Photo: Land Design North · Public domainPalmer gets about 83 inches of snow a winter, more than 96% of U.S. towns
Sunny July days climb to about 66°. August is the wettest month here, with about 5.8 times the rain of April. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 22, with the first autumn frost due around September 16.
A year in Palmer at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Palmer’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Palmer’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Palmer feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 114 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 22 and the first by September 16. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Palmer Muni Airport, 0.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; frost dates and degree days from Lazy Mtn, AK, 3 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Palmer’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −19°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 83 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lazy Mtn, AK, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; August is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 112 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Palmer
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55°: every month but July.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Lazy Mtn, AK.
Living with Palmer’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
114 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 22 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 16.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 6.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Palmer from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (94%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Palmer and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Palmer in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Palmer’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmer, AK | 9° | 66° | 18" | 83" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Marquette, MI | 11° | 76° | 32" | 102" |
| Woodland Park, CO | 11° | 77° | 22" | 134" |
| Duluth, MN | 5° | 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 Palmer compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Palmer’s place among Alaska’s.
Palmer weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lazy Mtn, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23° | 9° | 1.0" | 14.7" | 7 | 30 |
| February | 29° | 12° | 1.0" | 13.6" | 7 | 29 |
| March | 34° | 14° | 0.9" | 11.3" | 6 | 30 |
| April | 46° | 25° | 0.5" | 4.8" | 4 | 22 |
| May | 58° | 35° | 0.8" | 0.9" | 7 | 1 |
| June | 64° | 43° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 |
| July | 66° | 48° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 |
| August | 63° | 45° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| September | 55° | 37° | 2.9" | 0.5" | 15 | 1 |
| October | 42° | 26° | 1.8" | 6.0" | 10 | 8 |
| November | 28° | 15° | 1.2" | 11.9" | 8 | 22 |
| December | 24° | 11° | 1.5" | 18.8" | 9 | 29 |
| Year | 44° | 27° | 18.0" | 82.5" | 112 | 171 |
Where Palmer’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: Lazy Mtn, AK.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Lazy Mtn, AK, 3 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Palmer Muni Airport, 0.7 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 Palmer’s climate
What is the weather like in Palmer?
A typical July afternoon reaches 66°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 83 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 30 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Palmer in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 187 nights a year reach 32° or below and 28 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Palmer get?
About 83 inches in a normal winter at Lazy Mtn, AK, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 171 days a year.
How hot does it get in Palmer?
July, with a typical high of 66°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Lazy Mtn, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Palmer?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 22 and the first fall frost by September 16, about 114 frost-free days, at Lazy Mtn, AK.
What growing zone is Palmer in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Palmer?
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 Palmer.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.