Photo: Andrew Otto · CC BY-SA 2.0Few U.S. towns have cooler summers than Petersville
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 7° on average. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 96% of U.S. towns. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 64°. Central heating does most of its work from September to May, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Petersville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Petersville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Petersville’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Petersville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 107 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 28 and the first by September 13. Frost dates and degree days from Amber Lake, AK, 21 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Petersville’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°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 32 inches of rain a year
September is the wettest month and March the driest.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Petersville
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 Amber Lake, AK.
Living with Petersville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
107 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 28 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 13.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 76 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Petersville from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (85%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Petersville and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Petersville yet.
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Petersville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Petersville’s place among Alaska’s.
Petersville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22° | 7° | 1.7" |
| February | 29° | 11° | 1.7" |
| March | 36° | 14° | 1.2" |
| April | 49° | 25° | 1.4" |
| May | 61° | 34° | 2.1" |
| June | 71° | 43° | 1.8" |
| July | 71° | 48° | 4.0" |
| August | 67° | 46° | 4.9" |
| September | 57° | 38° | 5.7" |
| October | 42° | 26° | 2.9" |
| November | 27° | 15° | 2.4" |
| December | 24° | 10° | 2.1" |
| Year | 46° | 26° | 31.9" |
Where Petersville’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).
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Amber Lake, AK, 21 miles away.
- 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 Petersville’s climate
What is the weather like in Petersville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 71°, a January night drops to 7°. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 100 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Petersville in winter?
January nights average 7°. About 210 nights a year reach 32° or below and 31 reach 0° or below.
How hot does it get in Petersville?
July, with a typical high of 71° and a low of 48°. About 1 days a year reach 90° (Amber Lake, AK).
When is the first and last frost in Petersville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 28 and the first fall frost by September 13, about 107 frost-free days, at Amber Lake, AK.
What growing zone is Petersville 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 Petersville?
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 Petersville.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.