CanningDates › Altitude › Washington › Spokane
Canning at about 2,350 ft in Spokane
Spokane sits at about 2,350 ft, where water boils a little cooler than the recipes assume. Add 5 minutes to any water-bath time, set a dial gauge to 12 lb, and a weighted gauge to 15 lb — the label below is the whole answer.
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON
- ELEVATION
- ≈2,350 FT
- WATER BATH
- +5 MIN
- DIAL GAUGE
- 12 LB
- WEIGHTED
- 15 LB
Adjustments use the 1,001–3,000 ft band, so small elevation differences nearby rarely change your numbers.
canningdates.com
canningdates.com — Spokane, WA at about 2,350 ft, from the published USDA adjustment bands. Low-acid foods must be pressure canned.
Spokane at about 2,350 ft
Spokane sits at about 2,350 ft — higher than many people guess for a city with no mountain in sight downtown. Water-bath recipes take 5 extra minutes across the whole metro, but the dial-gauge table draws a line right through town: the reading is past 2,000 ft, where a dial gauge reads 12 lb, while the river-level heart of the city sits below that line. When in doubt between the two, the higher setting is the careful side.
Adjustments come in bands, not curves. The whole 1,001–3,000 ft band gets the same 5 added minutes and the same 12 lb dial setting, so the difference between your kitchen and about 2,350 ft almost never matters. Live near the top of the band and unsure which side you're on? Use the higher band — a little extra processing costs texture; too little costs safety.
As for the number itself: Spokane's elevation was checked against the USGS elevation service, starting from the NOAA weather-station inventory (SPOKANE INTL AP). Elevation shifts block to block in any town, but the bands are wide on purpose — a station a few miles out almost never changes the row.
Not your kitchen? The altitude lookup turns any ZIP or town into a card like this one. Recipe already in hand? The processing time adjuster takes your recipe's minutes and applies Spokane's band for you.
Frequently asked questions
How many minutes do I add to a water-bath recipe in Spokane?
Add 5. Spokane sits at about 2,350 ft, in the 1,001–3,000 ft band, so whatever process time your tested recipe gives for the lowest band, add 5 minutes to it and hold a full boil for the whole time.
What pressure do I set in Spokane?
12 lb on a dial gauge, 15 lb on a weighted gauge. Weighted gauges come in fixed steps, which is why the weighted number sits higher than the dial's — both reach the tested temperature inside the canner at Spokane's elevation.
My kitchen isn't at exactly about 2,350 ft — do my numbers change?
Almost certainly not. The whole 1,001–3,000 ft band shares one answer, so block-to-block differences around Spokane are already priced in. The only case worth a thought is a home near the band's edge — then use the higher band's numbers, which err on the safe side.
Do pressure-canning times change with altitude too?
No — this is the part canners like. A pressure canner restores the tested temperature by raising pressure, so the minutes stay exactly as the recipe states them. In Spokane that means the right pounds — 12 on the dial, 15 weighted — and the printed time, unchanged.