Hardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Tetlin
July afternoons average 72°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Temperatures cover 92° across the year, low to high. Radiators earn their keep from September to May, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Tetlin at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Tetlin’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Tetlin’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Tetlin feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 79 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 3 and the first by August 27. Frost dates and degree days from Tok #2, AK, 18 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Tetlin’s 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°
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 Tetlin
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 #2, AK.
Living with Tetlin’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
79 frost-free days in zone 3a. The last frost comes by Jun 3 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 27.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 5.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Tetlin 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 →Tetlin and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Tetlin yet.
Climates most like Tetlin’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tetlin, 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 Tetlin compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Tetlin’s place among Alaska’s.
Tetlin 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 Tetlin’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: Tok, AK.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Tok #2, AK, 18 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 Tetlin’s climate
What is the weather like in Tetlin?
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 Tetlin in winter?
January nights average −20°. About 252 nights a year reach 32° or below and 119 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Tetlin 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 Tetlin?
July, with a typical high of 72°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Tok #2, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Tetlin?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 3 and the first fall frost by August 27, about 79 frost-free days, at Tok #2, AK.
What growing zone is Tetlin 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 Tetlin?
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 Tetlin.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.