Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Salcha has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 72°. A year here swings 89° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Its July afternoons stay fresher than in almost every U.S. town. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from September to May, which average under 50°.
A year in Salcha at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Salcha’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Salcha’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Salcha feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 104 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 20 and the first by September 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Eielson Fld, AK, 11 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Salcha’s center in zone 2a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −46°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 68 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Eielson Fld, AK, is heaviest from October through November, about 13 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 13 inches a year; July is the wettest month and March the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 97 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Salcha
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 Eielson Fld, AK.
Living with Salcha’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
104 frost-free days in zone 2a. The last frost comes by May 20 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 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 9.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Salcha from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (51%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 20%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Salcha and its neighbors
Harding-Birch Lakes the hottest July afternoons (74°, 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 Salcha’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salcha, AK | −18° | 72° | 13" | 68" |
| International Falls, MN | −5° | 78° | 28" | 73" |
| Grand Forks, ND | −2° | 81° | 22" | 49" |
| Gunnison, CO | 0° | 82° | 12" | 50" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 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 Salcha compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Salcha’s place among Alaska’s.
Salcha weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Eielson Fld, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0° | −18° | 0.5" | 8.5" | 7 |
| February | 11° | −11° | 0.4" | 6.5" | 5 |
| March | 25° | −3° | 0.3" | 6.9" | 5 |
| April | 45° | 21° | 0.3" | 3.5" | 3 |
| May | 61° | 36° | 0.7" | 1.7" | 6 |
| June | 71° | 47° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 11 |
| July | 72° | 50° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 13 |
| August | 66° | 44° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 13 |
| September | 54° | 34° | 1.5" | 2.6" | 10 |
| October | 33° | 16° | 0.9" | 12.9" | 10 |
| November | 10° | −6° | 0.5" | 13.4" | 7 |
| December | 3° | −14° | 0.4" | 11.7" | 7 |
| Year | 38° | 16° | 12.9" | 67.7" | 97 |
Where Salcha’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: Eielson Fld, AK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Eielson Fld, AK, 11 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft lower; 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 Salcha’s climate
What is the weather like in Salcha?
A typical July afternoon reaches 72°, a January night drops to −18°, and about 68 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 2 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 103 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Salcha in winter?
January nights average −18°. About 223 nights a year reach 32° or below and 112 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Salcha get?
About 68 inches in a normal winter at Eielson Fld, AK, heaviest from October through November, about 13 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Salcha?
July, with a typical high of 72°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Eielson Fld, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Salcha?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 20 and the first fall frost by September 1, about 104 frost-free days, at Eielson Fld, AK.
What growing zone is Salcha in?
Zone 2a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −46°.
What is the best time of year to visit Salcha?
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 Salcha.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.