Few U.S. towns have colder winter nights than Pleasant Valley
July afternoons average 75°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. The wettest month is July; the driest is March. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from June to August, with highs of 68–75°.
A year in Pleasant Valley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Pleasant Valley’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Pleasant Valley’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Pleasant Valley feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 95 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 30 and the first by September 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Two Rivers, AK, 2.1 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Pleasant Valley’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 61 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Two Rivers, AK, is heaviest from October through November, about 12 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; July is the wettest month and March the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 109 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Pleasant Valley
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 Two Rivers, AK.
Living with Pleasant Valley’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
95 frost-free days in zone 2a. The last frost comes by May 30 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 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 15 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Pleasant Valley from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (35%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Pleasant Valley and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Pleasant Valley yet.
Climates most like Pleasant Valley’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasant Valley, AK | −13° | 75° | 16" | 61" |
| Thief River Falls, MN | −4° | 79° | 22" | 50" |
| Grand Forks, ND | −2° | 81° | 22" | 49" |
| Gunnison, CO | 0° | 82° | 12" | 50" |
| 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 Pleasant Valley compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Pleasant Valley’s place among Alaska’s.
Pleasant Valley weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Two Rivers, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6° | −13° | 0.6" | 10.5" | 7 | 31 |
| February | 18° | −5° | 0.6" | 6.9" | 5 | 29 |
| March | 29° | 1° | 0.4" | 6.0" | 4 | 31 |
| April | 49° | 22° | 0.4" | 2.1" | 3 | 26 |
| May | 65° | 34° | 1.0" | 0.7" | 8 | 2 |
| June | 74° | 45° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 |
| July | 75° | 49° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| August | 68° | 44° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| September | 56° | 34° | 2.0" | 1.4" | 13 | 1 |
| October | 36° | 18° | 0.9" | 12.1" | 10 | 21 |
| November | 16° | −2° | 0.7" | 12.7" | 8 | 30 |
| December | 9° | −10° | 0.6" | 9.0" | 7 | 31 |
| Year | 41° | 18° | 15.8" | 61.4" | 109 | 201 |
Where Pleasant Valley’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: Two Rivers, AK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Two Rivers, AK, 2.1 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 Pleasant Valley’s climate
What is the weather like in Pleasant Valley?
A typical July afternoon reaches 75°, a January night drops to −13°, and about 61 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 7 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 190 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Pleasant Valley in winter?
January nights average −13°. About 236 nights a year reach 32° or below and 99 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Pleasant Valley get?
About 61 inches in a normal winter at Two Rivers, AK, heaviest from October through November, about 12 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 201 days a year.
How hot does it get in Pleasant Valley?
July, with a typical high of 75°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Two Rivers, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Pleasant Valley?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 30 and the first fall frost by September 2, about 95 frost-free days, at Two Rivers, AK.
What growing zone is Pleasant Valley 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 Pleasant Valley?
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 Pleasant Valley.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.