Climate · Chitina

Chitina, AK climate

Chitina has cold, snowy winters and cool summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 70°, a January night drops to -11°, and about 48 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
70°
47th hottest of 213 Alaska towns
January low
-11°
61st coldest of 213 Alaska towns
Rain + melted snow
14 in
61st driest of 213 Alaska towns
Snow a winter
48 in
26th least snowy of 152 Alaska towns
A normal year

What a year in Chitina feels like

Winter

12° / -7°
Typical high / low · 17 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

45° / 17°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 31

Summer

68° / 43°
Typical high / low · 90° days are rare

Fall

38° / 18°
Typical high / low · First frost around Sep 3
Best months to be outsideJunJulAugHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Chitina weather by month

Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet daysSnow on ground
January5°-11°0.8" 10.0"428
February20°-4°0.8" 6.0"327
March31°1°0.4" 4.1"227
April46°19°0.2" 0.8"115
May58°31°0.8" 0.2"40
June67°41°0.8" 040
July70°45°2.0" 080
August67°42°2.2" 080
September55°33°2.1" 0.3"80
October40°21°1.4" 6.2"78
November18°1°1.5" 11.5"622
December10°-7°1.4" 9.3"530
Year41°18°14.4"48.4"59156

“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more.

Rain & snow

Rain and snow in Chitina

Chitina gets 14 inches of rain and melted snow a year. August is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 59 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 156 days of the year.

14 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 95% of U.S. towns
48 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 81% of U.S. towns
156 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
More than 100% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
2.2"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
12"
Frost & the growing season

About 95 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 31 and the first one by September 3. That leaves about 95 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 99% of U.S. towns.

246
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
91
nights below 0° in a normal year
0
days that reach 90° in a normal year

Freezing nights by month

Average nights at or below 32°
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Chitina

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Chitina, 100% of that work is heating and 0% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

100%heating
13,053 heating degree daysMore heating than 100% of U.S. towns
4 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 100% of U.S. towns

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.

Compared with other towns

How Chitina compares

Summer heat70° July high
Cooler than 99% of U.S. towns47th hottest of 213 Alaska towns
Winter cold-11° January low
Colder than 100% of U.S. towns61st coldest of 213 Alaska towns
Precipitation14" a year
Drier than 95% of U.S. towns61st driest of 213 Alaska towns
Snow48" a winter
Snowier than 81% of U.S. towns26th least snowy of 152 Alaska towns
Growing season95 frost-free days
Shorter than 99% of U.S. towns55th shortest of 213 Alaska towns

Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.

Questions

Common questions about Chitina’s climate

What is the coldest month in Chitina?

January, with a typical high of 5° and a low of -11°.

What is the hottest month in Chitina?

July, with a typical high of 70° and a low of 45°.

How much snow does Chitina get?

About 48 inches in a normal winter, most of it in November.

When is the first frost in Chitina?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 3, and the last spring frost by May 31.

What is the rainiest month in Chitina?

August, with 2.2 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 14 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 Silver Lake, AK (2 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01