Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0North Pole’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 73°, a January night drops to −16°, and about 54 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in North Pole at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about North Pole’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with North Pole’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in North Pole feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 110 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 18 and the first by September 5. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at N Pole, AK, 1.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts North Pole’s center in zone 1b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −50°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 54 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at N Pole, AK, falls mostly in November. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 13 inches a year; July is the wettest month and March the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 87 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in North Pole
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. 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 N Pole, AK.
Living with North Pole’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
110 frost-free days in zone 1b. The last frost comes by May 18 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 5.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 7.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in North Pole from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (71%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 19%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →North Pole and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of North Pole in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like North Pole’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Pole, AK | −16° | 73° | 13" | 54" |
| Thief River Falls, MN | −4° | 79° | 22" | 50" |
| Grand Forks, ND | −2° | 81° | 22" | 49" |
| Gunnison, CO | 0° | 82° | 12" | 50" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
How North Pole compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with North Pole’s place among Alaska’s.
North Pole weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from N Pole, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2° | −16° | 0.5" | 9.4" | 7 | 31 |
| February | 12° | −9° | 0.4" | 7.2" | 5 | 29 |
| March | 26° | 0° | 0.3" | 5.1" | 4 | 31 |
| April | 46° | 23° | 0.3" | 1.6" | 3 | 21 |
| May | 62° | 37° | 0.7" | 0.4" | 4 | 1 |
| June | 72° | 49° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 |
| July | 73° | 52° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 |
| August | 66° | 47° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 |
| September | 55° | 36° | 1.4" | 1.6" | 10 | 1 |
| October | 33° | 19° | 1.0" | 7.7" | 8 | 17 |
| November | 10° | −4° | 0.6" | 11.8" | 8 | 30 |
| December | 2° | −12° | 0.5" | 9.2" | 7 | 31 |
| Year | 38° | 18° | 12.8" | 54.0" | 87 | 192 |
Where North Pole’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: N Pole, AK (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: N Pole, AK, 1.2 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 North Pole’s climate
What is the weather like in North Pole?
A typical July afternoon reaches 73°, a January night drops to −16°, and about 54 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 4 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 123 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in North Pole in winter?
January nights average −16°. About 239 nights a year reach 32° or below and 115 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does North Pole get?
About 54 inches in a normal winter at N Pole, AK, most of it in November, with snow on the ground about 192 days a year.
How hot does it get in North Pole?
July, with a typical high of 73°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at N Pole, AK.
When is the first and last frost in North Pole?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 18 and the first fall frost by September 5, about 110 frost-free days, at N Pole, AK.
What growing zone is North Pole in?
Zone 1b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −50°.
What is the best time of year to visit North Pole?
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 North Pole.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.