Ritzville, Washington Weather
Pikas hayfeeding in granite peaks. Day 77 of spring. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Ritzville weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJun 4Overcast——72°53°—
- FridayJun 5Overcast——69°48°-3°
- SaturdayJun 6Overcast——64°44°-5°
- SundayJun 7Overcast——65°43°+1°
- MondayJun 8Overcast13%—74°49°+9°
- TuesdayJun 9Overcast24%—72°56°-2°
- WednesdayJun 10Overcast21%—81°55°+9°
Ozone at AQI 46 — peak already passed at 1 PM under clear skies. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±4 points). Levels should ease through evening.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 46 — peak already passed at 1 PM under clear skies. Levels should ease through evening.
- Present
- AQI 46
- UV peak
- 5.4 at earlier today
- Sky at peak
- clear
- Projected peak
- AQI 46
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
A summer fog for fair, a winter fog for rain.
- Moonrise
- 6:51 AM
- Moonset
- 3:35 PM
- In sign
- ♒︎ Aquarius
Pikas hayfeeding in granite peaks
Ritzville at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 4°F above the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: May 29 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jun 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest spring lettuce before it bolts. Sow heat-tolerant greens.
Right now in the garden
Warm-season window is open
As of June 4, the last spring frost has passed for most years. Transplant tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, basil, and cucurbits (cucumbers, squash, melons) now. Direct-sow beans and corn into warm soil.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | — | — |
| April | — | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | — | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | — | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
Ritzville's warmest month is July (~70°F mean) and its coldest is December (~29°F). Rainfall peaks in December (1.8 inches) and bottoms out in August (0.3 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 1.6″ | 6 |
| February | 34° | 1.1″ | 4 |
| March | 40° | 1.3″ | 5 |
| April | 47° | 1.0″ | 3 |
| May | 55° | 1.2″ | 4 |
| June | 62° | 0.9″ | 3 |
| July | 70° | 0.4″ | 1 |
| August | 70° | 0.3″ | 1 |
| September | 61° | 0.4″ | 2 |
| October | 49° | 1.1″ | 4 |
| November | 37° | 1.6″ | 6 |
| December | 29° | 1.8″ | 6 |
Regional context
Ritzville's climate, per the NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals from the nearest reporting station, runs cold-winter and warm-summer. January means hover near 30°F while July climbs to 70°F — a 40°F seasonal swing typical of northern-tier latitudes. Annual precipitation totals about 12.8 inches spread across roughly 43 days with measurable rain or snow.
Precipitation peaks in the cool season: December averages 1.8 inches across 6.2 days with measurable rain, mostly from frontal systems and winter storms, while August bottoms out at 0.3 inches across just 1.1 rainy days during the drier warm-season stretch. The pattern groups Ritzville with places like Lind, WA, Odessa, WA and Sprague, WA, places whose summer-dry rhythm and cool-season-wet recharge run on the same regional storm-track exposure.
The frost-sensitive growing window opens around late-May, when overnight lows reliably clear freezing for cool-season crops like kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips. Warm-soil crops — tomatoes, peppers, eggplant — wait until soil temperatures reach the mid-50s°F, usually two weeks past the last-frost date. The window closes around early-October, when overnight lows resume dipping below freezing and frost-tender plants need protection or harvest. Those dates are 30-year averages; the actual frost-free window in a given year can vary by 10-14 days at either end. Neighborhood-scale variation in elevation and cold-air pooling means the practical last-frost date inside Ritzville can lag the regional mean by 5-10 days in low spots, and a bench position with good cold-air drainage can run a week ahead.
Similar climates: Lind, WA, Odessa, WA, Sprague, WA, Lamont, WA, Harrington, WA.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Ritzville?
- Ritzville's last spring frost typically falls around mid-May, and the first fall frost arrives around mid-October.
- What is the rainy season in Ritzville?
- December is the wettest month with about 1.8 inches of rain on average; the city receives roughly 13 inches annually.
- What is the warmest month in Ritzville?
- July is typically warmest, averaging about 70°F.
- What is the coldest month in Ritzville?
- December is typically coldest, averaging about 29°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Ritzville?
- Cool-season crops (peas, lettuce) can be sown around the last spring frost (mid-May); warm-season crops (tomatoes, peppers) wait until 1–2 weeks after.
- How many rainy days does Ritzville get?
- Ritzville averages about 43 rainy days per year.
- What hardiness zone is Ritzville?
- Ritzville's USDA hardiness zone is determined by its lowest average winter temperature; check the USDA's online lookup with the city ZIP for the current zone designation.
Climate
Ritzville, Washington sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate zone. January means hover near 30°F while July averages 70°F — a 40°F seasonal swing.
Across the year, Ritzville receives about 13 inches of precipitation spread over roughly 43 rainy days.
The rhythm of the year is set by latitude (47.1°N), proximity to large water bodies, and elevation — all of which shape what grows here, when frost is likely, and what the weather story looks like day to day.