Photo: US Fish and Wildlife Service · Public domainCold Bay has some of the coolest summers among U.S. towns
Midwinter brings lows of about 24°. Only 34° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from September to June, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Cold Bay at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cold Bay’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cold Bay’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Cold Bay feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 131 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 25 and the first by October 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cold Bay Airport, 1.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cold Bay’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 3°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 67 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cold Bay Airport, falls mostly in March and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 43 inches a year; November is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 250 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cold Bay
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from every month of the year.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Cold Bay Airport.
Living with Cold Bay’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
131 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by May 25 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 4.
143 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cold Bay from natural hazards, tsunamis are the largest share (58%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cold Bay and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cold Bay yet.
Climates most like Cold Bay’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Bay, AK | 24° | 56° | 43" | 67" |
| Eureka, CA | 42° | 63° | 48" | 0.0" |
| North Elba, NY | 4° | 72° | 52" | 104" |
| Rockland, ME | 14° | 75° | 49" | 69" |
| Incline Village, NV | 22° | 73° | 38" | 179" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Cold Bay compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cold Bay’s place among Alaska’s.
Cold Bay weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cold Bay Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 24° | 3.4" | 12.6" | 21 | 16 |
| February | 35° | 26° | 3.2" | 10.0" | 20 | 13 |
| March | 35° | 24° | 3.0" | 12.8" | 19 | 12 |
| April | 40° | 30° | 2.7" | 6.4" | 19 | 5 |
| May | 47° | 36° | 2.6" | 1.2" | 18 | 0 |
| June | 52° | 42° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| July | 56° | 47° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 20 | 0 |
| August | 57° | 48° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 21 | 0 |
| September | 53° | 43° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 23 | 0 |
| October | 47° | 36° | 4.9" | 2.0" | 25 | 1 |
| November | 40° | 31° | 5.0" | 8.2" | 24 | 7 |
| December | 36° | 26° | 4.4" | 14.1" | 23 | 14 |
| Year | 44° | 34° | 42.7" | 67.3" | 250 | 67 |
Where Cold Bay’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: Cold Bay Airport (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cold Bay Airport, 1.7 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 Cold Bay’s climate
What is the weather like in Cold Bay?
A typical July afternoon reaches 56°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 67 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 59% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 1 U.S. town.
How cold does it get in Cold Bay in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 148 nights a year reach 32° or below.
How much snow does Cold Bay get?
About 67 inches in a normal winter at Cold Bay Airport, most of it in March and December, with snow on the ground about 67 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cold Bay?
July, with a typical high of 56°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Cold Bay Airport.
When is the first and last frost in Cold Bay?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 25 and the first fall frost by October 4, about 131 frost-free days, at Cold Bay Airport.
What growing zone is Cold Bay in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cold Bay?
No month meets the simple rule we use (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more). 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 Cold Bay.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.