Point MacKenzie’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 66°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 78 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Point MacKenzie at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Point MacKenzie’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Point MacKenzie’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Point MacKenzie feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 147 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 5 and the first by October 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Anchorage International Airport, 14 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Point MacKenzie’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −22°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 78 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Anchorage International Airport, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; September is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 115 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Point MacKenzie
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 Anchorage International Airport.
Living with Point MacKenzie’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
147 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 5 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 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 20 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Point MacKenzie from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (91%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Point MacKenzie and its neighbors
Knik-Fairview has the coldest January nights next door (7°, 4° colder) and Knik-Fairview the hottest July afternoons (68°, 2° warmer). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Point MacKenzie’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point MacKenzie, AK | 11° | 66° | 16" | 78" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Woodland Park, CO | 11° | 77° | 22" | 134" |
| Marquette, MI | 11° | 76° | 32" | 102" |
| 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 Point MacKenzie compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Point MacKenzie’s place among Alaska’s.
Point MacKenzie weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Anchorage International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23° | 11° | 0.8" | 12.4" | 8 | 31 |
| February | 27° | 15° | 0.9" | 13.4" | 8 | 27 |
| March | 33° | 19° | 0.7" | 11.0" | 6 | 29 |
| April | 45° | 30° | 0.4" | 4.0" | 5 | 14 |
| May | 56° | 40° | 0.7" | 0.3" | 7 | 0 |
| June | 63° | 48° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 |
| July | 66° | 53° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 |
| August | 64° | 51° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 |
| September | 56° | 43° | 3.1" | 0.4" | 15 | 0 |
| October | 42° | 31° | 1.8" | 5.6" | 12 | 5 |
| November | 29° | 18° | 1.2" | 12.6" | 10 | 21 |
| December | 25° | 14° | 1.2" | 18.2" | 11 | 28 |
| Year | 44° | 31° | 16.4" | 77.9" | 115 | 154 |
Where Point MacKenzie’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: Anchorage International Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Anchorage International Airport, 14 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 Point MacKenzie’s climate
What is the weather like in Point MacKenzie?
A typical July afternoon reaches 66°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 78 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 38 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Point MacKenzie in winter?
January nights average 11°. About 186 nights a year reach 32° or below and 19 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Point MacKenzie get?
About 78 inches in a normal winter at Anchorage International Airport, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 154 days a year.
How hot does it get in Point MacKenzie?
July, with a typical high of 66°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Anchorage International Airport.
When is the first and last frost in Point MacKenzie?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 5 and the first fall frost by October 1, about 147 frost-free days, at Anchorage International Airport.
What growing zone is Point MacKenzie in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −22°.
What is the best time of year to visit Point MacKenzie?
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 Point MacKenzie.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.