Willow Creek has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
July afternoons average 70°. The seasons are far apart: from a winter night to a summer afternoon the average spans 79°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Comfortable outdoor weather, highs of 65–70°, belongs to July and August.
A year in Willow Creek at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Willow Creek’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Willow Creek’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Willow Creek 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 and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Tonsina, AK, 14 miles from the town’s center, 210 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Willow Creek’s center in zone 2b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −41°. 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 Willow Creek
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 Willow Creek’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 2b, 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. 3.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Willow Creek 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 →Willow Creek and its neighbors
Copper Center has the coldest January nights next door (-12°, 2° colder). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Willow Creek’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willow Creek, 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 rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
How Willow Creek compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Willow Creek’s place among Alaska’s.
Willow Creek 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 Willow Creek’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, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Tonsina, AK, 14 miles from the town’s center, 210 ft higher; 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 Willow Creek’s climate
What is the weather like in Willow Creek?
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 Willow Creek 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 Willow Creek 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 Willow Creek?
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 Willow Creek?
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 Willow Creek in?
Zone 2b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −41°.
What is the best time of year to visit Willow Creek?
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 Willow Creek.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.