Photo: Nader Moussa · CC BY-SA 3.0Hardly any U.S. towns see fresher July days than Port Lions
January nights here settle around 26°. By precipitation alone, it ranks wetter than almost every U.S. town. Temperatures cover 37° across the year, low to high. Central heating does most of its work from October to May, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Port Lions at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Port Lions’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Port Lions’ place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Port Lions feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 148 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 9 and the first by October 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ouzinkie, AK, 14 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Port Lions’ center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 5°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 70 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Kodiak Airport, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 78 inches a year; October is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 204 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Port Lions
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 Ouzinkie, AK.
Living with Port Lions’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
148 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by May 9 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 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: August.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Port Lions from natural hazards, tsunamis are the largest share (59%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Port Lions and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Port Lions yet.
Climates most like Port Lions’, 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 Lions, AK | 26° | 62° | 78" | 70" |
| Florence, OR | 40° | 66° | 73" | 0.6" |
| Hoquiam, WA | 37° | 68° | 81" | 0.5" |
| Crescent City, CA | 42° | 64° | 69" | 0.0" |
| North Elba, NY | 4° | 72° | 52" | 104" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Port Lions compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Port Lions’ place among Alaska’s.
Port Lions weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Kodiak Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 26° | 8.4" | 14.5" | 19 | 11 |
| February | 38° | 27° | 6.3" | 14.4" | 17 | 10 |
| March | 39° | 28° | 4.8" | 12.3" | 16 | 9 |
| April | 45° | 34° | 6.1" | 6.2" | 18 | 2 |
| May | 52° | 40° | 5.9" | 0.5" | 17 | 0 |
| June | 57° | 46° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 |
| July | 62° | 51° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| August | 63° | 50° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| September | 57° | 44° | 7.6" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| October | 48° | 36° | 8.9" | 0.7" | 18 | 0 |
| November | 41° | 30° | 7.1" | 6.1" | 17 | 4 |
| December | 37° | 27° | 8.8" | 15.6" | 20 | 11 |
| Year | 48° | 36° | 78.3" | 70.3" | 204 | 47 |
Where Port Lions’ 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: Kodiak Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ouzinkie, AK, 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 Port Lions’ climate
What is the weather like in Port Lions?
A typical July afternoon reaches 62°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 70 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 66% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 7 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Port Lions in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 148 nights a year reach 32° or below.
How much snow does Port Lions get?
About 70 inches in a normal winter at Kodiak Airport, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 47 days a year.
How hot does it get in Port Lions?
July, with a typical high of 62°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Ouzinkie, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Port Lions?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 9 and the first fall frost by October 4, about 148 frost-free days, at Ouzinkie, AK.
What growing zone is Port Lions in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Port Lions?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), 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 Lions.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.