Chicken, Alaska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Chicken's normal year runs from −29°F January nights to 70°F July afternoons, with 12.3 inches of precipitation and 37 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of −6.6°C, January lows of −34°C, July highs of 21°C, 312 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationChicken
- Station IDUSC00501684
- Location64.09°N 141.92°W
- Elevation1,800 ft (549 m)
- Population (census place)0
On October 23, the normal high in Chicken is 24°F and the normal low 4°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 13%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Chicken.
- Jan -11° -29°
- Feb 1° -22°
- Mar 20° -14°
- Apr 42° 12°
- May 58° 29°
- Jun 69° 38°
- Jul 70° 42°
- Aug 64° 36°
- Sep 53° 26°
- Oct 31° 10°
- Nov 4° -14°
- Dec -7° -23°
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 Chicken each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 70°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −29°F. The most precipitation falls in July (2.84 in), the least in February (0.25 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −11°F | −29°F | -20.0°F | 0.36 | 5.7 | 3 | <1 | 31 | 5 h 20 min |
| February | 1°F | −22°F | -10.6°F | 0.25 | 2.6 | 2 | <1 | 28 | 8 h 30 min |
| March | 20°F | −14°F | 3.4°F | 0.25 | 2.7 | 2 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 40 min |
| April | 42°F | 12°F | 27.1°F | 0.30 | 2.3 | 2 | <1 | 30 | 15 h |
| May | 58°F | 29°F | 43.8°F | 1.04 | 1.0 | 5 | <1 | 23 | 18 h 20 min |
| June | 69°F | 38°F | 53.3°F | 2.40 | 0.0 | 8 | <1 | 5 | 21 h |
| July | 70°F | 42°F | 56.1°F | 2.84 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | 2 | 19 h 50 min |
| August | 64°F | 36°F | 50.3°F | 2.01 | 0.0 | 10 | <1 | 9 | 16 h 30 min |
| September | 53°F | 26°F | 39.3°F | 1.10 | 1.1 | 6 | <1 | 24 | 13 h 10 min |
| October | 31°F | 10°F | 20.0°F | 0.64 | 6.1 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 10 h |
| November | 4°F | −14°F | -5.3°F | 0.59 | 7.9 | 4 | <1 | 30 | 6 h 40 min |
| December | −7°F | −23°F | -14.9°F | 0.49 | 7.2 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 4 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 33°F | 8°F | 20.2°F | 12.27 | 36.6 | 61 | <1 | 274 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −24°C | −34°C | −28.9°C | 9 mm | 14 cm |
| February | −17°C | −30°C | −23.7°C | 6 mm | 7 cm |
| March | −6°C | −25°C | −15.9°C | 6 mm | 7 cm |
| April | 6°C | −11°C | −2.7°C | 8 mm | 6 cm |
| May | 15°C | −1°C | 6.6°C | 26 mm | 3 cm |
| June | 20°C | 3°C | 11.8°C | 61 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 21°C | 6°C | 13.4°C | 72 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 18°C | 2°C | 10.2°C | 51 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 12°C | −3°C | 4.1°C | 28 mm | 3 cm |
| October | −1°C | −12°C | −6.7°C | 16 mm | 15 cm |
| November | −16°C | −26°C | −20.7°C | 15 mm | 20 cm |
| December | −22°C | −30°C | −26.1°C | 12 mm | 18 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00501684; 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 Chicken?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June and July. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (8).
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 USC00501684.
How hot and how cold does it get in Chicken?
In a normal year in Chicken, a 90°F day is rare, 274 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 61 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
- 274a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 167high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 61a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 16a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1953) is 91°F, on July 7, 1998; the lowest is −72°F, on January 1, 2000.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2010, with 17.28 in; the snowiest season is 1999–00, with 64.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00501684; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00501684. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Chicken?
Over a year 71% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Chicken, 2.6 kWh per square metre a day. April is the sunniest month (85%) and October the cloudiest (60%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 69% | 0.2 |
| February | 73% | 0.8 |
| March | 84% | 2.6 |
| April | 85% | 4.6 |
| May | 74% | 5.4 |
| June | 69% | 5.6 |
| July | 65% | 4.8 |
| August | 66% | 3.7 |
| September | 66% | 2.4 |
| October | 60% | 1.0 |
| November | 61% | 0.3 |
| December | 77% | 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 Chicken need?
A normal year in Chicken brings 16,302 heating degree days, 3.0 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 5 cooling degree days, 99% fewer than the median (908). Eleven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 432 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 2,635 | 0 |
| February | 2,118 | 0 |
| March | 1,911 | 0 |
| April | 1,139 | 0 |
| May | 659 | 0 |
| June | 352 | 2 |
| July | 278 | 3 |
| August | 456 | 0 |
| September | 771 | 0 |
| October | 1,395 | 0 |
| November | 2,110 | 0 |
| December | 2,478 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 16,302 | 5 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00501684. 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 Chicken been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 22.3°F, 2.1°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 20.2°F. 3 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 18.5°F | −1.7°F | 13.57 | 44.0 |
| 2022 | 19.5°F | −0.7°F | 13.55 | 54.5 |
| 2023 | 21.9°F | +1.7°F | 13.68 | 65.7 |
| 2024 | 20.4°F | +0.2°F | 11.97 | 35.4 |
| 2025 | 22.3°F | +2.1°F | 14.69 | 30.7 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00501684. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Chicken's climate compare?
Chicken is warmer than 3 of the other 84 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 11. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 20.2°F is warmer than 0%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Chicken is Dwc: continental, dry-winter, 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 Chicken's climate
What is the coldest month in Chicken?
January, with a normal high of −11°F and a normal low of −29°F. The warmest is July (70°F by day, 42°F at night).
Does it snow in Chicken?
Yes: 37 inches in a normal year, falling on 25 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in November (7.9 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Chicken?
July, with 2.84 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.25 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Chicken in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Chicken in zone 1b in ZIP code 99732. By the same method at Chicken's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −61°F (22 years, 1991-2020): zone 1a.
Nearby and next
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Eagle, AK53 miles from this station, 26.3°F a year
- Tok, AK63 miles from this station, 24.7°F a year
- Northway, AK78 miles from this station, 24.7°F a year
- Dry Creek, AK86 miles from this station, 27.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made