Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domainMcGrath gets about 87 inches of snow a winter, more than 96% of U.S. towns
July afternoons average 70°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. August is the wettest month here, with about 4.3 times the rain of March. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from June to August, with highs of 64–70°.
A year in McGrath at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about McGrath’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with McGrath’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in McGrath feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 120 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 13 and the first by September 13. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mcgrath Airport, 1.8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts McGrath’s center in zone 2a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −49°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 87 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Mcgrath Airport, is heaviest from November through December, about 18 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; August is the wettest month and March the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 137 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in McGrath
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 Mcgrath Airport.
Living with McGrath’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
120 frost-free days in zone 2a. 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 13.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 14 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 54% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in McGrath from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →McGrath and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around McGrath yet.
Climates most like McGrath’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McGrath, AK | −14° | 70° | 18" | 87" |
| 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 McGrath compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with McGrath’s place among Alaska’s.
McGrath weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mcgrath Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3° | −14° | 1.2" | 14.7" | 10 | 31 |
| February | 15° | −6° | 0.9" | 12.7" | 9 | 29 |
| March | 25° | −1° | 0.7" | 9.2" | 8 | 31 |
| April | 43° | 22° | 0.7" | 4.4" | 7 | 26 |
| May | 59° | 38° | 0.9" | 0.6" | 9 | 3 |
| June | 69° | 49° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 |
| July | 70° | 52° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| August | 64° | 48° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 |
| September | 54° | 38° | 2.5" | 1.4" | 14 | 1 |
| October | 35° | 22° | 1.5" | 7.4" | 12 | 12 |
| November | 15° | 1° | 1.4" | 18.2" | 11 | 28 |
| December | 6° | −10° | 1.2" | 17.9" | 12 | 31 |
| Year | 38° | 20° | 18.1" | 86.5" | 137 | 191 |
Where McGrath’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: Mcgrath Airport (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mcgrath Airport, 1.8 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 McGrath’s climate
What is the weather like in McGrath?
A typical July afternoon reaches 70°, a January night drops to −14°, and about 87 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. 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 McGrath in winter?
January nights average −14°. About 221 nights a year reach 32° or below and 99 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does McGrath get?
About 87 inches in a normal winter at Mcgrath Airport, heaviest from November through December, about 18 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 191 days a year.
How hot does it get in McGrath?
July, with a typical high of 70°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Mcgrath Airport.
When is the first and last frost in McGrath?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 13 and the first fall frost by September 13, about 120 frost-free days, at Mcgrath Airport.
What growing zone is McGrath in?
Zone 2a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −49°.
What is the best time of year to visit McGrath?
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 McGrath.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.