Saxman Totem Park · Photo: Jerzystrzelecki · CC BY 3.0Hardly any U.S. towns collect more precipitation than Saxman: 150 inches a year
January mornings start at about 32°. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 33°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Plan time outside for July and August, when highs sit at 65°.
A year in Saxman at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Saxman’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Saxman’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Saxman feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 185 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 22 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ketchikan International Airport, 5 miles from the town’s center, 210 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Saxman’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 12°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 35 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Annette Island Airport, falls mostly in February, March and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 150 inches a year; October is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 231 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Saxman
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 Ketchikan International Airport.
Living with Saxman’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
185 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Apr 22 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Saxman from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (73%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Saxman and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Saxman yet.
Climates most like Saxman’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saxman, AK | 32° | 65° | 150" | 35" |
| 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 Saxman compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Saxman’s place among Alaska’s.
Saxman weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Annette Island Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 32° | 16.2" | 7.0" | 22 | 6 |
| February | 41° | 32° | 11.8" | 7.3" | 18 | 3 |
| March | 44° | 32° | 11.0" | 7.8" | 22 | 2 |
| April | 50° | 37° | 10.3" | 1.0" | 19 | 0 |
| May | 57° | 43° | 8.7" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| June | 61° | 49° | 7.0" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 |
| July | 65° | 53° | 7.3" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| August | 65° | 53° | 11.3" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 |
| September | 59° | 48° | 14.3" | 0.0" | 20 | 0 |
| October | 51° | 41° | 18.4" | 0.0" | 23 | 0 |
| November | 44° | 36° | 17.1" | 3.6" | 23 | 1 |
| December | 40° | 33° | 16.3" | 8.1" | 23 | 5 |
| Year | 51° | 41° | 149.5" | 34.8" | 231 | 18 |
Where Saxman’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: Annette Island Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ketchikan International Airport, 5 miles from the town’s center, 210 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 Saxman’s climate
What is the weather like in Saxman?
A typical July afternoon reaches 65°, a January night drops to 32°, and about 35 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 74% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 20 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Saxman in winter?
January nights average 32°. About 82 nights a year reach 32° or below.
How much snow does Saxman get?
About 35 inches in a normal winter at Annette Island Airport, most of it in February, March and December, with snow on the ground about 18 days a year.
How hot does it get in Saxman?
July, with a typical high of 65°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Ketchikan International Airport.
When is the first and last frost in Saxman?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 22 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 185 frost-free days, at Ketchikan International Airport.
What growing zone is Saxman in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Saxman?
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 Saxman.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.