St. John the Baptist Chapel · Public domainNaknek sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for July heat
January mornings start at about 10°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 94% of U.S. towns. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 55°. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 26, with the first autumn frost due around September 15.
A year in Naknek at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Naknek’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Naknek’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Naknek feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 111 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 26 and the first by September 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at King Salmon, AK, 12 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Naknek’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −24°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 47 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at King Salmon, AK, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 21 inches a year; September is the wettest month and March the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 159 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Naknek
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September through June.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at King Salmon, AK.
Living with Naknek’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
111 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 26 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 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 11 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Naknek from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (62%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 37%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Naknek and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Naknek yet.
Climates most like Naknek’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naknek, AK | 10° | 65° | 21" | 47" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Gladstone, MI | 11° | 76° | 31" | 47" |
| Duluth, MN | 5° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Woodland Park, CO | 11° | 77° | 22" | 134" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Naknek compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Naknek’s place among Alaska’s.
Naknek weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from King Salmon, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24° | 10° | 0.9" | 8.6" | 10 | 18 |
| February | 30° | 15° | 0.9" | 7.2" | 10 | 16 |
| March | 32° | 15° | 0.8" | 7.2" | 9 | 13 |
| April | 45° | 28° | 1.0" | 4.4" | 11 | 4 |
| May | 55° | 36° | 1.4" | 0.6" | 12 | 0 |
| June | 62° | 44° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 |
| July | 65° | 49° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 |
| August | 63° | 48° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| September | 56° | 41° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 18 | 0 |
| October | 44° | 29° | 2.3" | 2.5" | 15 | 2 |
| November | 32° | 18° | 1.7" | 6.7" | 13 | 10 |
| December | 26° | 11° | 1.4" | 10.2" | 13 | 20 |
| Year | 44° | 29° | 21.4" | 47.4" | 159 | 84 |
Where Naknek’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: King Salmon, AK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: King Salmon, AK, 12 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 Naknek’s climate
What is the weather like in Naknek?
A typical July afternoon reaches 65°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 47 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 94% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 21 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Naknek in winter?
January nights average 10°. About 192 nights a year reach 32° or below and 39 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Naknek get?
About 47 inches in a normal winter at King Salmon, AK, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 84 days a year.
How hot does it get in Naknek?
July, with a typical high of 65°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at King Salmon, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Naknek?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 26 and the first fall frost by September 15, about 111 frost-free days, at King Salmon, AK.
What growing zone is Naknek in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −24°.
What is the best time of year to visit Naknek?
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 Naknek.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.