Photo: Craig Talbert · CC BY 2.0Bear Creek gets about 90 inches of snow a winter, more than 97% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 62°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 90 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Bear Creek at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bear Creek’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bear Creek’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Bear Creek feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 127 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 21 and the first by September 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Seward 19n, AK, 10 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bear Creek’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −10°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 90 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Seward 19n, AK, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 70 inches a year; September is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 178 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bear Creek
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September through June.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Seward 19n, AK.
Living with Bear Creek’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
127 frost-free days in zone 6a. 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 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August. 22 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bear Creek from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (46%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bear Creek and its neighbors
Primrose has the coldest January nights next door (16°, 5° colder) and Primrose the hottest July afternoons (64°, 2° warmer). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Bear Creek’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Creek, AK | 21° | 62° | 70" | 90" |
| North Elba, NY | 4° | 72° | 52" | 104" |
| Waldoboro, ME | 14° | 75° | 49" | 79" |
| Florence, OR | 40° | 66° | 73" | 0.6" |
| Hazleton, PA | 16° | 78° | 51" | 42" |
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 Bear Creek compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bear Creek’s place among Alaska’s.
Bear Creek weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Seward 19n, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 21° | 6.5" | 17.2" | 13 | 31 |
| February | 34° | 24° | 6.4" | 15.7" | 13 | 28 |
| March | 37° | 25° | 3.9" | 12.3" | 11 | 31 |
| April | 45° | 32° | 4.3" | 3.9" | 12 | 29 |
| May | 53° | 39° | 3.5" | 0.3" | 14 | 12 |
| June | 59° | 46° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 |
| July | 62° | 50° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| August | 62° | 50° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| September | 56° | 43° | 9.9" | 0.0" | 20 | 0 |
| October | 46° | 35° | 8.7" | 1.7" | 18 | 3 |
| November | 36° | 27° | 7.6" | 11.8" | 14 | 21 |
| December | 33° | 23° | 8.2" | 27.2" | 15 | 29 |
| Year | 46° | 35° | 69.7" | 90.1" | 178 | 184 |
Where Bear Creek’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: Seward 19n, AK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Seward 19n, AK, 10 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft higher; 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 Bear Creek’s climate
What is the weather like in Bear Creek?
A typical July afternoon reaches 62°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 90 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 54% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 8 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bear Creek in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 201 nights a year reach 32° or below and 10 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Bear Creek get?
About 90 inches in a normal winter at Seward 19n, AK, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 184 days a year.
How hot does it get in Bear Creek?
July, with a typical high of 62°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Seward 19n, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Bear Creek?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 21 and the first fall frost by September 26, about 127 frost-free days, at Seward 19n, AK.
What growing zone is Bear Creek in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bear Creek?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), 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 Bear Creek.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.