Gulkana has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 69°. Rain follows the seasons: August brings about 8.7 times as much as April. Its July afternoons stay fresher than in almost every U.S. town. Radiators earn their keep from September to May, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Gulkana at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Gulkana’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Gulkana’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Gulkana feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 73 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 7 and the first by August 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Gulkana Airport, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Gulkana’s center in zone 2b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −42°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 12 inches of rain a year
August is the wettest month and April the driest.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Gulkana
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55°: every month but July.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Gulkana Airport.
Living with Gulkana’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
73 frost-free days in zone 2b. The last frost comes by Jun 7 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 21.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Gulkana from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (76%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Gulkana and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Gulkana in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
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 Gulkana compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Gulkana’s place among Alaska’s.
Gulkana weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5° | −12° | 0.7" |
| February | 16° | −5° | 0.7" |
| March | 28° | 1° | 0.3" |
| April | 44° | 21° | 0.2" |
| May | 58° | 33° | 0.8" |
| June | 67° | 43° | 1.4" |
| July | 69° | 47° | 1.7" |
| August | 65° | 43° | 1.9" |
| September | 54° | 33° | 1.4" |
| October | 36° | 18° | 1.0" |
| November | 15° | −1° | 0.9" |
| December | 8° | −8° | 0.8" |
| Year | 39° | 18° | 11.8" |
Where Gulkana’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).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Gulkana Airport, 4 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 Gulkana’s climate
What is the weather like in Gulkana?
A typical July afternoon reaches 69°, a January night drops to −12°. Colder January nights than all but 7 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 74 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Gulkana in winter?
January nights average −12°. About 238 nights a year reach 32° or below and 99 reach 0° or below.
How hot does it get in Gulkana?
July, with a typical high of 69°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Gulkana Airport.
When is the first and last frost in Gulkana?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 7 and the first fall frost by August 21, about 73 frost-free days, at Gulkana Airport.
What growing zone is Gulkana in?
Zone 2b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −42°.
What is the best time of year to visit Gulkana?
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 Gulkana.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.