Bettles, Alaska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Bettles's normal year runs from −19°F January nights to 70°F July afternoons, with 16.0 inches of precipitation and 98 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of −4.5°C, January lows of −28°C, July highs of 21°C, 407 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBettles Airport
- Station IDUSW00026533
- Location66.92°N 151.51°W
- Elevation642 ft (196 m)
- Population24
On October 23, the normal high in Bettles is 22°F and the normal low 8°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 37%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Bettles.
- Jan -2° -19°
- Feb 7° -13°
- Mar 17° -9°
- Apr 36° 13°
- May 56° 34°
- Jun 70° 47°
- Jul 70° 49°
- Aug 63° 43°
- Sep 50° 33°
- Oct 28° 14°
- Nov 8° -7°
- Dec 2° -14°
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 Bettles each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 70°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −19°F. The most precipitation falls in August (2.71 in), the least in April (0.60 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2°F | −19°F | -10.6°F | 0.87 | 14.0 | 9 | <1 | 31 | 3 h 50 min |
| February | 7°F | −13°F | -3.4°F | 0.96 | 15.9 | 10 | <1 | 28 | 8 h |
| March | 17°F | −9°F | 3.7°F | 0.61 | 9.3 | 8 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 30 min |
| April | 36°F | 13°F | 24.6°F | 0.60 | 5.2 | 6 | <1 | 28 | 15 h 20 min |
| May | 56°F | 34°F | 45.0°F | 0.89 | 1.0 | 9 | <1 | 13 | 19 h 30 min |
| June | 70°F | 47°F | 58.6°F | 1.46 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | <1 | 24 h |
| July | 70°F | 49°F | 59.8°F | 2.32 | 0.0 | 13 | <1 | <1 | 22 h 10 min |
| August | 63°F | 43°F | 52.7°F | 2.71 | 0.0 | 15 | <1 | 3 | 17 h 20 min |
| September | 50°F | 33°F | 41.2°F | 2.13 | 3.2 | 13 | <1 | 14 | 13 h 20 min |
| October | 28°F | 14°F | 21.3°F | 1.17 | 12.0 | 12 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 40 min |
| November | 8°F | −7°F | 0.3°F | 1.15 | 19.1 | 10 | <1 | 30 | 5 h 40 min |
| December | 2°F | −14°F | -6.0°F | 1.14 | 18.2 | 11 | <1 | 31 | 2 h |
| Year (annual) | 34°F | 14°F | 23.9°F | 16.01 | 97.9 | 129 | <1 | 239 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −19°C | −28°C | −23.7°C | 22 mm | 36 cm |
| February | −14°C | −25°C | −19.7°C | 24 mm | 40 cm |
| March | −9°C | −23°C | −15.7°C | 15 mm | 24 cm |
| April | 2°C | −10°C | −4.1°C | 15 mm | 13 cm |
| May | 13°C | 1°C | 7.2°C | 23 mm | 3 cm |
| June | 21°C | 8°C | 14.8°C | 37 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 21°C | 10°C | 15.4°C | 59 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 17°C | 6°C | 11.5°C | 69 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 10°C | 0°C | 5.1°C | 54 mm | 8 cm |
| October | −2°C | −10°C | −5.9°C | 30 mm | 30 cm |
| November | −14°C | −22°C | −17.6°C | 29 mm | 49 cm |
| December | −17°C | −25°C | −21.1°C | 29 mm | 46 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00026533; 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 Bettles?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June and July. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (11).
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 USW00026533.
When is the last frost in Bettles?
In Bettles, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 22 in half of years and after June 5 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before August 24 in half of years and before August 10 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 221 year in 10 after June 5; 9 in 10 after May 11
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- August 241 year in 10 before August 10; 9 in 10 before September 9
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 94 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 115 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 13 in half of springs and before September 5 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Bettles in zone 1b in ZIP code 99726, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Bettles's NOAA station is in zone 1b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −53°F (30 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Alaska · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00026533; 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 Bettles?
