Prudhoe Bay’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 55°, a January night drops to −22°, and about 36 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Prudhoe Bay at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Prudhoe Bay’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Prudhoe Bay’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Prudhoe Bay feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 283 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 154 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Deadhorse Airport, 14 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Prudhoe Bay’s center in zone 2b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −45°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 36 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Kuparuk, AK, falls mostly in October. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 6 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 75 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Prudhoe Bay
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from every month of the year.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Deadhorse Airport.
Living with Prudhoe Bay’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 2b, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 47 days.
25 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 82% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Prudhoe Bay from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Prudhoe Bay and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Prudhoe Bay yet.
Climates most like Prudhoe Bay’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prudhoe Bay, AK | −22° | 55° | 6" | 36" |
| International Falls, MN | −5° | 78° | 28" | 73" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Gladstone, MI | 11° | 76° | 31" | 47" |
| Grand Forks, ND | −2° | 81° | 22" | 49" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Prudhoe Bay compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Prudhoe Bay’s place among Alaska’s.
Prudhoe Bay weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Kuparuk, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −8° | −22° | 0.3" | 2.9" | 5 | 31 |
| February | −8° | −22° | 0.1" | 3.0" | 4 | 29 |
| March | −7° | −21° | 0.1" | 2.7" | 4 | 31 |
| April | 10° | −5° | 0.2" | 3.6" | 4 | 30 |
| May | 29° | 19° | 0.3" | 2.1" | 3 | 26 |
| June | 46° | 34° | 0.6" | 0.6" | 4 | 3 |
| July | 55° | 40° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 |
| August | 50° | 37° | 1.4" | 0.3" | 11 | 0 |
| September | 39° | 30° | 0.6" | 2.8" | 9 | 4 |
| October | 24° | 13° | 0.4" | 7.5" | 9 | 26 |
| November | 8° | −5° | 0.3" | 6.1" | 7 | 30 |
| December | −3° | −16° | 0.4" | 3.9" | 6 | 31 |
| Year | 20° | 7° | 5.7" | 35.5" | 75 | 239 |
Where Prudhoe Bay’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: Kuparuk, AK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Deadhorse 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 Prudhoe Bay’s climate
What is the weather like in Prudhoe Bay?
A typical July afternoon reaches 55°, a January night drops to −22°, and about 36 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights: first of 12,955 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 1 U.S. town.
How cold does it get in Prudhoe Bay in winter?
February nights average −22°. About 283 nights a year reach 32° or below and 154 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Prudhoe Bay get?
About 36 inches in a normal winter at Kuparuk, AK, most of it in October, with snow on the ground about 239 days a year.
How hot does it get in Prudhoe Bay?
July, with a typical high of 55°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Deadhorse Airport.
When is the first and last frost in Prudhoe Bay?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Deadhorse Airport, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 283 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 47 days.
What growing zone is Prudhoe Bay in?
Zone 2b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −45°.
What is the best time of year to visit Prudhoe Bay?
No month meets the simple rule we use (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more). 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 Prudhoe Bay.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.