Tanacross sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for winter warmth
July afternoons average 72°. Precipitation peaks in June and eases off in March. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Radiators earn their keep from September to May, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Tanacross at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Tanacross’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Tanacross’ place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Tanacross feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 257 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 127 to 0° or below. Frost dates and degree days from Tok, AK, 14 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Tanacross’ center in zone 3a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −38°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 38 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Tok, AK, is heaviest from November through December, about 8 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 11 inches a year; June is the wettest month and March the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 63 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Tanacross
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 Tok, AK.
Living with Tanacross’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 3a, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 64 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 4.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Tanacross from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 12%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Tanacross and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Tanacross yet.
Climates most like Tanacross’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanacross, AK | −20° | 72° | 11" | 38" |
| Thief River Falls, MN | −4° | 79° | 22" | 50" |
| Grand Forks, ND | −2° | 81° | 22" | 49" |
| Gunnison, CO | 0° | 82° | 12" | 50" |
| Watertown, SD | 2° | 81° | 25" | 41" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Tanacross compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Tanacross’ place among Alaska’s.
Tanacross weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Tok, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −4° | −20° | 0.4" | 4.9" | 3 | 31 |
| February | 8° | −13° | 0.2" | 3.5" | 2 | 29 |
| March | 24° | −5° | 0.2" | 3.3" | 2 | 31 |
| April | 45° | 18° | 0.2" | 2.4" | 2 | 24 |
| May | 61° | 31° | 0.9" | 0.9" | 5 | 2 |
| June | 71° | 42° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 |
| July | 72° | 46° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 |
| August | 67° | 40° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 |
| September | 54° | 31° | 1.0" | 1.8" | 6 | 2 |
| October | 31° | 14° | 0.6" | 4.9" | 5 | 19 |
| November | 8° | −8° | 0.6" | 8.2" | 5 | 29 |
| December | −2° | −18° | 0.6" | 7.7" | 5 | 31 |
| Year | 36° | 13° | 10.6" | 37.6" | 63 | 198 |
Where Tanacross’ 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: Tok, AK.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Tok, AK, 14 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 Tanacross’ climate
What is the weather like in Tanacross?
A typical July afternoon reaches 72°, a January night drops to −20°, and about 38 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights: first of 12,955 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 116 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Tanacross in winter?
January nights average −20°. About 257 nights a year reach 32° or below and 127 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Tanacross get?
About 38 inches in a normal winter at Tok, AK, heaviest from November through December, about 8 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 198 days a year.
How hot does it get in Tanacross?
July, with a typical high of 72° and a low of 46°. About 1 days a year reach 90° (Tok, AK).
When is the first and last frost in Tanacross?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Tok, AK, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 257 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 64 days.
What growing zone is Tanacross in?
Zone 3a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −38°.
What is the best time of year to visit Tanacross?
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 Tanacross.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.