Photo: Wheeler, Polly · Public domainFew U.S. towns have colder winter nights than Kaltag
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 69°. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than almost every U.S. town. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 82° apart. The heating season runs September to May: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Kaltag at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Kaltag’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Kaltag’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Kaltag feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 101 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 25 and the first by September 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Kaltag Airport, 1.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Kaltag’s center in zone 2a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −48°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 22 inches of rain a year
August is the wettest month and December the driest.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Kaltag
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 Kaltag Airport.
Living with Kaltag’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
101 frost-free days in zone 2a. The last frost comes by May 25 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 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 4.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 60% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Kaltag from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Kaltag and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Kaltag yet.
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Kaltag compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Kaltag’s place among Alaska’s.
Kaltag weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4° | −12° | 1.0" |
| February | 14° | −6° | 1.3" |
| March | 21° | −2° | 1.5" |
| April | 38° | 17° | 1.4" |
| May | 56° | 34° | 1.0" |
| June | 69° | 46° | 1.7" |
| July | 69° | 49° | 2.2" |
| August | 64° | 45° | 3.4" |
| September | 53° | 36° | 3.2" |
| October | 35° | 21° | 2.8" |
| November | 17° | 2° | 1.4" |
| December | 8° | −8° | 0.7" |
| Year | 37° | 18° | 21.5" |
Where Kaltag’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: Kaltag Airport, 1.4 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 Kaltag’s climate
What is the weather like in Kaltag?
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 Kaltag in winter?
January nights average −12°. About 234 nights a year reach 32° or below and 95 reach 0° or below.
How hot does it get in Kaltag?
July, with a typical high of 69°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Kaltag Airport.
When is the first and last frost in Kaltag?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 25 and the first fall frost by September 3, about 101 frost-free days, at Kaltag Airport.
What growing zone is Kaltag in?
Zone 2a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −48°.
What is the best time of year to visit Kaltag?
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 Kaltag.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.