Photo: National Park Service · Public domainNuiqsut sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for winter warmth
Sunny July days climb to about 58°. Precipitation peaks in August and eases off in March. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than almost every U.S. town.
A year in Nuiqsut at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Nuiqsut’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Nuiqsut’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Nuiqsut 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 281 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 156 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Nuiqsut Airport, 0.6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Nuiqsut’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 58 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Colville Village, AK, is heaviest from October through November, about 11 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 6 inches a year; August is the wettest month and March the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 99 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Nuiqsut
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 Nuiqsut Airport.
Living with Nuiqsut’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 2a, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 51 days.
Cold waves are 83% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Nuiqsut from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Nuiqsut and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Nuiqsut yet.
Climates most like Nuiqsut’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nuiqsut, AK | −23° | 58° | 6" | 58" |
| International Falls, MN | −5° | 78° | 28" | 73" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Grand Forks, ND | −2° | 81° | 22" | 49" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Nuiqsut compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Nuiqsut’s place among Alaska’s.
Nuiqsut weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Colville Village, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −9° | −23° | 0.3" | 6.0" | 6 | 31 |
| February | −9° | −23° | 0.2" | 7.1" | 6 | 29 |
| March | −7° | −21° | 0.2" | 3.4" | 4 | 31 |
| April | 10° | −5° | 0.4" | 4.4" | 4 | 30 |
| May | 29° | 19° | 0.4" | 4.5" | 5 | 29 |
| June | 50° | 35° | 0.6" | 0.9" | 6 | 5 |
| July | 58° | 41° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 |
| August | 51° | 38° | 1.2" | 0.3" | 16 | 0 |
| September | 40° | 30° | 0.6" | 2.4" | 12 | 3 |
| October | 24° | 13° | 0.2" | 11.2" | 12 | 25 |
| November | 8° | −6° | 0.3" | 10.1" | 10 | 30 |
| December | −4° | −17° | 0.3" | 7.3" | 8 | 31 |
| Year | 20° | 7° | 5.7" | 57.6" | 99 | 243 |
Where Nuiqsut’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: Colville Village, AK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Nuiqsut Airport, 0.6 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 Nuiqsut’s climate
What is the weather like in Nuiqsut?
A typical July afternoon reaches 58°, a January night drops to −23°, and about 58 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights: first of 12,955 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 3 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Nuiqsut in winter?
January nights average −23°. About 281 nights a year reach 32° or below and 156 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Nuiqsut get?
About 58 inches in a normal winter at Colville Village, AK, heaviest from October through November, about 11 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 243 days a year.
How hot does it get in Nuiqsut?
July, with a typical high of 58°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Nuiqsut Airport.
When is the first and last frost in Nuiqsut?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Nuiqsut Airport, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 281 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 51 days.
What growing zone is Nuiqsut 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 Nuiqsut?
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 Nuiqsut.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.