Sunrise gets about 215 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 9 U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 67°. Precipitation is plentiful here, more than falls on almost every U.S. town. Rain follows the seasons: December brings about 4.1 times as much as June. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from September to May, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Sunrise at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sunrise’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sunrise’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Sunrise feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 127 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 18 and the first by September 24. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Anchorage Upper De Armoun, AK, 18 miles from the town’s center, 310 ft lower; frost dates and degree days from Hope, AK, 6 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sunrise’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −13°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 215 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Alyeska, AK, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 71 inches a year; December is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 204 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sunrise
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 Hope, AK.
Living with Sunrise’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
127 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 18 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 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sunrise from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (88%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sunrise and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sunrise yet.
Climates most like Sunrise’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrise, AK | 17° | 67° | 71" | 215" |
| North Elba, NY | 4° | 72° | 52" | 104" |
| Incline Village, NV | 22° | 73° | 38" | 179" |
| Waldoboro, ME | 14° | 75° | 49" | 79" |
| Stowe, VT | 7° | 78° | 45" | 139" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Sunrise compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sunrise’s place among Alaska’s.
Sunrise weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Alyeska, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 17° | 7.3" | 37.4" | 19 | 30 |
| February | 31° | 19° | 6.6" | 36.6" | 18 | 27 |
| March | 36° | 20° | 5.4" | 37.5" | 16 | 29 |
| April | 46° | 29° | 5.3" | 9.6" | 16 | 25 |
| May | 55° | 37° | 4.0" | 1.2" | 14 | 5 |
| June | 64° | 45° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 |
| July | 67° | 50° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 |
| August | 65° | 48° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| September | 56° | 41° | 8.3" | 0.0" | 20 | 0 |
| October | 44° | 32° | 7.8" | 8.1" | 19 | 6 |
| November | 33° | 22° | 7.7" | 29.9" | 18 | 21 |
| December | 29° | 19° | 9.0" | 54.2" | 22 | 28 |
| Year | 46° | 31° | 70.9" | 214.5" | 204 | 171 |
Where Sunrise’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: Alyeska, AK.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Hope, AK, 6 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Anchorage Upper De Armoun, AK, 18 miles from the town’s center, 310 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 Sunrise’s climate
What is the weather like in Sunrise?
A typical July afternoon reaches 67°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 215 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 76% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 40 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sunrise in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 188 nights a year reach 32° or below and 17 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Sunrise get?
About 215 inches in a normal winter at Alyeska, AK, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 171 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sunrise?
July, with a typical high of 67°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Hope, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Sunrise?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 18 and the first fall frost by September 24, about 127 frost-free days, at Hope, AK.
What growing zone is Sunrise in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −13°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sunrise?
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 Sunrise.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.