Dot Lake, AK climate
Dot Lake has cold, snowy winters and cool summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 72°, a January night drops to -15°, and about 57 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Dot Lake feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Dot Lake 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 | 1° | -15° | 0.6" | 7.8" | 10 | 31 |
| February | 11° | -8° | 0.4" | 6.1" | 6 | 29 |
| March | 25° | -1° | 0.5" | 6.6" | 6 | 31 |
| April | 45° | 21° | 0.5" | 4.0" | 5 | 26 |
| May | 59° | 35° | 1.2" | 1.0" | 9 | 2 |
| June | 70° | 46° | 2.7" | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| July | 72° | 49° | 3.0" | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| August | 66° | 44° | 2.7" | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| September | 53° | 34° | 1.6" | 2.1" | 10 | 1 |
| October | 33° | 17° | 1.1" | 11.1" | 11 | 19 |
| November | 11° | -3° | 0.8" | 9.3" | 10 | 29 |
| December | 3° | -12° | 0.7" | 9.4" | 9 | 31 |
| Year | 37° | 17° | 15.7" | 57.4" | 118 | 199 |
“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 Dot Lake
Dot Lake gets 16 inches of rain and melted snow a year. July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 118 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 199 days of the year.
About 84 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 30 and the first one by August 24. That leaves about 84 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 100% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Dot Lake
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Dot Lake, 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 Dot Lake compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Common questions about Dot Lake’s climate
What is the coldest month in Dot Lake?
January, with a typical high of 1° and a low of -15°.
What is the hottest month in Dot Lake?
July, with a typical high of 72° and a low of 49°.
How much snow does Dot Lake get?
About 57 inches in a normal winter, most of it in October.
When is the first frost in Dot Lake?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by August 24, and the last spring frost by May 30.
What is the rainiest month in Dot Lake?
July, with 3.0 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 16 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 Dry Creek, AK (11 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020.