Photo: HMS · CC BY-SA 3.0Sutton-Alpine gets about 83 inches of snow a winter, more than 95% of U.S. towns
July afternoons average 69°. Rain follows the seasons: September brings about 6.6 times as much as April. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Plan time outside from June to August, when highs sit at 66–69°.
A year in Sutton-Alpine at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sutton-Alpine’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sutton-Alpine’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Sutton-Alpine feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 114 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 22 and the first by September 16. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lazy Mtn, AK, 10 miles from the town’s center, 340 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sutton-Alpine’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −23°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 83 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lazy Mtn, AK, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 19 inches a year; September is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 112 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sutton-Alpine
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 Lazy Mtn, AK.
Living with Sutton-Alpine’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
114 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 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 Sep 16.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 15 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sutton-Alpine from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (87%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sutton-Alpine and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Sutton-Alpine in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Sutton-Alpine’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutton-Alpine, AK | 9° | 69° | 19" | 83" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Marquette, MI | 11° | 76° | 32" | 102" |
| Woodland Park, CO | 11° | 77° | 22" | 134" |
| Duluth, MN | 5° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
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 Sutton-Alpine compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sutton-Alpine’s place among Alaska’s.
Sutton-Alpine weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lazy Mtn, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23° | 9° | 0.9" | 14.7" | 7 | 30 |
| February | 30° | 12° | 1.2" | 13.6" | 7 | 29 |
| March | 36° | 16° | 0.7" | 11.3" | 6 | 30 |
| April | 50° | 26° | 0.5" | 4.8" | 4 | 22 |
| May | 62° | 33° | 0.9" | 0.9" | 7 | 1 |
| June | 67° | 42° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 |
| July | 69° | 47° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 |
| August | 66° | 45° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| September | 57° | 37° | 3.3" | 0.5" | 15 | 1 |
| October | 44° | 27° | 1.5" | 6.0" | 10 | 8 |
| November | 29° | 15° | 1.4" | 11.9" | 8 | 22 |
| December | 24° | 11° | 1.4" | 18.8" | 9 | 29 |
| Year | 46° | 27° | 18.8" | 82.5" | 112 | 171 |
Where Sutton-Alpine’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: Lazy Mtn, AK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lazy Mtn, AK, 10 miles from the town’s center, 340 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 Sutton-Alpine’s climate
What is the weather like in Sutton-Alpine?
A typical July afternoon reaches 69°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 83 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 67 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sutton-Alpine in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 218 nights a year reach 32° or below and 29 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Sutton-Alpine get?
About 83 inches in a normal winter at Lazy Mtn, AK, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 171 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sutton-Alpine?
July, with a typical high of 69°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Lazy Mtn, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Sutton-Alpine?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 22 and the first fall frost by September 16, about 114 frost-free days, at Lazy Mtn, AK.
What growing zone is Sutton-Alpine in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −23°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sutton-Alpine?
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 Sutton-Alpine.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.