Ferry has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 67°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 76° apart. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than almost every U.S. town. Homes need heating from September to May, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Ferry at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ferry’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ferry’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Ferry feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 77 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 6 and the first by August 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mckinley Park, AK, 23 miles from the town’s center, 300 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ferry’s center in zone 3b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −32°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 77 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Mckinley Park, AK, is heaviest from November through December, about 13 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 15 inches a year; July is the wettest month and March the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 123 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ferry
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 Mckinley Park, AK.
Living with Ferry’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
77 frost-free days in zone 3b. The last frost comes by Jun 6 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 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and July. 2.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ferry from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (55%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 18%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ferry and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Ferry yet.
Climates most like Ferry’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferry, AK | −9° | 67° | 15" | 77" |
| International Falls, MN | −5° | 78° | 28" | 73" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
| Woodland Park, CO | 11° | 77° | 22" | 134" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Ferry compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ferry’s place among Alaska’s.
Ferry weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mckinley Park, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8° | −9° | 0.5" | 9.6" | 8 | 31 |
| February | 18° | −2° | 0.7" | 9.6" | 7 | 29 |
| March | 24° | 2° | 0.4" | 8.2" | 6 | 31 |
| April | 41° | 22° | 0.6" | 6.9" | 4 | 29 |
| May | 56° | 35° | 0.9" | 2.6" | 7 | 8 |
| June | 67° | 45° | 2.5" | 0.1" | 14 | 0 |
| July | 67° | 49° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 |
| August | 62° | 44° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| September | 51° | 35° | 1.6" | 5.0" | 13 | 3 |
| October | 33° | 18° | 1.0" | 9.4" | 10 | 18 |
| November | 16° | 1° | 0.7" | 12.9" | 11 | 27 |
| December | 12° | −6° | 0.8" | 12.4" | 10 | 31 |
| Year | 38° | 19° | 15.4" | 76.7" | 123 | 206 |
Where Ferry’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: Mckinley Park, AK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mckinley Park, AK, 23 miles from the town’s center, 300 ft lower; 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 Ferry’s climate
What is the weather like in Ferry?
A typical July afternoon reaches 67°, a January night drops to −9°, and about 77 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 9 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 48 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ferry in winter?
January nights average −9°. About 242 nights a year reach 32° or below and 86 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Ferry get?
About 77 inches in a normal winter at Mckinley Park, AK, heaviest from November through December, about 13 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 206 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ferry?
July, with a typical high of 67°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Mckinley Park, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Ferry?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 6 and the first fall frost by August 25, about 77 frost-free days, at Mckinley Park, AK.
What growing zone is Ferry in?
Zone 3b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −32°.
What is the best time of year to visit Ferry?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and July. 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 Ferry.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.