Photo: Lpangelrob · CC BY-SA 3.0Few U.S. towns have colder winter nights than Cantwell
July afternoons average 66°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Precipitation peaks in August and eases off in April. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from September to May, which average under 50°.
A year in Cantwell at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cantwell’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cantwell’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Cantwell feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 260 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 103 to 0° or below. Frost dates and degree days from Cantwell 2 E, AK, 5 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cantwell’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −28°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 77 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Mckinley Park, AK, is heaviest from November through December, about 13 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 17 inches a year; August is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 123 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cantwell
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 Cantwell 2 E, AK.
Living with Cantwell’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 4a, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 45 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July. 14 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cantwell from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (55%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 18%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cantwell and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cantwell yet.
Climates most like Cantwell’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cantwell, AK | −9° | 66° | 17" | 77" |
| International Falls, MN | −5° | 78° | 28" | 73" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Woodland Park, CO | 11° | 77° | 22" | 134" |
| Marquette, MI | 11° | 76° | 32" | 102" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Cantwell compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cantwell’s place among Alaska’s.
Cantwell weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mckinley Park, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10° | −9° | 0.9" | 9.6" | 8 | 31 |
| February | 19° | −4° | 0.9" | 9.6" | 7 | 29 |
| March | 25° | −2° | 0.7" | 8.2" | 6 | 31 |
| April | 40° | 16° | 0.5" | 6.9" | 4 | 29 |
| May | 54° | 29° | 0.8" | 2.6" | 7 | 8 |
| June | 65° | 39° | 1.6" | 0.1" | 14 | 0 |
| July | 66° | 45° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 |
| August | 61° | 41° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| September | 50° | 31° | 2.5" | 5.0" | 13 | 3 |
| October | 34° | 17° | 1.2" | 9.4" | 10 | 18 |
| November | 18° | 0° | 0.9" | 12.9" | 11 | 27 |
| December | 13° | −6° | 0.7" | 12.4" | 10 | 31 |
| Year | 38° | 16° | 16.8" | 76.7" | 123 | 206 |
Where Cantwell’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: Mckinley Park, AK.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Cantwell 2 E, AK, 5 miles away.
- 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 Cantwell’s climate
What is the weather like in Cantwell?
A typical July afternoon reaches 66°, a January night drops to −9°, and about 77 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 9 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 33 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cantwell in winter?
January nights average −9°. About 260 nights a year reach 32° or below and 103 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Cantwell get?
About 77 inches in a normal winter at Mckinley Park, AK, heaviest from November through December, about 13 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 206 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cantwell?
July, with a typical high of 66°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Cantwell 2 E, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Cantwell?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Cantwell 2 E, AK, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 260 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 45 days.
What growing zone is Cantwell in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −28°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cantwell?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), 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 Cantwell.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.