Photo: Frank K. from Anchorage, Alaska, USA · CC BY 2.0Talkeetna has some of the coolest summers among U.S. towns
Midwinter brings lows of about 5°. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 63°. In January, nights here are colder than in 98% of U.S. towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from September to May, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Talkeetna at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Talkeetna’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Talkeetna’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Talkeetna feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 122 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 16 and the first by September 16. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Talkeetna Airport, 5 miles from the town’s center, 360 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Talkeetna’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 27 inches of rain a year
August is the wettest month and March the driest.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Talkeetna
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 Talkeetna Airport.
Living with Talkeetna’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
122 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 16 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. 35 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Talkeetna from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (83%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Talkeetna and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Talkeetna in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
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 Talkeetna compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Talkeetna’s place among Alaska’s.
Talkeetna weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22° | 5° | 1.3" |
| February | 28° | 9° | 1.2" |
| March | 35° | 12° | 1.1" |
| April | 47° | 26° | 1.3" |
| May | 59° | 37° | 1.6" |
| June | 67° | 47° | 1.7" |
| July | 69° | 51° | 2.9" |
| August | 65° | 48° | 4.7" |
| September | 56° | 39° | 4.5" |
| October | 42° | 27° | 2.8" |
| November | 28° | 13° | 1.8" |
| December | 23° | 8° | 1.7" |
| Year | 45° | 27° | 26.5" |
Where Talkeetna’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).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Talkeetna Airport, 5 miles from the town’s center, 360 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 Talkeetna’s climate
What is the weather like in Talkeetna?
A typical July afternoon reaches 69°, a January night drops to 5°. Colder January nights than 98% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 68 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Talkeetna in winter?
January nights average 5°. About 207 nights a year reach 32° or below and 43 reach 0° or below.
How hot does it get in Talkeetna?
July, with a typical high of 69°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Talkeetna Airport.
When is the first and last frost in Talkeetna?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 16 and the first fall frost by September 16, about 122 frost-free days, at Talkeetna Airport.
What growing zone is Talkeetna 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 Talkeetna?
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 Talkeetna.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.