Photo: Federal Aviation Administration, Alaskan Region · Public domainAkiachak sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for July heat
Midwinter brings lows of about 1°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in almost every U.S. town. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in August and the lightest in March. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit June and July, with highs of 62–64°.
A year in Akiachak at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Akiachak’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Akiachak’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Akiachak feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 122 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 21 and the first by September 22. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Bethel Airport, 17 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Akiachak’s center in zone 3b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −30°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 64 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bethel Airport, is heaviest from November through December, about 13 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 20 inches a year; August is the wettest month and March the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 151 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Akiachak
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55°: every month but July.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Bethel Airport.
Living with Akiachak’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
122 frost-free days in zone 3b. The last frost comes by May 21 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 22.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and July.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 88% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Akiachak from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Akiachak and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Akiachak yet.
Climates most like Akiachak’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akiachak, AK | 1° | 64° | 20" | 64" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Duluth, MN | 5° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Gladstone, MI | 11° | 76° | 31" | 47" |
| Woodland Park, CO | 11° | 77° | 22" | 134" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Akiachak compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Akiachak’s place among Alaska’s.
Akiachak weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bethel Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13° | 1° | 0.8" | 9.4" | 9 | 30 |
| February | 20° | 7° | 0.9" | 8.1" | 10 | 27 |
| March | 22° | 7° | 0.7" | 8.8" | 9 | 29 |
| April | 37° | 21° | 0.8" | 6.0" | 10 | 15 |
| May | 52° | 34° | 1.2" | 1.9" | 12 | 1 |
| June | 62° | 45° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 |
| July | 64° | 49° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 |
| August | 61° | 47° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 18 | 0 |
| September | 53° | 39° | 2.9" | 0.5" | 17 | 0 |
| October | 38° | 26° | 1.8" | 3.9" | 13 | 5 |
| November | 24° | 13° | 1.8" | 13.2" | 14 | 19 |
| December | 16° | 4° | 1.1" | 12.2" | 11 | 28 |
| Year | 38° | 24° | 19.7" | 64.0" | 151 | 153 |
Where Akiachak’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station (NOAA’s grid doesn’t cover Alaska).
- Snow: Bethel Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Bethel Airport, 17 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Akiachak’s climate
What is the weather like in Akiachak?
A typical July afternoon reaches 64°, a January night drops to 1°, and about 64 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 67 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 15 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Akiachak in winter?
January nights average 1°. About 214 nights a year reach 32° or below and 58 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Akiachak get?
About 64 inches in a normal winter at Bethel Airport, heaviest from November through December, about 13 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 153 days a year.
How hot does it get in Akiachak?
July, with a typical high of 64°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Bethel Airport.
When is the first and last frost in Akiachak?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 21 and the first fall frost by September 22, about 122 frost-free days, at Bethel Airport.
What growing zone is Akiachak in?
Zone 3b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −30°.
What is the best time of year to visit Akiachak?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and July. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Akiachak.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.