Photo: Christopher Michel from San Francisco, USA · CC BY 2.0Hardly any U.S. towns see fresher July days than Skagway
In January the night’s low is typically 20°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 84% of U.S. towns. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in September and the lightest in May. Homes need heating from October to April, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Skagway at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Skagway’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Skagway’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Skagway feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 146 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 6 and the first by October 1. Frost dates and degree days from Skagway, AK, 1.1 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Skagway’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −11°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 45 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Skagway, AK, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 32 inches a year; September is the wettest month and May the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 155 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Skagway
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 Skagway, AK.
Living with Skagway’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
146 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 6 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 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 14 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 52% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Skagway from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Skagway and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Skagway yet.
Climates most like Skagway’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skagway, AK | 20° | 67° | 32" | 45" |
| Gladstone, MI | 11° | 76° | 31" | 47" |
| Sturgeon Bay, WI | 13° | 77° | 32" | 57" |
| Nantucket, MA | 26° | 76° | 44" | 25" |
| Birch Bay, WA | 36° | 73° | 36" | 9.3" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Skagway compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Skagway’s place among Alaska’s.
Skagway weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Skagway, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29° | 20° | 2.7" | 9.2" | 14 | 16 |
| February | 33° | 22° | 2.0" | 8.1" | 11 | 13 |
| March | 38° | 25° | 2.0" | 8.6" | 10 | 10 |
| April | 50° | 32° | 1.7" | 1.5" | 12 | 1 |
| May | 61° | 40° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 |
| June | 66° | 48° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 |
| July | 67° | 51° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 |
| August | 65° | 50° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| September | 57° | 44° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| October | 47° | 36° | 4.4" | 1.1" | 18 | 1 |
| November | 37° | 27° | 3.4" | 5.9" | 14 | 6 |
| December | 32° | 24° | 4.0" | 10.5" | 13 | 14 |
| Year | 48° | 35° | 31.5" | 44.9" | 155 | 60 |
Where Skagway’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: Skagway, AK (NOAA station in town).
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Skagway, AK, 1.1 miles away.
- 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 Skagway’s climate
What is the weather like in Skagway?
A typical July afternoon reaches 67°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 45 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 58% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 48 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Skagway in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 159 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Skagway get?
About 45 inches in a normal winter at Skagway, AK, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 60 days a year.
How hot does it get in Skagway?
July, with a typical high of 67°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Skagway, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Skagway?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 6 and the first fall frost by October 1, about 146 frost-free days, at Skagway, AK.
What growing zone is Skagway in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −11°.
What is the best time of year to visit Skagway?
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 Skagway.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.