Cold Bay, Alaska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Cold Bay's normal year runs from 24°F January nights to 57°F August afternoons, with 42.7 inches of precipitation and 67 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.1°C, January lows of −5°C, August highs of 14°C, 1,084 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationCold Bay Airport
- Station IDUSW00025624
- Location55.22°N 162.73°W
- Elevation78 ft (24 m)
- Population60
On October 23, the normal high in Cold Bay is 45°F and the normal low 35°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 81%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Cold Bay.
- Jan 33° 24°
- Feb 35° 26°
- Mar 35° 24°
- Apr 40° 30°
- May 47° 36°
- Jun 52° 42°
- Jul 56° 47°
- Aug 57° 48°
- Sep 53° 43°
- Oct 47° 36°
- Nov 40° 31°
- Dec 36° 26°
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 Cold Bay each month?
August is the warmest month, with normal highs of 57°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 24°F. The most precipitation falls in November (4.99 in), the least in July (2.51 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 | 33°F | 24°F | 28.4°F | 3.38 | 12.6 | 21 | <1 | 24 | 7 h 40 min |
| February | 35°F | 26°F | 30.2°F | 3.17 | 10.0 | 20 | <1 | 21 | 9 h 40 min |
| March | 35°F | 24°F | 29.9°F | 2.98 | 12.8 | 19 | <1 | 25 | 11 h 40 min |
| April | 40°F | 30°F | 35.0°F | 2.70 | 6.4 | 19 | <1 | 19 | 14 h |
| May | 47°F | 36°F | 41.0°F | 2.64 | 1.2 | 18 | <1 | 8 | 16 h 10 min |
| June | 52°F | 42°F | 47.1°F | 2.74 | 0.0 | 17 | <1 | 1 | 17 h 20 min |
| July | 56°F | 47°F | 51.5°F | 2.51 | 0.0 | 20 | <1 | <1 | 16 h 50 min |
| August | 57°F | 48°F | 52.6°F | 3.71 | 0.0 | 21 | <1 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| September | 53°F | 43°F | 48.4°F | 4.50 | 0.0 | 23 | <1 | 1 | 12 h 50 min |
| October | 47°F | 36°F | 41.3°F | 4.93 | 2.0 | 25 | <1 | 8 | 10 h 40 min |
| November | 40°F | 31°F | 35.3°F | 4.99 | 8.2 | 24 | <1 | 18 | 8 h 30 min |
| December | 36°F | 26°F | 30.8°F | 4.42 | 14.1 | 23 | <1 | 23 | 7 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 44°F | 34°F | 39.3°F | 42.67 | 67.3 | 250 | <1 | 148 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1°C | −5°C | −2.0°C | 86 mm | 32 cm |
| February | 2°C | −4°C | −1.0°C | 81 mm | 25 cm |
| March | 2°C | −4°C | −1.2°C | 76 mm | 33 cm |
| April | 5°C | −1°C | 1.7°C | 69 mm | 16 cm |
| May | 8°C | 2°C | 5.0°C | 67 mm | 3 cm |
| June | 11°C | 6°C | 8.4°C | 70 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 13°C | 8°C | 10.8°C | 64 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 14°C | 9°C | 11.4°C | 94 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 12°C | 6°C | 9.1°C | 114 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 8°C | 2°C | 5.2°C | 125 mm | 5 cm |
| November | 4°C | −1°C | 1.8°C | 127 mm | 21 cm |
| December | 2°C | −3°C | −0.7°C | 112 mm | 36 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00025624; 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 Cold Bay?
No month's normal high reaches 65°F in Cold Bay: the warmest is August at 57°F.
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 USW00025624.
When is the last frost in Cold Bay?
In Cold Bay, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 25 in half of years and after June 10 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 4 in half of years and before September 20 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 251 year in 10 after June 10; 9 in 10 after May 9
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 41 year in 10 before September 20; 9 in 10 before October 20
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 131 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 165 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 8 in half of springs and before October 21 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Cold Bay in zone 7a in ZIP code 99571. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Cold Bay's NOAA station is in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 2°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 USW00025624; 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 Cold Bay?
