Cordova, Alaska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Cordova's normal year runs from 19°F January nights to 62°F July afternoons, with 86.2 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.4°C, January lows of −7°C, July highs of 16°C, 2,189 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationCordova M K Smith Airport
- Station IDUSW00026410
- Location60.49°N 145.45°W
- Elevation31 ft (9 m)
- Population2,413
On October 14, the normal high in Cordova is 48°F and the normal low 34°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 68%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Cordova.
- Jan 34° 19°
- Feb 37° 21°
- Mar 39° 23°
- Apr 47° 30°
- May 54° 37°
- Jun 59° 44°
- Jul 62° 48°
- Aug 62° 46°
- Sep 56° 40°
- Oct 48° 33°
- Nov 38° 25°
- Dec 35° 22°
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 Cordova each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 62°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 19°F. The most precipitation falls in September (13.21 in), the least in April (4.48 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. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34°F | 19°F | 26.4°F | 6.22 | 17 | <1 | 25 | 6 h 30 min |
| February | 37°F | 21°F | 29.1°F | 5.95 | 16 | <1 | 22 | 9 h |
| March | 39°F | 23°F | 30.8°F | 4.69 | 15 | <1 | 25 | 11 h 40 min |
| April | 47°F | 30°F | 38.1°F | 4.48 | 17 | <1 | 19 | 14 h 30 min |
| May | 54°F | 37°F | 45.5°F | 5.41 | 17 | <1 | 7 | 17 h 10 min |
| June | 59°F | 44°F | 51.4°F | 4.58 | 17 | <1 | <1 | 19 h |
| July | 62°F | 48°F | 54.6°F | 5.70 | 19 | <1 | <1 | 18 h 20 min |
| August | 62°F | 46°F | 54.1°F | 9.93 | 20 | <1 | <1 | 15 h 50 min |
| September | 56°F | 40°F | 48.4°F | 13.21 | 21 | <1 | 5 | 13 h |
| October | 48°F | 33°F | 40.1°F | 10.88 | 21 | <1 | 15 | 10 h 20 min |
| November | 38°F | 25°F | 31.6°F | 7.16 | 18 | <1 | 22 | 7 h 30 min |
| December | 35°F | 22°F | 28.9°F | 7.97 | 20 | <1 | 24 | 5 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 48°F | 32°F | 39.9°F | 86.18 | 218 | <1 | 165 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1°C | −7°C | −3.1°C | 158 mm |
| February | 3°C | −6°C | −1.6°C | 151 mm |
| March | 4°C | −5°C | −0.7°C | 119 mm |
| April | 8°C | −1°C | 3.4°C | 114 mm |
| May | 12°C | 3°C | 7.5°C | 137 mm |
| June | 15°C | 6°C | 10.8°C | 116 mm |
| July | 16°C | 9°C | 12.6°C | 145 mm |
| August | 17°C | 8°C | 12.3°C | 252 mm |
| September | 14°C | 5°C | 9.1°C | 336 mm |
| October | 9°C | 0°C | 4.5°C | 276 mm |
| November | 4°C | −4°C | −0.2°C | 182 mm |
| December | 2°C | −5°C | −1.7°C | 202 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. Cordova's own co-op station Cordova N does: 99 inches of snow in a normal year (see the other stations below).
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00026410; 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 Cordova?
No month's normal high reaches 65°F in Cordova: the warmest is August at 62°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 USW00026410.
When is the last frost in Cordova?
In Cordova, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 23 in half of years and after June 5 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 19 in half of years and before September 5 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 231 year in 10 after June 5; 9 in 10 after May 7
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 191 year in 10 before September 5; 9 in 10 before October 2
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 118 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 151 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 4 in half of springs and before October 2 in half of autumns.
By the USDA's method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Cordova's NOAA station is in plant hardiness zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −7°F (29 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 USW00026410; 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 Cordova?
