Few U.S. towns have colder winter nights than Lake Minchumina
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 69°. Temperatures cover 79° across the year, low to high. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Garden planting can start around May 13; autumn frost returns near September 17.
A year in Lake Minchumina at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lake Minchumina’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lake Minchumina’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Lake Minchumina feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 124 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 13 and the first by September 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Minchumina, AK, 10 miles from the town’s center, 170 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lake Minchumina’s center in zone 2b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −43°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 54 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Minchumina, AK, falls mostly in November. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 15 inches a year; August is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 118 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lake Minchumina
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 Minchumina, AK.
Living with Lake Minchumina’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
124 frost-free days in zone 2b. The last frost comes by May 13 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 17.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 17 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 54% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Lake Minchumina from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lake Minchumina and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Lake Minchumina yet.
Climates most like Lake Minchumina’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Minchumina, AK | −10° | 69° | 15" | 54" |
| International Falls, MN | −5° | 78° | 28" | 73" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Grand Forks, ND | −2° | 81° | 22" | 49" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Lake Minchumina compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lake Minchumina’s place among Alaska’s.
Lake Minchumina weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Minchumina, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3° | −10° | 0.7" | 8.2" | 7 |
| February | 10° | −5° | 0.5" | 6.7" | 6 |
| March | 21° | 1° | 0.4" | 3.4" | 5 |
| April | 41° | 20° | 0.3" | 3.7" | 4 |
| May | 57° | 37° | 0.6" | 0.7" | 6 |
| June | 68° | 48° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 13 |
| July | 69° | 51° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 18 |
| August | 63° | 46° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 18 |
| September | 51° | 37° | 1.6" | 1.5" | 14 |
| October | 32° | 21° | 1.0" | 6.9" | 9 |
| November | 13° | 1° | 0.8" | 13.2" | 10 |
| December | 5° | −8° | 0.6" | 9.6" | 8 |
| Year | 36° | 20° | 14.5" | 53.9" | 118 |
Where Lake Minchumina’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: Minchumina, AK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Minchumina, AK, 10 miles from the town’s center, 170 ft higher; 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 Lake Minchumina’s climate
What is the weather like in Lake Minchumina?
A typical July afternoon reaches 69°, a January night drops to −10°, and about 54 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 9 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 70 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lake Minchumina in winter?
January nights average −10°. About 221 nights a year reach 32° or below and 88 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Lake Minchumina get?
About 54 inches in a normal winter at Minchumina, AK, most of it in November.
How hot does it get in Lake Minchumina?
July, with a typical high of 69°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Minchumina, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Lake Minchumina?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 13 and the first fall frost by September 17, about 124 frost-free days, at Minchumina, AK.
What growing zone is Lake Minchumina in?
Zone 2b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −43°.
What is the best time of year to visit Lake Minchumina?
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 Lake Minchumina.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.