Photo: Joseph from Cabin On The Road, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Pelican gets about 112 inches of snow a winter, more than 98% of U.S. towns
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 60° on average. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in October and the lightest in June. It is a wet place: more rain and snow fall here than on almost every U.S. town. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from October to May, which average under 50°.
A year in Pelican at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Pelican’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Pelican’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Pelican feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 167 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 4 and the first by October 19. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Pelican, AK, 0.2 miles from the town’s center, 190 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Pelican’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 7°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 112 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Pelican, AK, is heaviest from January through February, about 25 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 165 inches a year; October is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 212 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Pelican
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September through June.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Pelican, AK.
Living with Pelican’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
167 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by May 4 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 19.
Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Pelican from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (70%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Pelican and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Pelican yet.
Climates most like Pelican’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pelican, AK | 28° | 60° | 165" | 112" |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | 63° | 79° | 151" | 0.0" |
| Lincoln City, OR | 40° | 67° | 88" | 0.1" |
| Ocean Shores, WA | 38° | 66° | 82" | 0.0" |
| Crescent City, CA | 42° | 64° | 69" | 0.0" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Pelican compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Pelican’s place among Alaska’s.
Pelican weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Pelican, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 28° | 15.8" | 26.4" | 21 | 17 |
| February | 38° | 28° | 11.6" | 24.4" | 17 | 19 |
| March | 40° | 29° | 12.1" | 21.4" | 16 | 22 |
| April | 48° | 33° | 8.9" | 3.6" | 16 | 7 |
| May | 54° | 39° | 6.5" | 0.1" | 13 | 0 |
| June | 60° | 45° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| July | 60° | 50° | 7.0" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 |
| August | 62° | 50° | 12.1" | 0.0" | 18 | 0 |
| September | 57° | 46° | 21.7" | 0.0" | 20 | 0 |
| October | 48° | 39° | 25.9" | 1.0" | 21 | 0 |
| November | 40° | 32° | 19.8" | 15.4" | 20 | 9 |
| December | 36° | 30° | 18.3" | 19.4" | 21 | 17 |
| Year | 48° | 37° | 164.6" | 111.7" | 212 | 91 |
Where Pelican’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: Pelican, AK (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Pelican, AK, 0.2 miles from the town’s center, 190 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 Pelican’s climate
What is the weather like in Pelican?
A typical July afternoon reaches 60°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 112 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 5 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Pelican in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 120 nights a year reach 32° or below.
How much snow does Pelican get?
About 112 inches in a normal winter at Pelican, AK, heaviest from January through February, about 25 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 91 days a year.
How hot does it get in Pelican?
July, with a typical high of 60°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Pelican, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Pelican?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 4 and the first fall frost by October 19, about 167 frost-free days, at Pelican, AK.
What growing zone is Pelican in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Pelican?
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 Pelican.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.