Sunrise, AK climate
Sunrise has chilly, snowy winters and cool summers, with plenty of rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 67°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 215 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Sunrise feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Sunrise 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 | 27° | 17° | 7.3" | 37.4" | 19 | 30 |
| February | 31° | 19° | 6.6" | 36.6" | 18 | 27 |
| March | 36° | 20° | 5.4" | 37.5" | 16 | 29 |
| April | 46° | 29° | 5.3" | 9.6" | 16 | 25 |
| May | 55° | 37° | 4.0" | 1.2" | 14 | 5 |
| June | 64° | 45° | 2.2" | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| July | 67° | 50° | 2.7" | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| August | 65° | 48° | 4.9" | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| September | 56° | 41° | 8.3" | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| October | 44° | 32° | 7.8" | 8.1" | 19 | 6 |
| November | 33° | 22° | 7.7" | 29.9" | 18 | 21 |
| December | 29° | 19° | 9.0" | 54.2" | 22 | 28 |
| Year | 46° | 31° | 70.9" | 214.5" | 204 | 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 Sunrise
Sunrise gets 71 inches of rain and melted snow a year. December is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 204 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 171 days of the year.
About 127 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 18 and the first one by September 24. That leaves about 127 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 96% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Sunrise
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Sunrise, 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 Sunrise compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Common questions about Sunrise’s climate
What is the coldest month in Sunrise?
January, with a typical high of 27° and a low of 17°.
What is the hottest month in Sunrise?
July, with a typical high of 67° and a low of 50°.
How much snow does Sunrise get?
About 215 inches in a normal winter, most of it in December.
When is the first frost in Sunrise?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 24, and the last spring frost by May 18.
What is the rainiest month in Sunrise?
December, with 9.0 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 71 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 Alyeska, AK (14 mi, snow) and Hope, AK (6 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020.