Porcupine District · Photo: Whittier and Pond · Public domainCovenant Life gets about 245 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 1 U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 68°. Temperatures cover 57° across the year, low to high. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Homes need heating from September to May, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Covenant Life at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Covenant Life’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Covenant Life’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Covenant Life feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 118 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 24 and the first by September 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Haines 40nw, AK, 8 miles from the town’s center.
The 2023 USDA map puts Covenant Life’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −13°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 245 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Haines 40nw, AK, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 48 inches a year; December is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 163 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Covenant Life
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 Haines 40nw, AK.
Living with Covenant Life’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
118 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 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 Sep 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 17 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Covenant Life from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (56%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Covenant Life and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Covenant Life yet.
Climates most like Covenant Life’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Covenant Life, AK | 12° | 68° | 48" | 245" |
| Incline Village, NV | 22° | 73° | 38" | 179" |
| North Elba, NY | 4° | 72° | 52" | 104" |
| Ishpeming, MI | 5° | 77° | 33" | 197" |
| Stowe, VT | 7° | 78° | 45" | 139" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Covenant Life compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Covenant Life’s place among Alaska’s.
Covenant Life weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Haines 40nw, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23° | 12° | 5.5" | 53.1" | 15 | 31 |
| February | 29° | 14° | 4.1" | 38.9" | 13 | 29 |
| March | 35° | 17° | 3.7" | 33.6" | 12 | 31 |
| April | 46° | 27° | 2.2" | 5.6" | 10 | 27 |
| May | 58° | 35° | 1.7" | 0.2" | 10 | 4 |
| June | 66° | 43° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 |
| July | 68° | 48° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 |
| August | 66° | 46° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 |
| September | 56° | 40° | 5.4" | 0.2" | 18 | 0 |
| October | 44° | 31° | 6.9" | 7.6" | 18 | 4 |
| November | 30° | 19° | 5.7" | 44.4" | 15 | 24 |
| December | 24° | 15° | 7.8" | 61.5" | 18 | 31 |
| Year | 45° | 29° | 48.3" | 245.1" | 163 | 182 |
Where Covenant Life’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: Haines 40nw, AK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Haines 40nw, AK, 8 miles from the town’s center; 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 Covenant Life’s climate
What is the weather like in Covenant Life?
A typical July afternoon reaches 68°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 245 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 91% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 66 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Covenant Life in winter?
January nights average 12°. About 207 nights a year reach 32° or below and 18 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Covenant Life get?
About 245 inches in a normal winter at Haines 40nw, AK, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 182 days a year.
How hot does it get in Covenant Life?
July, with a typical high of 68°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Haines 40nw, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Covenant Life?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 24 and the first fall frost by September 20, about 118 frost-free days, at Haines 40nw, AK.
What growing zone is Covenant Life in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −13°.
What is the best time of year to visit Covenant Life?
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 Covenant Life.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.