Copper River and Northwestern Railway · Photo: Sewtex at English Wikipedia · CC BY 2.5Tonsina has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 70°. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 79°. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from September to May, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Tonsina at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Tonsina’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Tonsina’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Tonsina 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 259 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 103 to 0° or below. Frost dates and degree days from Tonsina, AK, 8 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Tonsina’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 72 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Tonsina, AK, falls mostly in November. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 13 inches a year; July is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 84 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Tonsina
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55°: every month but July.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Tonsina, AK.
Living with Tonsina’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 4b, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 72 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August. 8.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Tonsina from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (76%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Tonsina and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Tonsina yet.
Climates most like Tonsina’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tonsina, AK | −10° | 70° | 13" | 72" |
| International Falls, MN | −5° | 78° | 28" | 73" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
| Grand Forks, ND | −2° | 81° | 22" | 49" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Tonsina compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Tonsina’s place among Alaska’s.
Tonsina weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Tonsina, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5° | −10° | 1.1" | 9.3" | 6 | 31 |
| February | 17° | −5° | 1.0" | 12.4" | 6 | 29 |
| March | 29° | −1° | 0.5" | 6.0" | 3 | 31 |
| April | 45° | 19° | 0.2" | 2.2" | 2 | 29 |
| May | 57° | 31° | 0.5" | 0.4" | 4 | 4 |
| June | 67° | 40° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 |
| July | 70° | 45° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 |
| August | 65° | 40° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 |
| September | 54° | 31° | 1.5" | 1.6" | 10 | 2 |
| October | 36° | 17° | 1.0" | 9.1" | 8 | 17 |
| November | 15° | 0° | 1.3" | 17.0" | 8 | 28 |
| December | 7° | −8° | 1.3" | 13.8" | 7 | 31 |
| Year | 39° | 17° | 13.2" | 71.8" | 84 | 201 |
Where Tonsina’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: Tonsina, AK.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Tonsina, AK, 8 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 Tonsina’s climate
What is the weather like in Tonsina?
A typical July afternoon reaches 70°, a January night drops to −10°, and about 72 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 9 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 76 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Tonsina in winter?
January nights average −10°. About 259 nights a year reach 32° or below and 103 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Tonsina get?
About 72 inches in a normal winter at Tonsina, AK, most of it in November, with snow on the ground about 201 days a year.
How hot does it get in Tonsina?
July, with a typical high of 70°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Tonsina, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Tonsina?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Tonsina, AK, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 259 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 72 days.
What growing zone is Tonsina 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 Tonsina?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), 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 Tonsina.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.