Photo: Sir Mildred Pierce, from North Augusta, South Carolina, USA · CC BY 2.0Nome gets about 81 inches of snow a winter, more than 95% of U.S. towns
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 58°. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than almost every U.S. town. The wettest month is August; the driest is March. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly June 5 to September 3.
A year in Nome at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Nome’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Nome’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Nome feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 88 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 5 and the first by September 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Nome Muni Airport, 0.8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Nome’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −29°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 81 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Nome Muni Airport, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 17 inches a year; August is the wettest month and March the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 131 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Nome
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from every month of the year.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Nome Muni Airport.
Living with Nome’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
88 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by Jun 5 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 3.
2.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 55% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Nome from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Nome and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Nome yet.
Climates most like Nome’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nome, AK | −2° | 58° | 17" | 81" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Duluth, MN | 5° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Marquette, MI | 11° | 76° | 32" | 102" |
| North Elba, NY | 4° | 72° | 52" | 104" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Nome compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Nome’s place among Alaska’s.
Nome weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Nome Muni Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13° | −2° | 0.9" | 13.4" | 10 | 31 |
| February | 17° | 1° | 1.0" | 14.7" | 11 | 29 |
| March | 18° | 2° | 0.7" | 10.7" | 9 | 31 |
| April | 29° | 16° | 0.7" | 6.8" | 8 | 28 |
| May | 44° | 31° | 0.9" | 1.9" | 9 | 9 |
| June | 55° | 42° | 1.0" | 0.2" | 9 | 0 |
| July | 58° | 46° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 |
| August | 56° | 44° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| September | 49° | 37° | 2.2" | 0.5" | 14 | 0 |
| October | 36° | 25° | 1.8" | 4.7" | 13 | 8 |
| November | 24° | 12° | 1.3" | 12.1" | 11 | 22 |
| December | 16° | 2° | 1.1" | 15.8" | 11 | 29 |
| Year | 35° | 21° | 17.2" | 80.8" | 131 | 188 |
Where Nome’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: Nome Muni Airport (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Nome Muni Airport, 0.8 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 Nome’s climate
What is the weather like in Nome?
A typical July afternoon reaches 58°, a January night drops to −2°, and about 81 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 26 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 2 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Nome in winter?
January nights average −2°. About 231 nights a year reach 32° or below and 72 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Nome get?
About 81 inches in a normal winter at Nome Muni Airport, most of it in February and December, with snow on the ground about 188 days a year.
How hot does it get in Nome?
July, with a typical high of 58°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Nome Muni Airport.
When is the first and last frost in Nome?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 5 and the first fall frost by September 3, about 88 frost-free days, at Nome Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Nome in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −29°.
What is the best time of year to visit Nome?
No month meets the simple rule we use (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more). 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 Nome.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.