In a normal year in Cold Bay, a 90°F day is rare, 148 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 250 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
- 148a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 42high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 250a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 22a normal year
The highest temperature in Cold Bay's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1942) is 78°F, on August 22, 1948; the lowest is −13°F, on January 30, 2000.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2000, with 84.32 in; the snowiest season is 1999–00, with 167.3 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00025624; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record CDBthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Cold Bay, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 47°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 49°F; the driest air comes in January (25°F). November is the windiest month (17.4 mph on average), and December has the most clear or nearly clear hours (18%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25°F | 84% | 82% | 17.1 mph | 14% | 57% |
| February | 27°F | 84% | 79% | 16.6 mph | 16% | 57% |
| March | 27°F | 81% | 74% | 16.7 mph | 13% | 59% |
| April | 32°F | 82% | 73% | 15.2 mph | 9% | 69% |
| May | 39°F | 83% | 73% | 15.1 mph | 6% | 72% |
| June | 45°F | 87% | 78% | 14.9 mph | 5% | 76% |
| July | 49°F | 89% | 81% | 14.4 mph | 3% | 81% |
| August | 47°F | 88% | 81% | 14.8 mph | 4% | 77% |
| September | 40°F | 83% | 75% | 16.3 mph | 7% | 61% |
| October | 34°F | 83% | 77% | 16.5 mph | 9% | 58% |
| November | 29°F | 84% | 82% | 17.4 mph | 14% | 59% |
| December | 26°F | 84% | 83% | 16.1 mph | 18% | 57% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00025624. 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 Cold Bay?
Over a year 54% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Cold Bay, 2.3 kWh per square metre a day. March is the sunniest month (58%) and December the cloudiest (48%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 50% | 0.5 |
| February | 50% | 1.1 |
| March | 58% | 2.3 |
| April | 56% | 3.4 |
| May | 56% | 4.3 |
| June | 54% | 4.4 |
| July | 52% | 3.9 |
| August | 52% | 3.2 |
| September | 53% | 2.3 |
| October | 54% | 1.4 |
| November | 49% | 0.6 |
| December | 48% | 0.3 |
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 Cold Bay need?
A normal year in Cold Bay brings 9,363 heating degree days, 74% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 0 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 195 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,133 | 0 |
| February | 973 | 0 |
| March | 1,088 | 0 |
| April | 900 | 0 |
| May | 744 | 0 |
| June | 539 | 0 |
| July | 417 | 0 |
| August | 383 | 0 |
| September | 498 | 0 |
| October | 735 | 0 |
| November | 893 | 0 |
| December | 1,062 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,363 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00025624. 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 Cold Bay been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 39.8°F, 0.5°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 39.3°F. 4 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 40.4°F | +1.1°F | 44.27 | – |
| 2022 | 40.4°F | +1.1°F | 40.78 | – |
| 2023 | 39.9°F | +0.6°F | 39.96 | – |
| 2024 | 39.8°F | +0.5°F | 46.70 | – |
Over 78 complete years from 1943 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.3°F per century (+0.19°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00025624; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Cold Bay's climate compare?
Cold Bay is warmer than 56 of the other 84 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 50. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 39.3°F is warmer than 5%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Cold Bay 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 Cold Bay share this climate record?
2 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.
- King Cove, AK833 people · 19 mi SE
- False Pass, AK404 people · 34 mi SW
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 Cold Bay's climate
What is the coldest month in Cold Bay?
January, with a normal high of 33°F and a normal low of 24°F. The warmest is August (57°F by day, 48°F at night).
Does it snow in Cold Bay?
Yes: 67 inches in a normal year, falling on 78 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (14.1 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Cold Bay?
November, with 4.99 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 2.51 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Cold Bay in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Cold Bay in zone 7a in ZIP code 99571. By the same method at Cold Bay's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 2°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 7a.
How late can frost come in Cold Bay?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 25; in one year in ten it comes after June 10. Waiting until June 10 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Cold Bay in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Sand Point, AK89 miles from this station, 39.9°F a year
- Dutch Harbor, AK178 miles from this station, 41.6°F a year
- St. George, AK281 miles from this station, 36.7°F a year
- St. Paul, AK318 miles from this station, 35.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made