Photo: RadioKAOS · CC BY-SA 3.0Hardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Badger
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 73°. Rain follows the seasons: July brings about 8.2 times as much as March. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Central heating does most of its work from September to May, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Badger at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Badger’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Badger’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Badger feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 110 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 18 and the first by September 5. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at N Pole, AK, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Badger’s center in zone 2a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −49°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 54 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at N Pole, AK, falls mostly in November. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 13 inches a year; July is the wettest month and March the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 87 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Badger
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at N Pole, AK.
Living with Badger’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
110 frost-free days in zone 2a. The last frost comes by May 18 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 5.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 67 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Badger from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 25%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Badger and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Badger in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Badger’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Badger, AK | −16° | 73° | 13" | 54" |
| Thief River Falls, MN | −4° | 79° | 22" | 50" |
| Grand Forks, ND | −2° | 81° | 22" | 49" |
| Gunnison, CO | 0° | 82° | 12" | 50" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
How Badger compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Badger’s place among Alaska’s.
Badger weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from N Pole, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2° | −16° | 0.5" | 9.4" | 7 | 31 |
| February | 12° | −9° | 0.4" | 7.2" | 5 | 29 |
| March | 26° | 0° | 0.3" | 5.1" | 4 | 31 |
| April | 46° | 23° | 0.3" | 1.6" | 3 | 21 |
| May | 62° | 37° | 0.7" | 0.4" | 4 | 1 |
| June | 72° | 49° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 |
| July | 73° | 52° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 |
| August | 66° | 47° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 |
| September | 55° | 36° | 1.4" | 1.6" | 10 | 1 |
| October | 33° | 19° | 1.0" | 7.7" | 8 | 17 |
| November | 10° | −4° | 0.6" | 11.8" | 8 | 30 |
| December | 2° | −12° | 0.5" | 9.2" | 7 | 31 |
| Year | 38° | 18° | 12.8" | 54.0" | 87 | 192 |
Where Badger’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: N Pole, AK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: N Pole, AK, 4 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 Badger’s climate
What is the weather like in Badger?
A typical July afternoon reaches 73°, a January night drops to −16°, and about 54 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 4 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 123 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Badger in winter?
January nights average −16°. About 239 nights a year reach 32° or below and 115 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Badger get?
About 54 inches in a normal winter at N Pole, AK, most of it in November, with snow on the ground about 192 days a year.
How hot does it get in Badger?
July, with a typical high of 73°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at N Pole, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Badger?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 18 and the first fall frost by September 5, about 110 frost-free days, at N Pole, AK.
What growing zone is Badger in?
Zone 2a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −49°.
What is the best time of year to visit Badger?
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 Badger.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.