Photo: RadioKAOS · CC BY-SA 3.0Hardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Chena Ridge
Midsummer highs settle at about 73°. Its July afternoons stay fresher than in almost every U.S. town. Rain follows the seasons: July brings about 6.6 times as much as April. From June to August, highs of 66–73° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in Chena Ridge at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Chena Ridge’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Chena Ridge’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Chena Ridge feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 122 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 13 and the first by September 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at College 5 Nw, AK, 10 miles from the town’s center, 330 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Chena Ridge’s center in zone 3b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −32°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 65 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Fairbanks International Airport, falls mostly in November. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; July is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 107 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Chena Ridge
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 College 5 Nw, AK.
Living with Chena Ridge’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
122 frost-free days in zone 3b. The last frost comes by May 13 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 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 74 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Chena Ridge from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (43%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 28%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Chena Ridge and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Chena Ridge in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Chena Ridge’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chena Ridge, AK | −17° | 73° | 12" | 65" |
| International Falls, MN | −5° | 78° | 28" | 73" |
| Grand Forks, ND | −2° | 81° | 22" | 49" |
| Gunnison, CO | 0° | 82° | 12" | 50" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
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 Chena Ridge compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Chena Ridge’s place among Alaska’s.
Chena Ridge weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Fairbanks International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1° | −17° | 0.6" | 10.2" | 9 | 31 |
| February | 12° | −11° | 0.5" | 10.0" | 7 | 29 |
| March | 25° | −3° | 0.4" | 6.5" | 6 | 31 |
| April | 46° | 22° | 0.3" | 3.1" | 4 | 22 |
| May | 62° | 39° | 0.5" | 0.9" | 6 | 1 |
| June | 72° | 50° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 |
| July | 73° | 53° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 |
| August | 66° | 48° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 |
| September | 55° | 36° | 1.4" | 2.3" | 11 | 1 |
| October | 34° | 18° | 0.8" | 8.2" | 10 | 15 |
| November | 12° | −4° | 0.7" | 12.5" | 10 | 29 |
| December | 4° | −13° | 0.6" | 10.9" | 9 | 31 |
| Year | 38° | 18° | 11.7" | 64.6" | 107 | 190 |
Where Chena Ridge’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: Fairbanks International Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: College 5 Nw, AK, 10 miles from the town’s center, 330 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 Chena Ridge’s climate
What is the weather like in Chena Ridge?
A typical July afternoon reaches 73°, a January night drops to −17°, and about 65 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 3 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 126 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Chena Ridge in winter?
January nights average −17°. About 219 nights a year reach 32° or below and 81 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Chena Ridge get?
About 65 inches in a normal winter at Fairbanks International Airport, most of it in November, with snow on the ground about 190 days a year.
How hot does it get in Chena Ridge?
July, with a typical high of 73°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at College 5 Nw, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Chena Ridge?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 13 and the first fall frost by September 15, about 122 frost-free days, at College 5 Nw, AK.
What growing zone is Chena Ridge in?
Zone 3b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −32°.
What is the best time of year to visit Chena Ridge?
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 Chena Ridge.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.