Few U.S. towns have cooler summers than Chiniak
On a normal January night the air cools to about 26°. It is a wet place: more rain and snow fall here than on almost every U.S. town. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 37°. The heating season runs October to May: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Chiniak at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Chiniak’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Chiniak’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Chiniak feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 151 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 5 and the first by October 3. Frost and day counts come from Kodiak Airport, 14 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Chiniak’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 6°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 70 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Kodiak Airport, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 78 inches a year; October is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 204 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Chiniak
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 Kodiak Airport.
Living with Chiniak’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
151 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by May 5 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: August. 2.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Chiniak from natural hazards, tsunamis are the largest share (59%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Chiniak and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Chiniak yet.
Climates most like Chiniak’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiniak, AK | 26° | 62° | 78" | 70" |
| Florence, OR | 40° | 66° | 73" | 0.6" |
| Hoquiam, WA | 37° | 68° | 81" | 0.5" |
| Crescent City, CA | 42° | 64° | 69" | 0.0" |
| North Elba, NY | 4° | 72° | 52" | 104" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Chiniak compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Chiniak’s place among Alaska’s.
Chiniak weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Kodiak Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 26° | 8.4" | 14.5" | 19 | 11 |
| February | 38° | 27° | 6.3" | 14.4" | 17 | 10 |
| March | 39° | 28° | 4.8" | 12.3" | 16 | 9 |
| April | 45° | 34° | 6.1" | 6.2" | 18 | 2 |
| May | 52° | 40° | 5.9" | 0.5" | 17 | 0 |
| June | 57° | 46° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 |
| July | 62° | 51° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| August | 63° | 50° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| September | 57° | 44° | 7.6" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| October | 48° | 36° | 8.9" | 0.7" | 18 | 0 |
| November | 41° | 30° | 7.1" | 6.1" | 17 | 4 |
| December | 37° | 27° | 8.8" | 15.6" | 20 | 11 |
| Year | 48° | 36° | 78.3" | 70.3" | 204 | 47 |
Where Chiniak’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: Kodiak Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Kodiak Airport, 14 miles from the town’s center, 550 ft lower; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- 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 Chiniak’s climate
What is the weather like in Chiniak?
A typical July afternoon reaches 62°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 70 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 66% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 7 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Chiniak in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 133 nights a year reach 32° or below.
How much snow does Chiniak get?
About 70 inches in a normal winter at Kodiak Airport, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 47 days a year.
How hot does it get in Chiniak?
July, with a typical high of 62°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Kodiak Airport.
When is the first and last frost in Chiniak?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 5 and the first fall frost by October 3, about 151 frost-free days, at Kodiak Airport.
What growing zone is Chiniak in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Chiniak?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), 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 Chiniak.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.