In a normal year in Cordova, a 90°F day is rare, 165 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 218 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
- 165a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 38high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 218a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1909) is 90°F, on June 17, 2013; the lowest is −33°F, on February 3, 1947.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1928, with 201.09 in; the snowiest season is 1971–72, with 261.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00026410; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00026410. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Cordova, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 49°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 51°F; the driest air comes in February (21°F). April is the windiest month (5.3 mph on average), and February has the most clear or nearly clear hours (36%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22°F | 82% | 77% | 4.4 mph | 25% | 52% |
| February | 21°F | 73% | 61% | 4.6 mph | 36% | 41% |
| March | 27°F | 73% | 61% | 5.2 mph | 29% | 48% |
| April | 34°F | 74% | 61% | 5.3 mph | 24% | 46% |
| May | 42°F | 77% | 66% | 4.3 mph | – | – |
| June | 48°F | 81% | 73% | 3.3 mph | – | – |
| July | 51°F | 85% | 77% | 3.3 mph | – | – |
| August | 46°F | 82% | 71% | 3.9 mph | – | – |
| September | 39°F | 81% | 67% | 4.8 mph | – | – |
| October | 31°F | 81% | 72% | 4.3 mph | – | – |
| November | 25°F | 82% | 81% | 4.7 mph | – | – |
| December | 23°F | 82% | 81% | 4.6 mph | – | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00026410. 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 Cordova?
Over a year 62% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Cordova, 2.5 kWh per square metre a day. April is the sunniest month (66%) and November the cloudiest (54%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 55% | 0.3 |
| February | 58% | 0.9 |
| March | 64% | 2.3 |
| April | 66% | 3.8 |
| May | 64% | 4.7 |
| June | 65% | 5.3 |
| July | 62% | 4.7 |
| August | 61% | 3.6 |
| September | 60% | 2.4 |
| October | 54% | 1.1 |
| November | 54% | 0.4 |
| December | 55% | 0.2 |
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 Cordova need?
A normal year in Cordova brings 9,136 heating degree days, 70% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1 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 388 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,198 | 0 |
| February | 1,007 | 0 |
| March | 1,060 | 0 |
| April | 806 | 0 |
| May | 606 | 0 |
| June | 407 | 0 |
| July | 323 | 0 |
| August | 336 | 0 |
| September | 500 | 0 |
| October | 772 | 0 |
| November | 1,002 | 0 |
| December | 1,121 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,136 | 1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00026410. 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 Cordova been warmer than normal lately?
2023 averaged 40.8°F, 0.9°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 39.9°F. 2 of the 3 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 38.3°F | −1.6°F | 70.17 |
| 2022 | 41.4°F | +1.5°F | 96.60 |
| 2023 | 40.8°F | +0.9°F | – |
Over 95 complete years from 1910 to 2023, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 1.8°F per century (+0.10°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00026410; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Cordova's climate compare?
Cordova is warmer than 59 of the other 84 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 62. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 39.9°F is warmer than 5%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Cordova 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.
What do Cordova's other NOAA stations record?
2 more NOAA stations keep 1991-2020 normals in or near Cordova. This page uses Cordova M K Smith Airport; the others differ by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cordova N USC00502173 | 11 mi NW | 25 ft | 42.6°F | 27°F | 62°F | 148.7 | 99 | April 24 |
| Cordova Wastewater Treatment Plant USC00502179 | 12 mi W | 10 ft | 42.6°F | 26°F | 63°F | 168.6 | – | April 29 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Cordova's climate
What is the coldest month in Cordova?
January, with a normal high of 34°F and a normal low of 19°F. The warmest is July (62°F by day, 48°F at night).
Does it snow in Cordova?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Cordova's NOAA station; Cordova's own co-op station Cordova N records 99 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Cordova?
September, with 13.21 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is April with 4.48 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Cordova in?
By the same method at Cordova's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −7°F (29 years, 1991-2020): zone 6a.
How late can frost come in Cordova?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 23; 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
- Cordova in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Valdez, AK53 miles from this station, 39.7°F a year
- Cannery Creek, AK79 miles from this station, 38.8°F a year
- Tonsina, AK81 miles from this station, 27.6°F a year
- Silver Lake, AK83 miles from this station, 29.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made