Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided · Public domainHardly any U.S. towns collect more precipitation than Metlakatla: 104 inches a year
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 66°. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than almost every U.S. town. The wettest month is October; the driest is June. The heating season runs October to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Metlakatla at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Metlakatla’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Metlakatla’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Metlakatla feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 208 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 4 and the first by October 31. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Annette Island Airport, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Metlakatla’s center in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 15°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 35 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Annette Island Airport, falls mostly in February, March and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 104 inches a year; October is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 231 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Metlakatla
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from October 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 Annette Island Airport.
Living with Metlakatla’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
208 frost-free days in zone 8b. The last frost comes by Apr 4 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 31.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Metlakatla from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (73%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Metlakatla and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Metlakatla yet.
Climates most like Metlakatla’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metlakatla, AK | 33° | 66° | 104" | 35" |
| Lincoln City, OR | 40° | 67° | 88" | 0.1" |
| Hoquiam, WA | 37° | 68° | 81" | 0.5" |
| Crescent City, CA | 42° | 64° | 69" | 0.0" |
| Boone, NC | 24° | 79° | 58" | 26" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Metlakatla compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Metlakatla’s place among Alaska’s.
Metlakatla weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Annette Island Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 33° | 10.4" | 7.0" | 22 | 6 |
| February | 44° | 33° | 7.7" | 7.3" | 18 | 3 |
| March | 46° | 34° | 7.9" | 7.8" | 22 | 2 |
| April | 52° | 39° | 7.2" | 1.0" | 19 | 0 |
| May | 59° | 45° | 5.6" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| June | 63° | 50° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 |
| July | 66° | 54° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| August | 66° | 54° | 7.9" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 |
| September | 61° | 49° | 10.2" | 0.0" | 20 | 0 |
| October | 54° | 42° | 12.9" | 0.0" | 23 | 0 |
| November | 47° | 37° | 12.6" | 3.6" | 23 | 1 |
| December | 43° | 34° | 11.0" | 8.1" | 23 | 5 |
| Year | 54° | 42° | 103.5" | 34.8" | 231 | 18 |
Where Metlakatla’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: Annette Island Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Annette Island Airport, 5 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 Metlakatla’s climate
What is the weather like in Metlakatla?
A typical July afternoon reaches 66°, a January night drops to 33°, and about 35 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 76% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 34 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Metlakatla in winter?
January nights average 33°. About 68 nights a year reach 32° or below.
How much snow does Metlakatla get?
About 35 inches in a normal winter at Annette Island Airport, most of it in February, March and December, with snow on the ground about 18 days a year.
How hot does it get in Metlakatla?
July, with a typical high of 66°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Annette Island Airport.
When is the first and last frost in Metlakatla?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 4 and the first fall frost by October 31, about 208 frost-free days, at Annette Island Airport.
What growing zone is Metlakatla in?
Zone 8b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 15°.
What is the best time of year to visit Metlakatla?
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 Metlakatla.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.