Brookings, Oregon
Yes, we get plenty of rain in Brookings, Oregon. After all, we’re on the beautiful Oregon Coast and without rain, we wouldn’t have so many gorgeous flowers and trees and free-flowing rivers.
But you might be surprised to learn that Brookings is known as the “Banana Belt” of the Oregon Coast. On a rare (and somewhat exciting) winter day, we may get snow flurries, but it’s also possible to have 70-degree days in January and February.
Comfortable year-round
Year-round the weather doesn’t fluctuate much. Yes, we once had a high of 108F (July 9, 2008), and a low of 18F (December 8, 1972), but those are extremes and typically summer temperatures range from 52F to 67F and winter from 42F to 55F.
Sperling’s, the notable publisher of community information, ranks Brookings 7.5 on a scale of 1-10, which is more comfortable than most places in Oregon and many places across the country.
How much rain?
So, back to the rain. One year might be more or less wet than another, but Sperling’s says a typical year will leave Brookings with 84 inches (the U.S. average is 38 inches). The record single day of rainfall was October 14, 2016, when Mother Nature poured 17 inches on Brookings, but sometimes we might have just a few showers every day for a week. And, oh my, how fresh and wonderful our beaches and forests are in between!
191 days of sunshine per year
In spite of the rain, and the marine layer (aka “fog”), we get plenty of sunshine in Brookings. According to Sperling’s, we average 191 days of sunshine per year. And even when the marine layer sets in (as it can during the summer), heading inland to find sunshine up one of our beautiful rivers is a great way to enjoy the day.
The ‘Chetco effect’
And some of those sunny days and unseasonably warm weather are due to a peculiar wind that impacts Brookings. Climatologists call it a “Katabatic wind,” but locally it is called the “Chetco effect” (after the local river). The wind is similar to the Santa Ana winds of Southern California in that it increases temperature and reduces relative humidity.
Locally called the “Chetco Effect,” (also known as ‘Brookings Effect), it’s these special winds that set Brookings’ climate apart from other areas along the north coast of California and the southern coast of Oregon, giving it the “Banana Belt” reputation.
All in all, the weather on the Southern Oregon Coast is remarkably pleasant most of the time, with most people thinking that the few long, rainy spells are more than offset by the moderate temperatures.
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