Cantwell, Alaska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Cantwell's normal year runs from −9°F January nights to 66°F July afternoons, with 16.8 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of −2.7°C, January lows of −23°C, July highs of 19°C, 427 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationCantwell (2 mi E)
- Station IDUSC00501243
- Location63.40°N 148.90°W
- Elevation2,132 ft (650 m)
- Population (census place)121
On October 23, the normal high in Cantwell is 29°F and the normal low 12°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 32%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Cantwell.
- Jan 10° -9°
- Feb 19° -3°
- Mar 25° -2°
- Apr 40° 16°
- May 54° 29°
- Jun 65° 39°
- Jul 66° 45°
- Aug 61° 41°
- Sep 50° 31°
- Oct 34° 17°
- Nov 18° 0°
- Dec 13° -6°
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 Cantwell each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 66°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −9°F. The most precipitation falls in August (3.32 in), the least in April (0.47 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10°F | −9°F | 0.7°F | 0.89 | 8 | <1 | 31 | 5 h 40 min |
| February | 19°F | −3°F | 7.7°F | 0.86 | 7 | <1 | 28 | 8 h 40 min |
| March | 25°F | −2°F | 11.7°F | 0.66 | 6 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 40 min |
| April | 40°F | 16°F | 27.7°F | 0.47 | 7 | <1 | 29 | 14 h 50 min |
| May | 54°F | 29°F | 41.5°F | 0.76 | 8 | <1 | 22 | 18 h |
| June | 65°F | 39°F | 52.0°F | 1.59 | 11 | <1 | 7 | 20 h 30 min |
| July | 66°F | 45°F | 55.2°F | 2.93 | 15 | <1 | 2 | 19 h 30 min |
| August | 61°F | 41°F | 50.7°F | 3.32 | 16 | <1 | 5 | 16 h 20 min |
| September | 50°F | 31°F | 40.7°F | 2.51 | 15 | <1 | 17 | 13 h 10 min |
| October | 34°F | 17°F | 25.1°F | 1.23 | 11 | <1 | 29 | 10 h |
| November | 18°F | 0°F | 9.2°F | 0.86 | 9 | <1 | 30 | 6 h 50 min |
| December | 13°F | −6°F | 3.9°F | 0.74 | 7 | <1 | 31 | 4 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 38°F | 16°F | 27.2°F | 16.82 | 119 | <1 | 260 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −12°C | −23°C | −17.4°C | 23 mm |
| February | −7°C | −20°C | −13.5°C | 22 mm |
| March | −4°C | −19°C | −11.3°C | 17 mm |
| April | 4°C | −9°C | −2.4°C | 12 mm |
| May | 12°C | −2°C | 5.3°C | 19 mm |
| June | 18°C | 4°C | 11.1°C | 40 mm |
| July | 19°C | 7°C | 12.9°C | 74 mm |
| August | 16°C | 5°C | 10.4°C | 84 mm |
| September | 10°C | 0°C | 4.8°C | 64 mm |
| October | 1°C | −9°C | −3.8°C | 31 mm |
| November | −8°C | −18°C | −12.7°C | 22 mm |
| December | −10°C | −21°C | −15.6°C | 19 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, McKinley Park (22 miles away), gets 77 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00501243; 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 Cantwell?
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 USC00501243.
How hot and how cold does it get in Cantwell?
In a normal year in Cantwell, a 90°F day is rare, 260 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 119 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
- 260a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 149high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 119a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00501243.
How sunny is Cantwell?
Over a year 65% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Cantwell, 2.5 kWh per square metre a day. April is the sunniest month (78%) and October the cloudiest (53%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 60% | 0.2 |
| February | 61% | 0.8 |
| March | 78% | 2.6 |
| April | 78% | 4.4 |
| May | 69% | 5.1 |
| June | 62% | 5.1 |
| July | 59% | 4.4 |
| August | 59% | 3.4 |
| September | 59% | 2.2 |
| October | 53% | 0.9 |
| November | 56% | 0.3 |
| December | 66% | 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 Cantwell need?
A normal year in Cantwell brings 13,771 heating degree days, 2.6 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 2 cooling degree days, 100% fewer than the median (908). Twelve months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 348 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,995 | 0 |
| February | 1,603 | 0 |
| March | 1,651 | 0 |
| April | 1,119 | 0 |
| May | 727 | 0 |
| June | 392 | 1 |
| July | 306 | 1 |
| August | 444 | 0 |
| September | 729 | 0 |
| October | 1,237 | 0 |
| November | 1,672 | 0 |
| December | 1,896 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 13,771 | 2 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00501243. 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.
How does Cantwell's climate compare?
Cantwell is warmer than 20 of the other 84 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 29. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 27.2°F is warmer than 1%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Cantwell 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 Cantwell's climate
What is the coldest month in Cantwell?
January, with a normal high of 10°F and a normal low of −9°F. The warmest is July (66°F by day, 45°F at night).
Does it snow in Cantwell?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Cantwell's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, McKinley Park (22 miles away), records 77 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Cantwell?
August, with 3.32 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is April with 0.47 in.
Nearby and next
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- McKinley Park, AK22 miles from this station, 28.0°F a year
- Healy, AK33 miles from this station, 28.6°F a year
- Chulitna River, AK50 miles from this station, 30.0°F a year
- Kobe Hill, AK58 miles from this station, 28.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made