Steele Creek sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for winter warmth
July afternoons average 68°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 70° apart. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Comfortable outdoor weather, highs of 67–68°, belongs to June and July.
A year in Steele Creek at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Steele Creek’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Steele Creek’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Steele Creek feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 87 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 1 and the first by August 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Gilmore Creek, AK, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Steele Creek’s center in zone 3a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −36°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 53 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Gilmore Creek, AK, falls mostly in November. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 15 inches a year; August is the wettest month and March the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 107 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Steele Creek
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from August 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 Gilmore Creek, AK.
Living with Steele Creek’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
87 frost-free days in zone 3a. The last frost comes by Jun 1 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Aug 28.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and July. 49 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 33% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Steele Creek from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Steele Creek and its neighbors
Badger has the coldest January nights next door (-16°, 13° colder) and Two Rivers the hottest July afternoons (75°, 7° 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 Steele Creek’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steele Creek, AK | −2° | 68° | 15" | 53" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Duluth, MN | 5° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Gladstone, MI | 11° | 76° | 31" | 47" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
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 Steele Creek compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Steele Creek’s place among Alaska’s.
Steele Creek weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Gilmore Creek, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10° | −2° | 0.6" | 7.1" | 6 |
| February | 17° | 3° | 0.6" | 6.1" | 5 |
| March | 24° | 8° | 0.5" | 6.3" | 5 |
| April | 42° | 25° | 0.7" | 2.5" | 3 |
| May | 57° | 38° | 0.9" | 0.3" | 8 |
| June | 67° | 48° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 12 |
| July | 68° | 51° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 15 |
| August | 61° | 47° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 17 |
| September | 52° | 37° | 1.7" | 1.8" | 13 |
| October | 33° | 22° | 0.8" | 7.3" | 9 |
| November | 18° | 6° | 0.8" | 11.8" | 8 |
| December | 14° | 0° | 0.6" | 9.9" | 7 |
| Year | 39° | 24° | 15.0" | 53.1" | 107 |
Where Steele Creek’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: Gilmore Creek, AK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Gilmore Creek, AK, 5 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 Steele Creek’s climate
What is the weather like in Steele Creek?
A typical July afternoon reaches 68°, a January night drops to −2°, and about 53 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 20 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 63 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Steele Creek in winter?
January nights average −2°. About 244 nights a year reach 32° or below and 102 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Steele Creek get?
About 53 inches in a normal winter at Gilmore Creek, AK, most of it in November.
How hot does it get in Steele Creek?
July, with a typical high of 68°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Gilmore Creek, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Steele Creek?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 1 and the first fall frost by August 28, about 87 frost-free days, at Gilmore Creek, AK.
What growing zone is Steele Creek in?
Zone 3a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −36°.
What is the best time of year to visit Steele Creek?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and July. 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 Steele Creek.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.