, with cold winters and hot summers. The scarce precipitation occurs in the cold semester, while the summer is sunny.
The city is located in the valley of the same name (crossed by the Yakima River), at an altitude of 300 meters (1,000 ft), in the driest part of the state of
(ie the one just east of the Cascade Range). To the north-west, about 100 km (60 mi) away, is Mount Rainier. To the south-west we find Mts St. Helens and Adams.
, 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 -32 °C (-25 °F) in February 1950, to -25.6 °C (-14 °F) in January 2004, and to -26.7 °C (-16 °F) in December 1990.
Snowfalls are quite frequent, but generally not abundant. On average, 55 cm (21.5 in) of snow fall per year, which given the cold winter it's not much.
is a dry and sunny season. The temperature difference between night and day is high. In fact, it can get very cool at night, or even cold, with lows below 10 °C (50 °F). On the other hand, in other periods, it can reach 38/40 °C (100/104 °F) during the day. In June 2015, the temperature reached 42 °C (107.5 °F), and the highs remained at or above 37 °C (98.5 °F) from 26 June to 11 July. During the exceptional heat wave of late June 2021, the temperature reached 45 °C (113 °F).
The best times to visit Yakima are spring and autumn, and in particular the months of May and September, to avoid both the winter cold and the summer heat.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January is generally a very cold month. The average temperature is of
-0.1 °C, with a minimum of
-4.4 °C and a maximum of
4.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-13.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-27.2 °C in January 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
13.5 °C. However, it reached
18.3 °C in January 2020.
Precipitation amounts to
30 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 5 minutes.
There are on average 2 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 23% of the time.
The average humidity is 80%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
6.7 kph.
February is generally a cold month. The average temperature is of
2.6 °C, with a minimum of
-3.3 °C and a maximum of
8.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-11.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-27.3 °C in February 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
15 °C. However, it reached
20.6 °C in February 2018.
Precipitation amounts to
20 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 4 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 39% of the time.
The average humidity is 71%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
8.5 kph.
March is generally a quite cold month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
6.3 °C, with a minimum of
-1 °C and a maximum of
13.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-7 °C. However, it dropped to
-15.6 °C in March 2019.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
21 °C. However, it reached
26.7 °C in March 2015.
Precipitation amounts to
15 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 6 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 50% of the time.
The average humidity is 59%.
The average wind speed is of
10.5 kph.
April is generally a mild month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
10 °C, with a minimum of
1.8 °C and a maximum of
18.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-4.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-8 °C in April 2008.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
26.5 °C. However, it reached
31.7 °C in April 2012.
Precipitation amounts to
15 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 40 minutes.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 51% of the time.
The average humidity is 50%.
The average wind speed is of
11.7 kph.
May is generally a very mild month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
14.9 °C, with a minimum of
6.4 °C and a maximum of
23.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-1 °C. However, it dropped to
-3.4 °C in May 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
32.5 °C. However, it reached
37 °C in May 2001.
Precipitation amounts to
20 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 5 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 9 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 60% of the time.
The average humidity is 46%.
The average wind speed is of
11.7 kph.
June is generally a warm month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
18.4 °C, with a minimum of
9.7 °C and a maximum of
27.1 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
2.5 °C. However, it dropped to
0 °C in June 1999.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
35.5 °C. However, it reached
42.2 °C in June 2015.
Precipitation amounts to
15 mm, distributed over 5 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 50 minutes. So the days are long. June 21, the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 10 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 63% of the time.
The average humidity is 44%.
The average wind speed is of
12.1 kph.
July, the warmest month of the year, is generally a warm month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
22.5 °C, with a minimum of
12.8 °C and a maximum of
32.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
6.5 °C. However, it dropped to
2.8 °C in July 1999.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
38.5 °C. However, it reached
42.8 °C in July 2006.
Precipitation amounts to only
5 mm, distributed over 2 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 25 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 11 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 71% of the time.
The average humidity is 39%.
The average wind speed is of
11.3 kph.
August is generally a warm month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
21.6 °C, with a minimum of
11.8 °C and a maximum of
31.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
6 °C. However, it dropped to
2.2 °C in August 1993.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
38 °C. However, it reached
41.1 °C in August 2015.
Precipitation amounts to only
5 mm, distributed over 2 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 5 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 10 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 71% of the time.
The average humidity is 42%.
The average wind speed is of
10.6 kph.
September is generally a very mild month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
16.8 °C, with a minimum of
7.2 °C and a maximum of
26.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
1 °C. However, it dropped to
-3.9 °C in September 2000.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
33.5 °C. However, it reached
37.2 °C in September 2011.
Precipitation amounts to only
5 mm, distributed over 3 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 8 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 64% of the time.
The average humidity is 50%.
The average wind speed is of
9.9 kph.
October is generally a mild month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
9.9 °C, with a minimum of
1.8 °C and a maximum of
18 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-6 °C. However, it dropped to
-15.6 °C in October 2002.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
26 °C. However, it reached
32.8 °C in October 2014.
Precipitation amounts to
15 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 50 minutes.
There are on average 6 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 55% of the time.
The average humidity is 61%.
The average wind speed is of
8.9 kph.
November is generally a cold month. The average temperature is of
3.4 °C, with a minimum of
-2.7 °C and a maximum of
9.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-10.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-23.3 °C in November 2010.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
19 °C. However, it reached
22.8 °C in November 2015.
Precipitation amounts to
20 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 2 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 21% of the time.
The average humidity is 73%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
7.6 kph.
December, the coldest month of the year, is generally a very cold month. The average temperature is of
-0.8 °C, with a minimum of
-4.9 °C and a maximum of
3.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-13.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-21 °C in December 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
12.5 °C. However, it reached
17.8 °C in December 2015.
Precipitation amounts to
35 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 8 hours and 35 minutes. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 2 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 23% of the time.
The average humidity is 81%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
6.3 kph.