Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Whittier gets about 268 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 1 U.S. towns
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 63°. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 40°. Precipitation is plentiful here, more than falls on almost every U.S. town. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 25, with the first autumn frost due around October 14.
A year in Whittier at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Whittier’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Whittier’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Whittier feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 172 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 25 and the first by October 14. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Whittier, AK, 0.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Whittier’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 3°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 268 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Whittier, AK, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 197 inches a year; September is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 208 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Whittier
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September through June.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Whittier, AK.
Living with Whittier’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
172 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 25 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 14.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July. 6.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Whittier from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (60%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 14%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Whittier and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Whittier yet.
Climates most like Whittier’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whittier, AK | 24° | 63° | 197" | 268" |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | 63° | 79° | 151" | 0.0" |
| Lincoln City, OR | 40° | 67° | 88" | 0.1" |
| Hoquiam, WA | 37° | 68° | 81" | 0.5" |
| Crescent City, CA | 42° | 64° | 69" | 0.0" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
How Whittier compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Whittier’s place among Alaska’s.
Whittier weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Whittier, AK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 24° | 18.8" | 50.0" | 18 | 31 |
| February | 33° | 25° | 16.2" | 44.8" | 17 | 28 |
| March | 36° | 27° | 13.7" | 55.1" | 16 | 31 |
| April | 44° | 33° | 14.7" | 15.9" | 16 | 30 |
| May | 53° | 41° | 14.9" | 1.8" | 15 | 22 |
| June | 61° | 47° | 9.2" | 0.0" | 15 | 3 |
| July | 63° | 51° | 11.2" | 0.0" | 18 | 0 |
| August | 62° | 51° | 16.5" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| September | 54° | 45° | 22.5" | 0.0" | 18 | 0 |
| October | 44° | 36° | 21.1" | 5.9" | 20 | 4 |
| November | 37° | 29° | 18.8" | 33.3" | 18 | 20 |
| December | 34° | 25° | 19.8" | 61.4" | 20 | 29 |
| Year | 46° | 36° | 197.3" | 268.2" | 208 | 197 |
Where Whittier’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: Whittier, AK (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Whittier, AK, 0.7 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 Whittier’s climate
What is the weather like in Whittier?
A typical July afternoon reaches 63°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 268 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 60% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 14 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Whittier in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 127 nights a year reach 32° or below.
How much snow does Whittier get?
About 268 inches in a normal winter at Whittier, AK, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 197 days a year.
How hot does it get in Whittier?
July, with a typical high of 63°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Whittier, AK.
When is the first and last frost in Whittier?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 25 and the first fall frost by October 14, about 172 frost-free days, at Whittier, AK.
What growing zone is Whittier in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Whittier?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), July. 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 Whittier.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.