North Pole, AK climate
North Pole has cold, snowy winters and cool summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 73°, a January night drops to -16°, and about 54 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in North Pole feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
North Pole 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 | -2° | -16° | 0.5" | 9.4" | 7 | 31 |
| February | 12° | -9° | 0.4" | 7.2" | 5 | 29 |
| March | 26° | 0° | 0.3" | 5.1" | 4 | 31 |
| April | 46° | 23° | 0.3" | 1.6" | 3 | 21 |
| May | 62° | 37° | 0.7" | 0.4" | 4 | 1 |
| June | 72° | 49° | 1.9" | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| July | 73° | 52° | 2.6" | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| August | 66° | 47° | 2.6" | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| September | 55° | 36° | 1.4" | 1.6" | 10 | 1 |
| October | 33° | 19° | 1.0" | 7.7" | 8 | 17 |
| November | 10° | -4° | 0.6" | 11.8" | 8 | 30 |
| December | 2° | -12° | 0.5" | 9.2" | 7 | 31 |
| Year | 38° | 18° | 12.9" | 54.0" | 87 | 192 |
“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 North Pole
North Pole gets 13 inches of rain and melted snow a year. July is the wettest month and March the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 87 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 192 days of the year.
About 110 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 18 and the first one by September 5. That leaves about 110 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 98% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in North Pole
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In North Pole, 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.
North Pole and its neighbors
North Pole borders 1 town with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.0°. Badger has both the coldest January nights (-16°) and the hottest July afternoons (73°). North Pole’s January low is -16° and its July high 73°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How North Pole compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Common questions about North Pole’s climate
What is the coldest month in North Pole?
January, with a typical high of -2° and a low of -16°.
What is the hottest month in North Pole?
July, with a typical high of 73° and a low of 52°.
How much snow does North Pole get?
About 54 inches in a normal winter, most of it in November.
When is the first frost in North Pole?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 5, and the last spring frost by May 18.
What is the rainiest month in North Pole?
July, with 2.6 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 13 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 North Pole, AK (1 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020.