Nome, AK climate
Nome has cold, snowy winters and cool summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 58°, a January night drops to -2°, and about 81 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Nome feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Nome 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 | 13° | -2° | 0.9" | 13.4" | 10 | 31 |
| February | 17° | 1° | 1.0" | 14.7" | 11 | 29 |
| March | 18° | 2° | 0.7" | 10.7" | 9 | 31 |
| April | 29° | 16° | 0.7" | 6.8" | 8 | 28 |
| May | 44° | 31° | 0.9" | 1.9" | 9 | 9 |
| June | 55° | 42° | 1.0" | 0.2" | 9 | 0 |
| July | 58° | 46° | 2.4" | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| August | 56° | 44° | 3.2" | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| September | 49° | 37° | 2.2" | 0.5" | 14 | 0 |
| October | 36° | 25° | 1.8" | 4.7" | 13 | 8 |
| November | 24° | 12° | 1.3" | 12.1" | 11 | 22 |
| December | 16° | 2° | 1.1" | 15.8" | 11 | 29 |
| Year | 35° | 21° | 17.2" | 80.8" | 131 | 188 |
“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 Nome
Nome gets 17 inches of rain and melted snow a year. August is the wettest month and March the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 131 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 188 days of the year.
About 88 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 5 and the first one by September 3. That leaves about 88 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 99% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Nome
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Nome, 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 Nome compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Common questions about Nome’s climate
What is the coldest month in Nome?
January, with a typical high of 13° and a low of -2°.
What is the hottest month in Nome?
July, with a typical high of 58° and a low of 46°.
How much snow does Nome get?
About 81 inches in a normal winter, most of it in December.
When is the first frost in Nome?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 3, and the last spring frost by June 5.
What is the rainiest month in Nome?
August, with 3.2 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 17 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 Nome Municipal Airport, AK (1 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020.