Anchorage, AK climate
Anchorage has cold, snowy winters and cool summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 67°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 59 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Anchorage feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Anchorage weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21° | 6° | 2.3" | 10.3" | 5 | 30 |
| February | 28° | 12° | 1.6" | 7.6" | 5 | 28 |
| March | 35° | 15° | 1.6" | 7.2" | 4 | 28 |
| April | 47° | 27° | 0.8" | 1.6" | 3 | 10 |
| May | 58° | 36° | 0.9" | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| June | 65° | 44° | 1.3" | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| July | 67° | 48° | 1.7" | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| August | 65° | 45° | 2.6" | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| September | 56° | 37° | 3.6" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 |
| October | 42° | 26° | 2.5" | 5.7" | 8 | 6 |
| November | 26° | 13° | 1.7" | 10.7" | 6 | 23 |
| December | 23° | 9° | 2.0" | 16.1" | 8 | 29 |
| Year | 45° | 26° | 22.6" | 59.3" | 80 | 154 |
“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more.
Rain and snow in Anchorage
Anchorage gets 23 inches of rain and melted snow a year. September is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 80 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 154 days of the year.
About 125 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 16 and the first one by September 20. That leaves about 125 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 96% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Anchorage
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Anchorage, 100% of that work is heating and 0% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
How Anchorage compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Common questions about Anchorage’s climate
What is the coldest month in Anchorage?
January, with a typical high of 21° and a low of 6°.
What is the hottest month in Anchorage?
July, with a typical high of 67° and a low of 48°.
How much snow does Anchorage get?
About 59 inches in a normal winter, most of it in December.
When is the first frost in Anchorage?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 20, and the last spring frost by May 16.
What is the rainiest month in Anchorage?
September, with 3.6 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 23 inches.
NOAA’s gridded normals don’t cover this state, so temperatures and rainfall come from the nearest weather station. Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Eagle Rvr 5 Se, AK (10 mi, snow) and Eagle Rvr Nature Ctr, AK (4 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020.