Photo: James Brooks · CC BY 2.0Hope gets about 215 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 9 U.S. towns
Expect July afternoons of about 65°. The wettest month is September; the driest is May. Its July afternoons stay fresher than in almost every U.S. town. Plan time outside for July and August, when highs sit at 63–65°.
A year in Hope at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hope’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hope’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Hope feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 127 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 18 and the first by September 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Hope, AK, 0.8 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hope’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −14°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 215 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Alyeska, AK, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 22 inches a year; September is the wettest month and May the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 204 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Hope
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 Hope, AK.
Living with Hope’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
127 frost-free days in zone 5b. 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 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August. 16 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Hope from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (88%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hope and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Hope yet.
Climates most like Hope’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hope, AK | 12° | 65° | 22" | 215" |
| Incline Village, NV | 22° | 73° | 38" | 179" |
| Woodland Park, CO | 11° | 77° | 22" | 134" |
| Ishpeming, MI | 5° | 77° | 33" | 197" |
| Summit Park, UT | 19° | 79° | 30" | 153" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Hope compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hope’s place among Alaska’s.
Hope weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Alyeska, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24° | 12° | 1.5" | 37.4" | 19 | 30 |
| February | 29° | 14° | 1.4" | 36.6" | 18 | 27 |
| March | 33° | 17° | 1.1" | 37.5" | 16 | 29 |
| April | 46° | 28° | 1.2" | 9.6" | 16 | 25 |
| May | 56° | 37° | 0.9" | 1.2" | 14 | 5 |
| June | 62° | 45° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 |
| July | 65° | 49° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 |
| August | 63° | 48° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| September | 54° | 40° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 20 | 0 |
| October | 41° | 29° | 2.3" | 8.1" | 19 | 6 |
| November | 29° | 17° | 2.2" | 29.9" | 18 | 21 |
| December | 25° | 14° | 1.9" | 54.2" | 22 | 28 |
| Year | 44° | 29° | 21.9" | 214.5" | 204 | 171 |
Where Hope’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: Alyeska, AK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Hope, AK, 0.8 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft lower; 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 Hope’s climate
What is the weather like in Hope?
A typical July afternoon reaches 65°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 215 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 91% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 24 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hope in winter?
January nights average 12°. About 212 nights a year reach 32° or below and 31 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Hope get?
About 215 inches in a normal winter at Alyeska, AK, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 171 days a year.
How hot does it get in Hope?
July, with a typical high of 65°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Hope, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Hope?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 18 and the first fall frost by September 24, about 127 frost-free days, at Hope, AK.
What growing zone is Hope in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −14°.
What is the best time of year to visit Hope?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), 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 Hope.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.