Prudhoe Bay, AK climate
Prudhoe Bay has cold, snowy winters and cool summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 55°, a January night drops to -22°, and about 36 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Prudhoe Bay feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Prudhoe Bay 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 | -8° | -22° | 0.3" | 2.9" | 5 | 31 |
| February | -8° | -22° | 0.1" | 3.0" | 4 | 29 |
| March | -7° | -21° | 0.1" | 2.7" | 4 | 31 |
| April | 10° | -5° | 0.2" | 3.6" | 4 | 30 |
| May | 29° | 19° | 0.3" | 2.1" | 3 | 26 |
| June | 46° | 34° | 0.6" | 0.6" | 4 | 3 |
| July | 55° | 40° | 1.0" | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| August | 50° | 37° | 1.4" | 0.3" | 11 | 0 |
| September | 39° | 30° | 0.6" | 2.8" | 9 | 4 |
| October | 24° | 13° | 0.4" | 7.5" | 9 | 26 |
| November | 8° | -5° | 0.3" | 6.1" | 7 | 30 |
| December | -3° | -16° | 0.4" | 3.9" | 6 | 31 |
| Year | 20° | 7° | 5.7" | 35.5" | 75 | 239 |
“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 Prudhoe Bay
Prudhoe Bay gets 6 inches of rain and melted snow a year. August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 75 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 239 days of the year.
A year-round growing season
Heating and cooling a home in Prudhoe Bay
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Prudhoe Bay, 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 Prudhoe Bay compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Common questions about Prudhoe Bay’s climate
What is the coldest month in Prudhoe Bay?
February, with a typical high of -8° and a low of -22°.
What is the hottest month in Prudhoe Bay?
July, with a typical high of 55° and a low of 40°.
How much snow does Prudhoe Bay get?
About 36 inches in a normal winter, most of it in October.
When is the first frost in Prudhoe Bay?
Frost is uncommon. Only 100% of years see a night at 32° or below.
What is the rainiest month in Prudhoe Bay?
August, with 1.4 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 6 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 Kuparuk, AK (20 mi, snow) and Deadhorse Airport, AK (14 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020.