In a normal year in Bettles, a 90°F day is rare, 239 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 129 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- fewer than 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
- 177high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 129a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 31a normal year
The highest temperature in Bettles's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1944) is 93°F, on July 6, 1986; the lowest is −70°F, on January 4, 1975.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1965, with 24.46 in; the snowiest season is 1992–93, with 170.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00026533; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record BTTthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Bettles, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 44°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 47°F; the driest air comes in January (−9°F). April is the windiest month (6.0 mph on average), and February has the most clear or nearly clear hours (47%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −9°F | 96% | 88% | 4.2 mph | 46% | 31% |
| February | −6°F | 77% | 62% | 4.9 mph | 47% | 29% |
| March | 3°F | 62% | 50% | 5.8 mph | 44% | 26% |
| April | 21°F | 57% | 44% | 6.0 mph | 38% | 21% |
| May | 37°F | 53% | 37% | 5.6 mph | 24% | 21% |
| June | 46°F | 59% | 43% | 5.2 mph | 18% | 22% |
| July | 47°F | 70% | 54% | 5.0 mph | 15% | 31% |
| August | 39°F | 71% | 53% | 4.6 mph | 24% | 33% |
| September | 25°F | 74% | 62% | 5.1 mph | 25% | 45% |
| October | 6°F | 80% | 76% | 4.6 mph | 32% | 42% |
| November | −7°F | 82% | 83% | 4.5 mph | 38% | 37% |
| December | −8°F | 94% | 98% | 4.1 mph | 46% | 31% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00026533. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Bettles?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Bettles, 2.5 kWh per square metre a day. March is the sunniest month (87%) and October the cloudiest (59%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 80% | 0.1 |
| February | 77% | 0.7 |
| March | 87% | 2.5 |
| April | 87% | 4.5 |
| May | 76% | 5.3 |
| June | 72% | 5.7 |
| July | 67% | 4.8 |
| August | 66% | 3.5 |
| September | 65% | 2.1 |
| October | 59% | 0.8 |
| November | 70% | 0.2 |
| December | 84% | 0.0 |
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 Bettles need?
A normal year in Bettles brings 14,976 heating degree days, 2.8 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 35 cooling degree days, 96% fewer than the median (908). Ten months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 754 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 2,345 | 0 |
| February | 1,915 | 0 |
| March | 1,900 | 0 |
| April | 1,214 | 0 |
| May | 622 | 0 |
| June | 207 | 15 |
| July | 179 | 18 |
| August | 385 | 2 |
| September | 714 | 0 |
| October | 1,353 | 0 |
| November | 1,941 | 0 |
| December | 2,201 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 14,976 | 35 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00026533. 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 Bettles been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 26.3°F, 2.4°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 23.9°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 22.2°F | −1.7°F | 21.14 | 124.5 |
| 2022 | 24.4°F | +0.5°F | 16.80 | 75.0 |
| 2023 | 24.8°F | +0.9°F | 18.31 | 113.0 |
| 2024 | 24.8°F | +0.9°F | 17.90 | 86.9 |
| 2025 | 26.3°F | +2.4°F | – | – |
Over 78 complete years from 1945 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 5.4°F per century (+0.30°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00026533; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Bettles's climate compare?
Bettles is warmer than 8 of the other 84 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 27. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 23.9°F is warmer than 0%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Bettles 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.
Which places near Bettles share this climate record?
3 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Allakaket, AK171 people · 39 mi SW
- Alatna, AK22 people · 44 mi SW
- Evansville, AK15 people · 4 mi E
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Bettles's climate
What is the coldest month in Bettles?
January, with a normal high of −2°F and a normal low of −19°F. The warmest is July (70°F by day, 49°F at night).
Does it snow in Bettles?
Yes: 98 inches in a normal year, falling on 74 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in November (19.1 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Bettles?
August, with 2.71 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is April with 0.60 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Bettles in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Bettles in zone 1b in ZIP code 99726, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Bettles's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −53°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 1b.
How late can frost come in Bettles?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 22; in one year in ten it comes after June 5. Waiting until June 5 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Bettles in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Wiseman, AK51 miles from this station, 22.6°F a year
- Chandalar Lake, AK91 miles from this station, 19.1°F a year
- Chandalar Shelf DOT, AK95 miles from this station, 19.5°F a year
- Tanana, AK122 miles from this station, 25.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made