Eagle River Gakona Circle, Alaska climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Eagle River Gakona Circle's normal year runs from 9°F January nights to 67°F July afternoons, with 17.7 inches of precipitation and 71 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 2.3°C, January lows of −13°C, July highs of 19°C, 449 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationEagle River Gakona Circle
- Station IDUSC00502645
- Location61.32°N 149.54°W
- Elevation567 ft (173 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Eagle River Gakona Circle is 36°F and the normal low 25°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 38%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Eagle River Gakona Circle.
- Jan 20° 9°
- Feb 27° 13°
- Mar 33° 16°
- Apr 46° 29°
- May 58° 38°
- Jun 64° 46°
- Jul 67° 50°
- Aug 63° 48°
- Sep 54° 40°
- Oct 40° 28°
- Nov 26° 16°
- Dec 22° 12°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Eagle River Gakona Circle each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 67°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 9°F. The most precipitation falls in August (2.82 in), the least in April (0.55 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20°F | 9°F | 14.7°F | 0.97 | 12.5 | 8 | <1 | 30 | 6 h 20 min |
| February | 27°F | 13°F | 20.1°F | 1.13 | 11.7 | 8 | <1 | 27 | 9 h |
| March | 33°F | 16°F | 24.9°F | 0.85 | 8.9 | 6 | <1 | 29 | 11 h 40 min |
| April | 46°F | 29°F | 37.5°F | 0.55 | 4.5 | 6 | <1 | 21 | 14 h 40 min |
| May | 58°F | 38°F | 48.0°F | 0.90 | 0.4 | 8 | <1 | 3 | 17 h 20 min |
| June | 64°F | 46°F | 55.1°F | 1.14 | 0.0 | 12 | <1 | <1 | 19 h 20 min |
| July | 67°F | 50°F | 58.5°F | 2.09 | 0.0 | 13 | <1 | <1 | 18 h 30 min |
| August | 63°F | 48°F | 55.6°F | 2.82 | 0.0 | 16 | <1 | <1 | 16 h |
| September | 54°F | 40°F | 46.9°F | 2.67 | 0.4 | 18 | <1 | 3 | 13 h |
| October | 40°F | 28°F | 34.1°F | 1.74 | 3.5 | 13 | <1 | 18 | 10 h 10 min |
| November | 26°F | 16°F | 20.6°F | 1.58 | 12.3 | 10 | <1 | 28 | 7 h 20 min |
| December | 22°F | 12°F | 16.8°F | 1.23 | 16.3 | 9 | <1 | 30 | 5 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 43°F | 29°F | 36.1°F | 17.67 | 70.5 | 125 | <1 | 191 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −6°C | −13°C | −9.6°C | 25 mm | 32 cm |
| February | −3°C | −10°C | −6.6°C | 29 mm | 30 cm |
| March | 1°C | −9°C | −3.9°C | 22 mm | 23 cm |
| April | 8°C | −2°C | 3.1°C | 14 mm | 11 cm |
| May | 14°C | 3°C | 8.9°C | 23 mm | 1 cm |
| June | 18°C | 8°C | 12.8°C | 29 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 19°C | 10°C | 14.7°C | 53 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 17°C | 9°C | 13.1°C | 72 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 12°C | 5°C | 8.3°C | 68 mm | 1 cm |
| October | 4°C | −2°C | 1.2°C | 44 mm | 9 cm |
| November | −4°C | −9°C | −6.3°C | 40 mm | 31 cm |
| December | −6°C | −11°C | −8.4°C | 31 mm | 41 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00502645; 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.
Which months are mildest at Eagle River Gakona Circle?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in July.
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 USC00502645.
When is the last frost at Eagle River Gakona Circle?
In Eagle River Gakona Circle, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 9 in half of years and after May 22 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 26 in half of years and before September 12 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 91 year in 10 after May 22; 9 in 10 after April 29
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 261 year in 10 before September 12; 9 in 10 before October 10
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 139 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 164 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 26 in half of springs and before October 7 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Eagle River Gakona Circle in zone 5a in ZIP code 99505, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −12°F (16 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Alaska · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00502645; 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 at Eagle River Gakona Circle?
In a normal year in Eagle River Gakona Circle, a 90°F day is rare, 191 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 125 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
- 191a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 106high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 125a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 22a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 2003) is 87°F, on June 26, 2004; the lowest is −19°F, on January 7, 2009.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2013, with 23.94 in; the snowiest season is 2003–04, with 102.2 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00502645; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00502645. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Eagle River Gakona Circle?
Over a year 64% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Eagle River Gakona Circle, 2.5 kWh per square metre a day. April is the sunniest month (70%) and October the cloudiest (55%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 57% | 0.3 |
| February | 59% | 0.9 |
| March | 68% | 2.4 |
| April | 70% | 4.0 |
| May | 66% | 5.0 |
| June | 65% | 5.3 |
| July | 63% | 4.8 |
| August | 63% | 3.8 |
| September | 61% | 2.4 |
| October | 55% | 1.1 |
| November | 55% | 0.4 |
| December | 56% | 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Eagle River Gakona Circle record?
A normal year at Eagle River Gakona Circle brings 10,535 heating degree days, 96% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 13 cooling degree days, 99% fewer than the median (908). Nine months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 662 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,558 | 0 |
| February | 1,256 | 0 |
| March | 1,243 | 0 |
| April | 825 | 0 |
| May | 527 | 0 |
| June | 300 | 3 |
| July | 209 | 8 |
| August | 294 | 3 |
| September | 542 | 0 |
| October | 956 | 0 |
| November | 1,332 | 0 |
| December | 1,494 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 10,535 | 13 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00502645. 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.
Have recent years at Eagle River Gakona Circle been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 37.7°F, 1.6°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 36.1°F. 2 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 33.8°F | −2.3°F | – | – |
| 2022 | 37.5°F | +1.4°F | – | – |
| 2023 | 35.8°F | −0.3°F | – | – |
| 2024 | 36.0°F | −0.1°F | – | – |
| 2025 | 37.7°F | +1.6°F | 18.14 | – |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00502645. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Eagle River Gakona Circle's climate compare?
Eagle River Gakona Circle is warmer than 48 of the 85 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 31. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 36.1°F is warmer than 2%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Eagle River Gakona Circle is Dsc: continental, dry-summer, 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 Eagle River Gakona Circle's climate
What is the coldest month at Eagle River Gakona Circle?
January, with a normal high of 20°F and a normal low of 9°F. The warmest is July (67°F by day, 50°F at night).
Does it snow at Eagle River Gakona Circle?
Yes: 71 inches in a normal year, falling on 38 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (16.3 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Eagle River Gakona Circle?
August, with 2.82 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is April with 0.55 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Eagle River Gakona Circle in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Eagle River Gakona Circle in zone 5a in ZIP code 99505, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −12°F (16 years, 1991-2020): zone 5b.
How late can frost come at Eagle River Gakona Circle?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 9; in one year in ten it comes after May 22. Waiting until May 22 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Eagle River (5 mi SE), AK4 miles from this station, 36.7°F a year
- Fort Richardson Water Treatment Plant, AK7 miles from this station, 36.1°F a year
- Eagle River Nature Center, AK11 miles from this station, 35.4°F a year
- Eklutna Water Treatment Plant, AK12 miles from this station, 37.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made