Photo: JKBrooks85 · Public domainHardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Central
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 72° on average. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 95° apart. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from September to May, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Central at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Central’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Central’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Central 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 263 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 143 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Circle Hot Springs, AK, 5 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Central’s center in zone 1b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −55°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 12 inches of rain a year
June is the wettest month and March the driest.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Central
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from August 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 Circle Hot Springs, AK.
Living with Central’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 1b, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 58 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and July. 28 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 78% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Central from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Central and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Central yet.
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Central compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Central’s place among Alaska’s.
Central weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | −9° | −23° | 0.4" |
| February | 1° | −19° | 0.3" |
| March | 15° | −13° | 0.2" |
| April | 40° | 11° | 0.3" |
| May | 59° | 31° | 0.7" |
| June | 71° | 42° | 2.6" |
| July | 72° | 45° | 2.6" |
| August | 65° | 39° | 1.8" |
| September | 52° | 28° | 1.4" |
| October | 27° | 10° | 0.8" |
| November | 4° | −12° | 0.4" |
| December | −5° | −20° | 0.5" |
| Year | 33° | 10° | 12.1" |
Where Central’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).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Circle Hot Springs, AK, 5 miles from the town’s center, 110 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 Central’s climate
What is the weather like in Central?
A typical July afternoon reaches 72°, a January night drops to −23°. Colder January nights: first of 12,955 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 121 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Central in winter?
January nights average −23°. About 263 nights a year reach 32° or below and 143 reach 0° or below.
How hot does it get in Central?
July, with a typical high of 72°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Circle Hot Springs, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Central?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Circle Hot Springs, AK, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 263 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 58 days.
What growing zone is Central in?
Zone 1b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −55°.
What is the best time of year to visit Central?
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 Central.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.