Photo: Joseph · CC BY-SA 2.0Hoonah gets about 90 inches of snow a winter, more than 97% of U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 65°. Only 38° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than almost every U.S. town. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from June to August, with highs of 62–65°.
A year in Hoonah at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hoonah’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hoonah’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Hoonah feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 145 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 9 and the first by October 4. Frost dates and degree days from Hoonah, AK, 1.1 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hoonah’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 0°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 90 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Hoonah, AK, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 66 inches a year; October is the wettest month and May the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 222 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Hoonah
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September through June.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Hoonah, AK.
Living with Hoonah’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
145 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by May 9 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 1.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Hoonah from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (70%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hoonah and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Hoonah yet.
Climates most like Hoonah’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoonah, AK | 27° | 65° | 66" | 90" |
| Waldoboro, ME | 14° | 75° | 49" | 79" |
| North Elba, NY | 4° | 72° | 52" | 104" |
| Black Diamond, WA | 34° | 76° | 55" | 18" |
| Incline Village, NV | 22° | 73° | 38" | 179" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Hoonah compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hoonah’s place among Alaska’s.
Hoonah weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Hoonah, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 27° | 6.8" | 25.0" | 20 | 24 |
| February | 37° | 27° | 5.0" | 12.3" | 16 | 21 |
| March | 40° | 28° | 4.4" | 20.0" | 16 | 19 |
| April | 49° | 33° | 3.1" | 1.7" | 17 | 4 |
| May | 58° | 40° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| June | 62° | 47° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 |
| July | 65° | 51° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 18 | 0 |
| August | 64° | 51° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 19 | 0 |
| September | 58° | 45° | 7.3" | 0.0" | 22 | 0 |
| October | 48° | 38° | 9.2" | 0.6" | 24 | 0 |
| November | 39° | 31° | 8.8" | 13.4" | 20 | 9 |
| December | 36° | 28° | 7.9" | 17.0" | 21 | 19 |
| Year | 49° | 37° | 65.8" | 90.0" | 222 | 96 |
Where Hoonah’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: Hoonah, AK (NOAA station in town).
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Hoonah, AK, 1.1 miles away.
- 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 Hoonah’s climate
What is the weather like in Hoonah?
A typical July afternoon reaches 65°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 90 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 67% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 20 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hoonah in winter?
January nights average 27°. About 130 nights a year reach 32° or below.
How much snow does Hoonah get?
About 90 inches in a normal winter at Hoonah, AK, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 96 days a year.
How hot does it get in Hoonah?
July, with a typical high of 65°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Hoonah, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Hoonah?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 9 and the first fall frost by October 4, about 145 frost-free days, at Hoonah, AK.
What growing zone is Hoonah in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 0°.
What is the best time of year to visit Hoonah?
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 Hoonah.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.