Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domainPort Alexander sits near the top of U.S. towns for precipitation, with 162 inches a year
In January the night’s low is typically 32°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. The wettest month is October; the driest is June. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from October to May, which average under 50°.
A year in Port Alexander at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Port Alexander’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Port Alexander’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Port Alexander feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 198 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 18 and the first by November 5. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Port Alexander, AK, 0.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Port Alexander’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 15°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 56 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Port Alexander, AK, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 162 inches a year; October is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 248 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Port Alexander
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 Port Alexander, AK.
Living with Port Alexander’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
198 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Apr 18 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 5.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August. 0.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Port Alexander from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (48%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Port Alexander and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Port Alexander yet.
Climates most like Port Alexander’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Alexander, AK | 32° | 64° | 162" | 56" |
| 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 Port Alexander compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Port Alexander’s place among Alaska’s.
Port Alexander weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Port Alexander, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 32° | 16.3" | 12.3" | 24 | 9 |
| February | 41° | 33° | 11.7" | 12.0" | 19 | 10 |
| March | 43° | 33° | 11.1" | 11.9" | 22 | 7 |
| April | 50° | 37° | 8.6" | 1.2" | 19 | 1 |
| May | 57° | 42° | 7.9" | 0.1" | 17 | 0 |
| June | 61° | 47° | 6.7" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 |
| July | 64° | 50° | 9.0" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| August | 64° | 50° | 13.9" | 0.0" | 19 | 0 |
| September | 58° | 47° | 19.3" | 0.0" | 23 | 0 |
| October | 51° | 42° | 19.9" | 0.3" | 25 | 0 |
| November | 44° | 36° | 18.1" | 4.1" | 24 | 3 |
| December | 41° | 33° | 19.6" | 14.1" | 24 | 9 |
| Year | 51° | 40° | 162.0" | 56.0" | 248 | 39 |
Where Port Alexander’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: Port Alexander, AK (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Port Alexander, AK, 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 Port Alexander’s climate
What is the weather like in Port Alexander?
A typical July afternoon reaches 64°, a January night drops to 32°, and about 56 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 75% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 19 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Port Alexander in winter?
January nights average 32°. About 68 nights a year reach 32° or below.
How much snow does Port Alexander get?
About 56 inches in a normal winter at Port Alexander, AK, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 39 days a year.
How hot does it get in Port Alexander?
July, with a typical high of 64°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Port Alexander, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Port Alexander?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 18 and the first fall frost by November 5, about 198 frost-free days, at Port Alexander, AK.
What growing zone is Port Alexander in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 15°.
What is the best time of year to visit Port Alexander?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), 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 Port Alexander.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.