Few U.S. towns have colder winter nights than Harding-Birch Lakes
July afternoons average 74°. Precipitation peaks in July and eases off in April. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Long walks are most pleasant from June to August, when afternoons reach 67–74°.
A year in Harding-Birch Lakes at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Harding-Birch Lakes’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Harding-Birch Lakes’ place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Harding-Birch Lakes feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 98 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 26 and the first by September 2. Frost and day counts come from Whitestone Farms, AK, 25 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Harding-Birch Lakes’ 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 42 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Whitestone Farms, AK, falls mostly in November. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 13 inches a year; July is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 113 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Harding-Birch Lakes
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September 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 Whitestone Farms, AK.
Living with Harding-Birch Lakes’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
98 frost-free days in zone 3b. The last frost comes by May 26 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 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 6.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Harding-Birch Lakes from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (51%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 20%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Harding-Birch Lakes and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Harding-Birch Lakes yet.
Climates most like Harding-Birch Lakes’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harding-Birch Lakes, AK | −11° | 74° | 13" | 42" |
| Thief River Falls, MN | −4° | 79° | 22" | 50" |
| Grand Forks, ND | −2° | 81° | 22" | 49" |
| Gunnison, CO | 0° | 82° | 12" | 50" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Harding-Birch Lakes compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Harding-Birch Lakes’ place among Alaska’s.
Harding-Birch Lakes weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Whitestone Farms, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6° | −11° | 0.4" | 5.7" | 8 | 31 |
| February | 16° | −4° | 0.3" | 5.0" | 6 | 28 |
| March | 27° | 1° | 0.3" | 3.7" | 6 | 29 |
| April | 48° | 21° | 0.2" | 1.6" | 4 | 14 |
| May | 63° | 34° | 0.8" | 1.1" | 8 | 1 |
| June | 73° | 45° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 |
| July | 74° | 49° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| August | 67° | 44° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| September | 56° | 35° | 1.2" | 1.7" | 11 | 1 |
| October | 34° | 18° | 0.8" | 7.3" | 10 | 15 |
| November | 15° | −1° | 0.7" | 8.7" | 9 | 29 |
| December | 10° | −8° | 0.5" | 6.7" | 8 | 30 |
| Year | 41° | 19° | 12.7" | 41.5" | 113 | 179 |
Where Harding-Birch Lakes’ 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: Whitestone Farms, AK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Whitestone Farms, AK, 25 miles from the town’s center, 510 ft lower; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- 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 Harding-Birch Lakes’ climate
What is the weather like in Harding-Birch Lakes?
A typical July afternoon reaches 74°, a January night drops to −11°, and about 42 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 9 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 155 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Harding-Birch Lakes in winter?
January nights average −11°. About 232 nights a year reach 32° or below and 86 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Harding-Birch Lakes get?
About 42 inches in a normal winter at Whitestone Farms, AK, most of it in November, with snow on the ground about 179 days a year.
How hot does it get in Harding-Birch Lakes?
July, with a typical high of 74°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Whitestone Farms, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Harding-Birch Lakes?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 26 and the first fall frost by September 2, about 98 frost-free days, at Whitestone Farms, AK.
What growing zone is Harding-Birch Lakes 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 Harding-Birch Lakes?
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 Harding-Birch Lakes.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.