Photo: BLM Alaska · CC BY 2.0Yakutat gets about 147 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 69 U.S. towns
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 62°. Only 39° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. Its July afternoons stay fresher 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 Yakutat at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Yakutat’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Yakutat’s place in Alaska beside it.
What a year in Yakutat feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 124 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 20 and the first by September 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Yakutat State Airport, 3.0 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Yakutat’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −2°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 147 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Yakutat State Airport, falls mostly in January, February, March and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 140 inches a year; September is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 237 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Yakutat
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 Yakutat State Airport.
Living with Yakutat’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
124 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 20 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 23.
61 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Yakutat from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (53%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Yakutat and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Yakutat yet.
Climates most like Yakutat’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yakutat, AK | 22° | 62° | 140" | 147" |
| Lincoln City, OR | 40° | 67° | 88" | 0.1" |
| Hoquiam, WA | 37° | 68° | 81" | 0.5" |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | 63° | 79° | 151" | 0.0" |
| 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 Yakutat compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Yakutat’s place among Alaska’s.
Yakutat weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from the nearest NOAA station; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Yakutat State Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 22° | 12.4" | 28.9" | 21 | 24 |
| February | 38° | 24° | 10.3" | 27.5" | 19 | 22 |
| March | 40° | 24° | 9.5" | 30.4" | 18 | 24 |
| April | 47° | 30° | 7.9" | 7.2" | 19 | 13 |
| May | 54° | 38° | 7.9" | 0.3" | 17 | 2 |
| June | 59° | 45° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
| July | 62° | 49° | 7.6" | 0.0" | 19 | 0 |
| August | 62° | 48° | 13.9" | 0.0" | 19 | 0 |
| September | 57° | 42° | 19.0" | 0.0" | 22 | 0 |
| October | 49° | 35° | 18.9" | 3.4" | 23 | 2 |
| November | 40° | 27° | 13.6" | 20.0" | 22 | 12 |
| December | 36° | 25° | 13.9" | 29.6" | 23 | 23 |
| Year | 48° | 34° | 140.4" | 147.3" | 237 | 122 |
Where Yakutat’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: Yakutat State Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Yakutat State Airport, 3.0 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 Yakutat’s climate
What is the weather like in Yakutat?
A typical July afternoon reaches 62°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 147 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 53% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 6 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Yakutat in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 157 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below.
How much snow does Yakutat get?
About 147 inches in a normal winter at Yakutat State Airport, most of it in January, February, March and December, with snow on the ground about 122 days a year.
How hot does it get in Yakutat?
July, with a typical high of 62°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Yakutat State Airport.
When is the first and last frost in Yakutat?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 20 and the first fall frost by September 23, about 124 frost-free days, at Yakutat State Airport.
What growing zone is Yakutat in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −2°.
What is the best time of year to visit Yakutat?
No month meets the simple rule we use (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more). 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 Yakutat.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.