Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Nenana has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 73° on average. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. August is the wettest month, April the driest. The outdoor season runs from June to August, with highs of 67–73°.
A year in Nenana at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Nenana’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Nenana’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Nenana feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 117 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 15 and the first by September 11. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Nenana Muni Airport, 1.1 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Nenana’s center in zone 2a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −47°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 12 inches of rain a year
August is the wettest month and April the driest.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Nenana
99% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. 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 Nenana Muni Airport.
Living with Nenana’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
117 frost-free days in zone 2a. The last frost comes by May 15 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 11.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 3.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 69% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Nenana from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Nenana and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Nenana yet.
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Nenana compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Nenana’s place among Alaska’s.
Nenana weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5° | −12° | 0.6" |
| February | 15° | −6° | 0.4" |
| March | 24° | 1° | 0.4" |
| April | 45° | 23° | 0.3" |
| May | 63° | 39° | 0.6" |
| June | 72° | 49° | 1.8" |
| July | 73° | 53° | 2.3" |
| August | 67° | 48° | 2.3" |
| September | 55° | 37° | 1.4" |
| October | 35° | 21° | 0.9" |
| November | 15° | 1° | 0.8" |
| December | 8° | −9° | 0.6" |
| Year | 40° | 20° | 12.4" |
Where Nenana’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).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Nenana Muni Airport, 1.1 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 Nenana’s climate
What is the weather like in Nenana?
A typical July afternoon reaches 73°, a January night drops to −12°. Colder January nights than all but 7 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 141 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Nenana in winter?
January nights average −12°. About 228 nights a year reach 32° or below and 101 reach 0° or below.
How hot does it get in Nenana?
July, with a typical high of 73°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Nenana Muni Airport.
When is the first and last frost in Nenana?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 15 and the first fall frost by September 11, about 117 frost-free days, at Nenana Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Nenana in?
Zone 2a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −47°.
What is the best time of year to visit Nenana?
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 Nenana.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.