Photo: Federal Aviation Administration, Alaskan Region · Public domainAkiak’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 64°, a January night drops to 1°, and about 64 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Akiak at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Akiak’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Akiak’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Akiak 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, 23 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Akiak’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 Akiak
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 Akiak’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 Akiak from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Akiak and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Akiak yet.
Climates most like Akiak’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akiak, 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 Akiak compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Akiak’s place among Alaska’s.
Akiak 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 Akiak’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, 23 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 Akiak’s climate
What is the weather like in Akiak?
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 Akiak 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 Akiak 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 Akiak?
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 Akiak?
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 Akiak 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 Akiak?
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 Akiak.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.