Hardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Northway
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 72°. Its July afternoons stay fresher than in almost every U.S. town. Rain follows the seasons: July brings about 19 times as much as March. Long walks are most pleasant from June to August, when afternoons reach 67–72°.
A year in Northway at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Northway’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Northway’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Northway feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 272 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 126 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Tok 70 Se, AK, 21 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Northway’s center in zone 2b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −43°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 43 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Northway Airport, falls mostly in November. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 11 inches a year; July is the wettest month and March the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 94 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Northway
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 Tok 70 Se, AK.
Living with Northway’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 2b, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 53 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 2.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Northway from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 12%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Northway and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Northway yet.
Climates most like Northway’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northway, AK | −22° | 72° | 11" | 43" |
| 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 precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Northway compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Northway’s place among Alaska’s.
Northway weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Northway Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5° | −22° | 0.3" | 6.3" | 6 | 31 |
| February | 8° | −16° | 0.2" | 5.2" | 4 | 29 |
| March | 25° | −8° | 0.2" | 3.5" | 3 | 31 |
| April | 45° | 17° | 0.2" | 1.2" | 3 | 22 |
| May | 61° | 34° | 1.0" | 1.8" | 8 | 2 |
| June | 70° | 45° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 |
| July | 72° | 48° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| August | 67° | 44° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 |
| September | 55° | 32° | 1.1" | 1.9" | 9 | 2 |
| October | 32° | 14° | 0.5" | 6.1" | 8 | 17 |
| November | 8° | −9° | 0.5" | 9.8" | 7 | 29 |
| December | −2° | −19° | 0.3" | 7.1" | 6 | 31 |
| Year | 36° | 13° | 11.3" | 42.9" | 94 | 193 |
Where Northway’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: Northway Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Tok 70 Se, AK, 21 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft lower; 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 Northway’s climate
What is the weather like in Northway?
A typical July afternoon reaches 72°, a January night drops to −22°, and about 43 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights: first of 12,955 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 103 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Northway in winter?
January nights average −22°. About 272 nights a year reach 32° or below and 126 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Northway get?
About 43 inches in a normal winter at Northway Airport, most of it in November, with snow on the ground about 193 days a year.
How hot does it get in Northway?
July, with a typical high of 72°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Tok 70 Se, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Northway?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Tok 70 Se, AK, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 272 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 53 days.
What growing zone is Northway in?
Zone 2b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −43°.
What is the best time of year to visit Northway?
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 Northway.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.