Goldstream’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 73°, a January night drops to −19°, and about 62 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Goldstream at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Goldstream’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Goldstream’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Goldstream feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 214 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 60 to 0° or below. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Keystone Ridge, AK, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; frost dates and degree days from Ester 5ne, AK, 4 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Goldstream’s center in zone 3b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −31°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 62 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at College 5 Nw, AK, falls mostly in January and October. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 14 inches a year; July is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 111 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Goldstream
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 Ester 5ne, AK.
Living with Goldstream’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 3b, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 65 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 141 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Goldstream from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (34%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 20%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Goldstream and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Goldstream in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Goldstream’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goldstream, AK | −19° | 73° | 14" | 62" |
| International Falls, MN | −5° | 78° | 28" | 73" |
| Grand Forks, ND | −2° | 81° | 22" | 49" |
| Gunnison, CO | 0° | 82° | 12" | 50" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
How Goldstream compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Goldstream’s place among Alaska’s.
Goldstream weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from College 5 Nw, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1° | −19° | 0.7" | 11.9" | 9 | 31 |
| February | 13° | −12° | 0.6" | 5.2" | 7 | 29 |
| March | 27° | −5° | 0.5" | 6.0" | 5 | 31 |
| April | 46° | 17° | 0.4" | 2.8" | 3 | 22 |
| May | 62° | 31° | 0.7" | 1.1" | 7 | 2 |
| June | 73° | 42° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 |
| July | 73° | 46° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 |
| August | 66° | 40° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 |
| September | 55° | 29° | 1.7" | 2.6" | 12 | 2 |
| October | 34° | 13° | 0.9" | 11.6" | 10 | 20 |
| November | 11° | −8° | 0.8" | 9.9" | 9 | 30 |
| December | 2° | −15° | 0.6" | 10.4" | 9 | 31 |
| Year | 38° | 13° | 14.3" | 61.5" | 111 | 196 |
Where Goldstream’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: College 5 Nw, AK.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Ester 5ne, AK, 4 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Keystone Ridge, AK, 7 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 Goldstream’s climate
What is the weather like in Goldstream?
A typical July afternoon reaches 73°, a January night drops to −19°, and about 62 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights: first of 12,954 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 136 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Goldstream in winter?
January nights average −19°. About 214 nights a year reach 32° or below and 60 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Goldstream get?
About 62 inches in a normal winter at College 5 Nw, AK, most of it in January and October, with snow on the ground about 196 days a year.
How hot does it get in Goldstream?
July, with a typical high of 73°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Ester 5ne, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Goldstream?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Ester 5ne, AK, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 214 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 65 days.
What growing zone is Goldstream in?
Zone 3b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −31°.
What is the best time of year to visit Goldstream?
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 Goldstream.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.