Oscar Gill House · Photo: 61north · CC BY-SA 4.0Few U.S. towns have cooler summers than Anchorage
On a normal January night the air cools to about 6°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 97% of U.S. towns. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 61° apart. Long walks are most pleasant from June to August, when afternoons reach 65–67°.
A year in Anchorage at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Anchorage’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Anchorage’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Anchorage feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 147 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 5 and the first by October 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Anchorage International Airport, 25 miles from the city’s center point, 3,870 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Anchorage’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −17°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 78 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Anchorage International Airport, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 23 inches a year; September is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 115 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Anchorage
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 Anchorage International Airport.
Living with Anchorage’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
147 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 5 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 875 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Anchorage from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (84%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Anchorage and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Anchorage yet.
Climates most like Anchorage’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage, AK | 6° | 67° | 23" | 78" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Duluth, MN | 5° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Marquette, MI | 11° | 76° | 32" | 102" |
| 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 Anchorage compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Anchorage’s place among Alaska’s.
Anchorage weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Anchorage International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21° | 6° | 2.3" | 12.4" | 8 | 31 |
| February | 28° | 12° | 1.6" | 13.4" | 8 | 27 |
| March | 35° | 15° | 1.6" | 11.0" | 6 | 29 |
| April | 47° | 27° | 0.8" | 4.0" | 5 | 14 |
| May | 58° | 36° | 0.9" | 0.3" | 7 | 0 |
| June | 65° | 44° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 |
| July | 67° | 48° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 |
| August | 65° | 45° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 |
| September | 56° | 37° | 3.6" | 0.4" | 15 | 0 |
| October | 42° | 26° | 2.5" | 5.6" | 12 | 5 |
| November | 26° | 13° | 1.7" | 12.6" | 10 | 21 |
| December | 23° | 9° | 2.0" | 18.2" | 11 | 28 |
| Year | 45° | 26° | 22.6" | 77.9" | 115 | 154 |
Where Anchorage’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: Anchorage International Airport (the official station).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Anchorage International Airport, 25 miles from the city’s center point, 3,870 ft lower; 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 Anchorage’s climate
What is the weather like in Anchorage?
A typical July afternoon reaches 67°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 78 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 97% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 50 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Anchorage in winter?
January nights average 6°. About 186 nights a year reach 32° or below and 19 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Anchorage get?
About 78 inches in a normal winter at Anchorage International Airport, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 154 days a year.
How hot does it get in Anchorage?
July, with a typical high of 67°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Anchorage International Airport.
When is the first and last frost in Anchorage?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 5 and the first fall frost by October 1, about 147 frost-free days, at Anchorage International Airport.
What growing zone is Anchorage in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −17°.
What is the best time of year to visit Anchorage?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July and August. 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 Anchorage.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.