Badger, Alaska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Badger's normal year runs from −16°F January nights to 73°F July afternoons, with 12.8 inches of precipitation and 54 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of −2.2°C, January lows of −27°C, July highs of 23°C, 326 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationNorth Pole
- Station IDUSC00506581
- Location64.76°N 147.33°W
- Elevation475 ft (145 m)
- Population (census place)19,033
On October 14, the normal high in Badger is 35°F and the normal low 21°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 26%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Badger.
- Jan -2° -16°
- Feb 12° -9°
- Mar 26° 0°
- Apr 46° 23°
- May 62° 37°
- Jun 72° 49°
- Jul 73° 52°
- Aug 66° 47°
- Sep 55° 36°
- Oct 33° 19°
- Nov 10° -4°
- Dec 2° -12°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Badger each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 73°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −16°F. The most precipitation falls in July (2.62 in), the least in March (0.32 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2°F | −16°F | -8.7°F | 0.48 | 9.4 | 7 | <1 | 31 | 5 h |
| February | 12°F | −9°F | 1.5°F | 0.44 | 7.2 | 5 | <1 | 28 | 8 h 20 min |
| March | 26°F | 0°F | 13.2°F | 0.32 | 5.1 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 30 min |
| April | 46°F | 23°F | 34.4°F | 0.34 | 1.6 | 3 | <1 | 28 | 15 h |
| May | 62°F | 37°F | 49.5°F | 0.66 | 0.4 | 4 | <1 | 13 | 18 h 30 min |
| June | 72°F | 49°F | 60.1°F | 1.91 | 0.0 | 9 | <1 | 1 | 21 h 30 min |
| July | 73°F | 52°F | 62.3°F | 2.62 | 0.0 | 10 | <1 | <1 | 20 h 10 min |
| August | 66°F | 47°F | 56.2°F | 2.61 | 0.0 | 13 | <1 | 2 | 16 h 40 min |
| September | 55°F | 36°F | 45.0°F | 1.42 | 1.6 | 10 | <1 | 15 | 13 h 10 min |
| October | 33°F | 19°F | 25.7°F | 0.96 | 7.7 | 8 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 50 min |
| November | 10°F | −4°F | 3.1°F | 0.61 | 11.8 | 8 | <1 | 30 | 6 h 30 min |
| December | 2°F | −12°F | -5.1°F | 0.48 | 9.2 | 7 | <1 | 31 | 3 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 38°F | 18°F | 28.1°F | 12.85 | 54.0 | 87 | 1 | 239 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −19°C | −27°C | −22.6°C | 12 mm | 24 cm |
| February | −11°C | −23°C | −16.9°C | 11 mm | 18 cm |
| March | −3°C | −18°C | −10.4°C | 8 mm | 13 cm |
| April | 8°C | −5°C | 1.3°C | 9 mm | 4 cm |
| May | 17°C | 3°C | 9.7°C | 17 mm | 1 cm |
| June | 22°C | 9°C | 15.6°C | 49 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 23°C | 11°C | 16.8°C | 67 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 19°C | 8°C | 13.4°C | 66 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 13°C | 2°C | 7.2°C | 36 mm | 4 cm |
| October | 0°C | −7°C | −3.5°C | 24 mm | 20 cm |
| November | −12°C | −20°C | −16.1°C | 15 mm | 30 cm |
| December | −17°C | −24°C | −20.6°C | 12 mm | 23 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00506581; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Badger?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July and August. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (9).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00506581.
When is the last frost in Badger?
In Badger, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 18 in half of years and after May 31 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 5 in half of years and before August 24 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- May 181 year in 10 after May 31; 9 in 10 after May 6
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 51 year in 10 before August 24; 9 in 10 before September 19
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 110 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 133 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 7 in half of springs and before September 17 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Badger in zone 2a in ZIP code 99705. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Badger's NOAA station is in zone 1b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −51°F (29 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Alaska · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00506581; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Badger?
In a normal year in Badger, 1 day a year reaches 90°F, 239 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 87 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 239a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 154high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 87a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 19a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1968) is 95°F, on June 15, 1969; the lowest is −67°F, on January 6, 1975.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2014, with 18.44 in; the snowiest season is 1990–91, with 111.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00506581; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00506581. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Badger?
Over a year 71% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Badger, 2.6 kWh per square metre a day. March is the sunniest month (84%) and October the cloudiest (62%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 75% | 0.2 |
| February | 75% | 0.8 |
| March | 84% | 2.6 |
| April | 83% | 4.4 |
| May | 73% | 5.2 |
| June | 69% | 5.4 |
| July | 66% | 4.8 |
| August | 67% | 3.7 |
| September | 67% | 2.3 |
| October | 62% | 1.0 |
| November | 63% | 0.3 |
| December | 79% | 0.1 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Badger need?
A normal year in Badger brings 13,473 heating degree days, 2.5 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 54 cooling degree days, 94% fewer than the median (908). Nine months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,006 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 2,284 | 0 |
| February | 1,778 | 0 |
| March | 1,606 | 0 |
| April | 918 | 0 |
| May | 483 | 1 |
| June | 168 | 20 |
| July | 109 | 27 |
| August | 277 | 6 |
| September | 599 | 0 |
| October | 1,218 | 0 |
| November | 1,857 | 0 |
| December | 2,175 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 13,473 | 54 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00506581. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Has Badger been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 29.3°F, 1.2°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 28.1°F. 3 of the 4 complete years since 2022 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 28.4°F | +0.3°F | 10.65 | 55.4 |
| 2023 | 28.7°F | +0.6°F | 10.46 | 69.6 |
| 2024 | 28.0°F | −0.1°F | 15.23 | 44.9 |
| 2025 | 29.3°F | +1.2°F | 12.48 | 48.7 |
Over 48 complete years from 1970 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 10.9°F per century (+0.60°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00506581; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Badger's climate compare?
Badger is warmer than 26 of the other 84 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 15. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 28.1°F is warmer than 1%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Badger is Dfc: continental, no dry season, cool summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Questions about Badger's climate
What is the coldest month in Badger?
January, with a normal high of −2°F and a normal low of −16°F. The warmest is July (73°F by day, 52°F at night).
Does it snow in Badger?
Yes: 54 inches in a normal year, falling on 49 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in November (11.8 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Badger?
July, with 2.62 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is March with 0.32 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Badger in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Badger in zone 2a in ZIP code 99705. By the same method at Badger's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −51°F (29 years, 1991-2020): zone 1b.
How late can frost come in Badger?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 18; in one year in ten it comes after May 31. Waiting until May 31 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- North Pole, AK1 miles from this station, 26.5°F a year
- Eielson Field, AK9 miles from this station, 26.9°F a year
- Two Rivers, AK13 miles from this station, 29.9°F a year
- Aurora, AK14 miles from this station, 28.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made