Few U.S. towns have colder winter nights than Mendeltna
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 69°. July is the wettest month here, with about 15 times the rain of April. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Homes need heating from September to May, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Mendeltna at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Mendeltna’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Mendeltna’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Mendeltna feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 95 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 30 and the first by September 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lake Susitna, AK, 21 miles from the town’s center, 130 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Mendeltna’s center in zone 2a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −46°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 55 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lake Susitna, AK, falls mostly in October and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; July is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 114 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Mendeltna
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55°: every month but July.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Lake Susitna, AK.
Living with Mendeltna’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
95 frost-free days in zone 2a. The last frost comes by May 30 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 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 16 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Mendeltna from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (76%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Mendeltna and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Mendeltna yet.
Climates most like Mendeltna’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mendeltna, AK | −15° | 69° | 12" | 55" |
| International Falls, MN | −5° | 78° | 28" | 73" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Grand Forks, ND | −2° | 81° | 22" | 49" |
| Gunnison, CO | 0° | 82° | 12" | 50" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Mendeltna compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Mendeltna’s place among Alaska’s.
Mendeltna weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lake Susitna, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5° | −15° | 0.5" | 7.6" | 9 |
| February | 16° | −10° | 0.6" | 6.7" | 8 |
| March | 27° | −6° | 0.4" | 4.7" | 4 |
| April | 43° | 13° | 0.2" | 2.6" | 3 |
| May | 56° | 30° | 0.7" | 2.6" | 9 |
| June | 66° | 43° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 13 |
| July | 69° | 47° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 16 |
| August | 63° | 42° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 14 |
| September | 53° | 33° | 1.3" | 2.7" | 12 |
| October | 35° | 18° | 1.0" | 9.7" | 10 |
| November | 16° | −4° | 0.6" | 8.5" | 7 |
| December | 5° | −13° | 0.6" | 9.4" | 9 |
| Year | 38° | 15° | 11.8" | 54.5" | 114 |
Where Mendeltna’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: Lake Susitna, AK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lake Susitna, AK, 21 miles from the town’s center, 130 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 Mendeltna’s climate
What is the weather like in Mendeltna?
A typical July afternoon reaches 69°, a January night drops to −15°, and about 55 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 5 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 68 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Mendeltna in winter?
January nights average −15°. About 248 nights a year reach 32° or below and 116 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Mendeltna get?
About 55 inches in a normal winter at Lake Susitna, AK, most of it in October and December.
How hot does it get in Mendeltna?
July, with a typical high of 69°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Lake Susitna, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Mendeltna?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 30 and the first fall frost by September 4, about 95 frost-free days, at Lake Susitna, AK.
What growing zone is Mendeltna in?
Zone 2a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −46°.
What is the best time of year to visit Mendeltna?
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 Mendeltna.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.