Alaska-Canada Military Highway (Segment) · Public domainHardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Dry Creek
July afternoons average 72°. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 86°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Central heating does most of its work from September to May, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Dry Creek at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dry Creek’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dry Creek’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Dry Creek feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 84 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 30 and the first by August 24. Frost dates and degree days from Dry Creek, AK, 3 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dry Creek’s center in zone 3a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −38°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 57 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Dry Creek, AK, falls mostly in October. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 118 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Dry Creek
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from August through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Dry Creek, AK.
Living with Dry Creek’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
84 frost-free days in zone 3a. The last frost comes by May 30 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Aug 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 2.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Dry Creek from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 12%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dry Creek and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Dry Creek yet.
Climates most like Dry Creek’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Creek, AK | −15° | 72° | 16" | 57" |
| International Falls, MN | −5° | 78° | 28" | 73" |
| Grand Forks, ND | −2° | 81° | 22" | 49" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Gunnison, CO | 0° | 82° | 12" | 50" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Dry Creek compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dry Creek’s place among Alaska’s.
Dry Creek weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Dry Creek, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1° | −15° | 0.6" | 7.8" | 10 | 31 |
| February | 11° | −8° | 0.4" | 6.1" | 6 | 29 |
| March | 25° | −1° | 0.5" | 6.6" | 6 | 31 |
| April | 45° | 21° | 0.5" | 4.0" | 5 | 26 |
| May | 59° | 35° | 1.2" | 1.0" | 9 | 2 |
| June | 70° | 46° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 |
| July | 72° | 49° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| August | 66° | 44° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 |
| September | 53° | 34° | 1.6" | 2.1" | 10 | 1 |
| October | 33° | 17° | 1.1" | 11.1" | 11 | 19 |
| November | 11° | −3° | 0.8" | 9.3" | 10 | 29 |
| December | 3° | −12° | 0.7" | 9.4" | 9 | 31 |
| Year | 37° | 17° | 15.7" | 57.4" | 118 | 199 |
Where Dry Creek’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: Dry Creek, AK.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Dry Creek, AK, 3 miles away.
- 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 Dry Creek’s climate
What is the weather like in Dry Creek?
A typical July afternoon reaches 72°, a January night drops to −15°, and about 57 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 7 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 103 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Dry Creek in winter?
January nights average −15°. About 246 nights a year reach 32° or below and 115 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Dry Creek get?
About 57 inches in a normal winter at Dry Creek, AK, most of it in October, with snow on the ground about 199 days a year.
How hot does it get in Dry Creek?
July, with a typical high of 72°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Dry Creek, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Dry Creek?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 30 and the first fall frost by August 24, about 84 frost-free days, at Dry Creek, AK.
What growing zone is Dry Creek in?
Zone 3a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −38°.
What is the best time of year to visit Dry Creek?
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 Dry Creek.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.