Photo: Forest Service Alaska Region, USDA · CC BY 2.0Cordova gets about 99 inches of snow a winter, more than 97% of U.S. towns
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 62° on average. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. The wettest month is September; the driest is April. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from September to May, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Cordova at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cordova’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cordova’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Cordova feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 176 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 24 and the first by October 19. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cordova N, AK, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cordova’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 7°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 99 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cordova N, AK, falls mostly in January, February, March and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 86 inches a year; September is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 211 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cordova
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 Cordova N, AK.
Living with Cordova’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
176 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 24 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 19.
27 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cordova from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (77%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cordova and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cordova yet.
Climates most like Cordova’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cordova, AK | 19° | 62° | 86" | 99" |
| North Elba, NY | 4° | 72° | 52" | 104" |
| Hoquiam, WA | 37° | 68° | 81" | 0.5" |
| Lincoln City, OR | 40° | 67° | 88" | 0.1" |
| Camden, ME | 13° | 75° | 50" | 69" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Cordova compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cordova’s place among Alaska’s.
Cordova weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cordova N, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 19° | 6.2" | 20.8" | 18 | 18 |
| February | 37° | 21° | 6.0" | 20.5" | 17 | 18 |
| March | 39° | 23° | 4.7" | 20.9" | 15 | 24 |
| April | 47° | 30° | 4.5" | 3.7" | 16 | 10 |
| May | 54° | 37° | 5.4" | 0.1" | 16 | 0 |
| June | 59° | 44° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 |
| July | 62° | 48° | 5.7" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| August | 62° | 46° | 9.9" | 0.0" | 18 | 0 |
| September | 56° | 40° | 13.2" | 0.0" | 22 | 0 |
| October | 48° | 33° | 10.9" | 1.7" | 22 | 2 |
| November | 38° | 25° | 7.2" | 8.9" | 17 | 10 |
| December | 35° | 22° | 8.0" | 22.6" | 19 | 20 |
| Year | 48° | 32° | 86.2" | 99.2" | 211 | 102 |
Where Cordova’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: Cordova N, AK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cordova N, AK, 4 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 Cordova’s climate
What is the weather like in Cordova?
A typical July afternoon reaches 62°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 99 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 65% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 6 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cordova in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 117 nights a year reach 32° or below.
How much snow does Cordova get?
About 99 inches in a normal winter at Cordova N, AK, most of it in January, February, March and December, with snow on the ground about 102 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cordova?
July, with a typical high of 62°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Cordova N, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Cordova?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 24 and the first fall frost by October 19, about 176 frost-free days, at Cordova N, AK.
What growing zone is Cordova in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cordova?
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 Cordova.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.