Mount Rainier National Park is part of the Pacific maritime climate. This leads to wet, mild winters and cool, dry summers. Elevation greatly influences the form the huge amount of winter precipitation takes. At Ohanapecosh and Longmire, at lower elevations, much of it falls as rain. At Paradise and Sunrise, at higher elevation, and of course on Mount Rainier itself, it mostly falls as snow. Paradise ranks as one of the highest snowfall areas in the world. THe record occurred the winter of 1971-1972, with an unbelievable 1,122 inches, or nearly 100 feet. The avergae is around 500 inches. Mountain weather is very changeable. Wet, cold weather can occur anytime of the year. While late July and August are usually the driest, warmest time of the year, summer can also be wet and cool. The statistics below are taken from the Longmire area. Paradise and Sunrise typically are 5-10°F cooler.
