Photo: FairbanksMike · CC BY 2.0Hardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Tanana
High summer brings afternoon highs near 71°. Precipitation peaks in August and eases off in March. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from September to May, which average under 50°.
A year in Tanana at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Tanana’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Tanana’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Tanana feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 89 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 29 and the first by August 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Tanana Calhoun Mem Airport, 1.6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Tanana’s center in zone 1b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −51°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 50 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Tanana Calhoun Mem Airport, is heaviest from November through December, about 10 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; August is the wettest month and March the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 98 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Tanana
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 Tanana Calhoun Mem Airport.
Living with Tanana’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
89 frost-free days in zone 1b. The last frost comes by May 29 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, July and August. 9.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 69% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Tanana from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Tanana and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Tanana yet.
Climates most like Tanana’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanana, AK | −17° | 71° | 12" | 50" |
| Thief River Falls, MN | −4° | 79° | 22" | 50" |
| Grand Forks, ND | −2° | 81° | 22" | 49" |
| Gunnison, CO | 0° | 82° | 12" | 50" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Tanana compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Tanana’s place among Alaska’s.
Tanana weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Tanana Calhoun Mem Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1° | −17° | 0.4" | 7.7" | 5 | 31 |
| February | 8° | −11° | 0.4" | 8.0" | 6 | 29 |
| March | 19° | −6° | 0.2" | 5.4" | 4 | 31 |
| April | 39° | 16° | 0.3" | 2.5" | 4 | 26 |
| May | 59° | 33° | 0.6" | 0.3" | 7 | 3 |
| June | 70° | 45° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 |
| July | 71° | 49° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 |
| August | 64° | 43° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 |
| September | 52° | 34° | 1.7" | 0.8" | 12 | 1 |
| October | 31° | 17° | 0.7" | 5.0" | 8 | 16 |
| November | 11° | −4° | 0.6" | 10.0" | 7 | 30 |
| December | 2° | −13° | 0.4" | 10.3" | 7 | 31 |
| Year | 35° | 16° | 11.5" | 50.0" | 98 | 196 |
Where Tanana’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: Tanana Calhoun Mem Airport (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Tanana Calhoun Mem Airport, 1.6 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 Tanana’s climate
What is the weather like in Tanana?
A typical July afternoon reaches 71°, a January night drops to −17°, and about 50 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 3 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 89 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Tanana in winter?
January nights average −17°. About 236 nights a year reach 32° or below and 110 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Tanana get?
About 50 inches in a normal winter at Tanana Calhoun Mem Airport, heaviest from November through December, about 10 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 196 days a year.
How hot does it get in Tanana?
July, with a typical high of 71°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Tanana Calhoun Mem Airport.
When is the first and last frost in Tanana?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 29 and the first fall frost by August 28, about 89 frost-free days, at Tanana Calhoun Mem Airport.
What growing zone is Tanana in?
Zone 1b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −51°.
What is the best time of year to visit Tanana?
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 Tanana.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.