Ester, AK climate
Ester 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 61 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Ester feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Ester 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 | 0° | -15° | 0.7" | 10.6" | 7 | 31 |
| February | 11° | -10° | 0.6" | 9.5" | 6 | 29 |
| March | 25° | -5° | 0.5" | 6.8" | 5 | 31 |
| April | 45° | 18° | 0.4" | 2.7" | 3 | 20 |
| May | 61° | 34° | 0.7" | 0.5" | 6 | 1 |
| June | 71° | 45° | 2.1" | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| July | 72° | 49° | 2.7" | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| August | 65° | 43° | 2.8" | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| September | 54° | 31° | 1.5" | 1.2" | 11 | 1 |
| October | 33° | 15° | 0.9" | 7.9" | 9 | 17 |
| November | 11° | -5° | 0.9" | 11.4" | 9 | 29 |
| December | 3° | -12° | 0.8" | 10.3" | 8 | 31 |
| Year | 38° | 16° | 14.6" | 60.9" | 104 | 189 |
“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 Ester
Ester gets 15 inches of rain and melted snow a year. August is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 104 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 189 days of the year.
About 98 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 24 and the first one by September 1. That leaves about 98 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 99% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Ester
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Ester, 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.
Ester and its neighbors
Ester borders 3 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 7.0°. Goldstream has both the coldest January nights (-19°) and the hottest July afternoons (73°). Ester’s January low is -15° and its July high 72°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How Ester compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Common questions about Ester’s climate
What is the coldest month in Ester?
January, with a typical high of 0° and a low of -15°.
What is the hottest month in Ester?
July, with a typical high of 72° and a low of 49°.
How much snow does Ester get?
About 61 inches in a normal winter, most of it in November.
When is the first frost in Ester?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 1, and the last spring frost by May 24.
What is the rainiest month in Ester?
August, with 2.8 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 15 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 University Exp Stn, AK (6 mi, snow) and Ester, AK (2 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020.