Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown · Public domainSeward gets about 90 inches of snow a winter, more than 97% of U.S. towns
Expect July afternoons of about 62°. Winter and summer sit 41° apart. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Comfortable outdoor weather, highs of 62°, belongs to July and August.
A year in Seward at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Seward’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Seward’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Seward feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 158 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 2 and the first by October 7. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Seward Airport, 0.9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Seward’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 1°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 90 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Seward 19n, AK, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 70 inches a year; September is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 178 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Seward
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 Seward Airport.
Living with Seward’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
158 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by May 2 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 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August. 11 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Seward from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (46%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Seward and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Seward yet.
Climates most like Seward’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seward, AK | 21° | 62° | 70" | 90" |
| North Elba, NY | 4° | 72° | 52" | 104" |
| Waldoboro, ME | 14° | 75° | 49" | 79" |
| Florence, OR | 40° | 66° | 73" | 0.6" |
| Hazleton, PA | 16° | 78° | 51" | 42" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Seward compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Seward’s place among Alaska’s.
Seward weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Seward 19n, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 21° | 6.5" | 17.2" | 13 | 31 |
| February | 34° | 24° | 6.4" | 15.7" | 13 | 28 |
| March | 37° | 25° | 3.9" | 12.3" | 11 | 31 |
| April | 45° | 32° | 4.3" | 3.9" | 12 | 29 |
| May | 53° | 39° | 3.5" | 0.3" | 14 | 12 |
| June | 59° | 46° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 |
| July | 62° | 50° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| August | 62° | 50° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| September | 56° | 43° | 9.9" | 0.0" | 20 | 0 |
| October | 46° | 35° | 8.7" | 1.7" | 18 | 3 |
| November | 36° | 27° | 7.6" | 11.8" | 14 | 21 |
| December | 33° | 23° | 8.2" | 27.2" | 15 | 29 |
| Year | 46° | 35° | 69.7" | 90.1" | 178 | 184 |
Where Seward’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: Seward 19n, AK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Seward Airport, 0.9 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 Seward’s climate
What is the weather like in Seward?
A typical July afternoon reaches 62°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 90 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 54% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 8 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Seward in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 146 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Seward get?
About 90 inches in a normal winter at Seward 19n, AK, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 184 days a year.
How hot does it get in Seward?
July, with a typical high of 62°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Seward Airport.
When is the first and last frost in Seward?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 2 and the first fall frost by October 7, about 158 frost-free days, at Seward Airport.
What growing zone is Seward in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Seward?
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 Seward.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.