Photo: Beeblebrox · CC BY-SA 3.0Clam Gulch has some of the coolest summers among U.S. towns
On a normal January night the air cools to about 5°. By January nights alone, it runs colder than 98% of U.S. towns. The wettest month is September; the driest is March. Garden planting can start around June 11; autumn frost returns near September 1.
A year in Clam Gulch at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Clam Gulch’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Clam Gulch’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Clam Gulch feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 75 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 11 and the first by September 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Soldotna 5ssw, AK, 17 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Clam Gulch’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −20°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 22 inches of rain a year
September is the wettest month and March the driest.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Clam Gulch
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 Soldotna 5ssw, AK.
Living with Clam Gulch’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
75 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by Jun 11 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 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 1.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Clam Gulch from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (81%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Clam Gulch and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Clam Gulch in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
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 Clam Gulch compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Clam Gulch’s place among Alaska’s.
Clam Gulch weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21° | 5° | 1.4" |
| February | 28° | 9° | 1.3" |
| March | 35° | 12° | 0.7" |
| April | 46° | 24° | 0.8" |
| May | 56° | 32° | 0.9" |
| June | 62° | 40° | 1.3" |
| July | 66° | 45° | 2.0" |
| August | 64° | 43° | 3.0" |
| September | 55° | 37° | 4.0" |
| October | 42° | 26° | 2.7" |
| November | 28° | 12° | 1.8" |
| December | 23° | 8° | 1.7" |
| Year | 44° | 24° | 21.6" |
Where Clam Gulch’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: Soldotna 5ssw, AK, 17 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 Clam Gulch’s climate
What is the weather like in Clam Gulch?
A typical July afternoon reaches 66°, a January night drops to 5°. Colder January nights than 98% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 24 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Clam Gulch in winter?
January nights average 5°. About 227 nights a year reach 32° or below and 47 reach 0° or below.
How hot does it get in Clam Gulch?
July, with a typical high of 66°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Soldotna 5ssw, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Clam Gulch?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 11 and the first fall frost by September 1, about 75 frost-free days, at Soldotna 5ssw, AK.
What growing zone is Clam Gulch in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −20°.
What is the best time of year to visit Clam Gulch?
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 Clam Gulch.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.