Palmer, AK climate
Palmer has cold, snowy winters and cool summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 66°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 83 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Palmer feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Palmer 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 | 23° | 9° | 1.0" | 14.7" | 7 | 30 |
| February | 29° | 12° | 1.0" | 13.6" | 7 | 29 |
| March | 34° | 14° | 0.9" | 11.3" | 6 | 30 |
| April | 46° | 25° | 0.5" | 4.8" | 4 | 22 |
| May | 58° | 35° | 0.8" | 0.9" | 7 | 1 |
| June | 64° | 43° | 1.4" | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| July | 66° | 48° | 2.0" | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| August | 63° | 45° | 3.0" | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| September | 55° | 37° | 2.9" | 0.5" | 15 | 1 |
| October | 42° | 26° | 1.8" | 6.0" | 10 | 8 |
| November | 28° | 15° | 1.2" | 11.9" | 8 | 22 |
| December | 24° | 11° | 1.5" | 18.8" | 9 | 29 |
| Year | 44° | 27° | 18.0" | 82.5" | 112 | 171 |
“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 Palmer
Palmer gets 18 inches of rain and melted snow a year. August is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 112 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 171 days of the year.
About 114 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 22 and the first one by September 16. That leaves about 114 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 98% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Palmer
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Palmer, 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.
Palmer and its neighbors
Palmer borders 1 town with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.0°. Farm Loop has both the coldest January nights (9°) and the hottest July afternoons (66°). Palmer’s January low is 9° and its July high 66°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How Palmer compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Common questions about Palmer’s climate
What is the coldest month in Palmer?
January, with a typical high of 23° and a low of 9°.
What is the hottest month in Palmer?
July, with a typical high of 66° and a low of 48°.
How much snow does Palmer get?
About 83 inches in a normal winter, most of it in December.
When is the first frost in Palmer?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 16, and the last spring frost by May 22.
What is the rainiest month in Palmer?
August, with 3.0 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 18 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 Lazy Mtn, AK (3 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020.