millimeters (7.5 inches) per year: it is therefore at a desert level. It ranges from 5 mm (0.2 in) in the driest month (August) to 30 mm (1.2 in) in the wettest (December). Here is the average precipitation.

Best Time

The best times to visit Ephrata are spring and autumn, and in particular the months of May and September, to avoid both the winter cold and the summer heat.

Back to the climate of Washington state.