Salem, Oregon Weather
Fog locks the valleys. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Salem weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 7:18 AM PDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Overcast later——78°52°—
- TuesdaySep 22Overcast——69°53°-9°
- WednesdaySep 23Overcast——73°48°+4°
- ThursdaySep 24Rain39%0.42″65°51°-8°
- FridaySep 25Light Rain44%0.11″65°49°0°
- SaturdaySep 26Overcast——63°50°-2°
- SundaySep 27Overcast——69°48°+6°
Air quality now AQI 33 · Good
AQI 33 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 6.6 µg/m³ (AQI 37) with a 0.76 fine-to-coarse ratio and 4 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 6.6 µg/m³ (AQI 37) with a 0.76 fine-to-coarse ratio and 4 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.76
- Wind
- calm
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- stagnant smoke
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).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- —
- Moonset
- 1:21 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Fog locks the valleys
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Salem at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 65°F (high 78°F, low 52°F), 3°F above the 62°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: April 3 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 3 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
16-Day Forecast — Salem
- Mon78°52°0%
- Tue69°53°1%
- Wed73°48°0%
- Thu65°51°39%
- Fri65°49°44%
- Sat63°50°5%
- Sun69°48°7%
- Mon70°50°2%
- Tue70°45°7%
- Wed73°48°12%
- Thu72°47°20%
- Fri70°45°26%
- Sat81°44°22%
- Sun75°45°3%
- Mon68°47°10%
- Tue65°43°14%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Salem
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Salem — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Fall planting + final harvests
As of September 21, the season's first frost (typically November 1) is approaching. Pick what frost-tender plants still carry before the next cold front. This city's planting calendar for September: plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
Sun & seasons in Salem
Salem sits in Marion County, where the year’s longest day runs 15h 36m of daylight and its shortest just 8h 46m — a swing of +6h 50m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Portland, the state’s largest city, lies about 46 miles to the NNE. The nearest town Salem tracks is Portland, roughly 46 miles to the NNE.
Air quality in Salem
Air quality in Salem’s county has held roughly steady since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2024 (median AQI 35). See the full air-quality history for Salem.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| March | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | lettuce, spinach, radishes |
| May | — | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, garlic |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | beans, summer squash, garlic |
| August | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash |
| September | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| November | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
Salem peaks at about 69°F in July and bottoms near 41°F in December; December brings the heaviest rain (7.0 inches) and July the least (0.3 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 6.1″ | 13 |
| February | 44° | 4.5″ | 10 |
| March | 48° | 4.3″ | 11 |
| April | 51° | 3.1″ | 10 |
| May | 58° | 2.3″ | 6 |
| June | 63° | 1.3″ | 4 |
| July | 69° | 0.3″ | 1 |
| August | 69° | 0.4″ | 1 |
| September | 64° | 1.5″ | 3 |
| October | 54° | 3.5″ | 7 |
| November | 46° | 6.0″ | 12 |
| December | 41° | 7.0″ | 13 |
Regional context
Similar climates Four Corners, OR, Hayesville, OR, Eola, OR
In Salem, NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals put January near 42°F and July near 69°F — a 27°F seasonal arc — with about 40.1 inches of precipitation over 91 rainy or snowy days.
Salem's moisture rides winter storm tracks: December brings 7.0 inches over 13.1 wet days, while July sees only 0.3 inches across 0.8 days in the dry warm season. That cool-season-wet pattern aligns Salem with places like Four Corners, OR, Hayesville, OR and Eola, OR.
Once Salem passes April 3, freezes fade and Salem's beds take peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes. Tomatoes and peppers do best set out two weeks later in Salem, once nights clear the mid-40s°F. Frost returns to Salem near November 1, ending the tender-crop season. That date is a median: Salem freezes sooner in half of years.
Similar climates: Four Corners, OR, Hayesville, OR, Eola, OR, Keizer, OR, Turner, OR.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Salem?
- In Salem, expect the last spring frost near April 3; Salem's first autumn frost comes around November 1.
- What is the rainy season in Salem?
- Salem sees its heaviest rain in December (around 7.0 inches), part of roughly 40 inches a year.
- What is the warmest month in Salem?
- Salem peaks in July, when the mean runs near 69°F.
- What is the coldest month in Salem?
- December is Salem's coldest month, averaging about 41°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Salem?
- In Salem, sow peas and hardy greens around April 3; Salem's tomatoes and peppers wait two weeks more.
- How many rainy days does Salem get?
- Salem averages about 91 days with measurable rain or snow each year.
- What hardiness zone is Salem?
- Since December in Salem averages 41°F, Salem's USDA zone follows that floor — confirm it by ZIP.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Salem?
- Salem's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Salem?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Salem in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Salem?
- Current conditions for Salem and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Salem forecast updated?
- The Salem forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Salem?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Salem are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Salem?
- The next few days in Salem's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Salem sits at 44.9°N; its climate zone is warm-summer Mediterranean (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Salem
- 97301
- 97302
- 97303
- 97304
- 97305
- 97306
- 97309
- 97310
- 97311
- 97312
- 97314
- 97317