Photo: Alaska DOT&PF · CC BY 2.0Galena has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 69°. Its July afternoons stay fresher than in almost every U.S. town. Winter and summer sit 86° apart. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from June to August, with highs of 62–69°.
A year in Galena at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Galena’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Galena’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Galena feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 111 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 18 and the first by September 8. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Galena, AK, 0.1 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Galena’s center in zone 1b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −51°. 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 Galena, AK, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 14 inches a year; August is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 114 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Galena
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 Galena, AK.
Living with Galena’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
111 frost-free days in zone 1b. The last frost comes by May 18 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 8.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 14 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 60% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Galena from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Galena and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Galena yet.
Climates most like Galena’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galena, AK | −17° | 69° | 14" | 77" |
| International Falls, MN | −5° | 78° | 28" | 73" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Grand Forks, ND | −2° | 81° | 22" | 49" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Galena compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Galena’s place among Alaska’s.
Galena weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Galena, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −3° | −17° | 0.6" | 11.0" | 7 | 31 |
| February | 9° | −10° | 0.8" | 14.9" | 9 | 29 |
| March | 19° | −5° | 0.6" | 9.1" | 7 | 31 |
| April | 38° | 17° | 0.3" | 4.6" | 6 | 26 |
| May | 57° | 35° | 0.4" | 0.4" | 6 | 3 |
| June | 69° | 47° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 |
| July | 69° | 51° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 |
| August | 62° | 46° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| September | 52° | 35° | 1.8" | 0.3" | 12 | 0 |
| October | 31° | 20° | 1.2" | 8.3" | 11 | 14 |
| November | 12° | −1° | 1.2" | 12.8" | 10 | 29 |
| December | 3° | −12° | 1.0" | 15.8" | 11 | 31 |
| Year | 35° | 17° | 13.9" | 77.2" | 114 | 193 |
Where Galena’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: Galena, AK (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Galena, AK, 0.1 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 Galena’s climate
What is the weather like in Galena?
A typical July afternoon reaches 69°, a January night drops to −17°, and about 77 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 4 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 74 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Galena in winter?
January nights average −17°. About 230 nights a year reach 32° or below and 107 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Galena get?
About 77 inches in a normal winter at Galena, AK, most of it in February and December, with snow on the ground about 193 days a year.
How hot does it get in Galena?
July, with a typical high of 69°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Galena, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Galena?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 18 and the first fall frost by September 8, about 111 frost-free days, at Galena, AK.
What growing zone is Galena in?
Zone 1b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −51°.
What is the best time of year to visit Galena?
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 Galena.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.