Eielson Field, Alaska climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Eielson Field's normal year runs from −18°F January nights to 72°F July afternoons, with 12.9 inches of precipitation and 68 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of −2.8°C, January lows of −28°C, July highs of 22°C, 327 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationEielson Field
- Station IDUSC00502707
- Location64.67°N 147.10°W
- Elevation547 ft (167 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Eielson Field is 27°F and the normal low 10°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 31%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Eielson Field.
- Jan 0° -18°
- Feb 11° -11°
- Mar 25° -3°
- Apr 45° 21°
- May 61° 36°
- Jun 71° 47°
- Jul 72° 50°
- Aug 66° 44°
- Sep 54° 34°
- Oct 33° 16°
- Nov 10° -6°
- Dec 3° -14°
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 Eielson Field each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 72°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −18°F. The most precipitation falls in July (2.67 in), the least in March (0.32 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0°F | −18°F | -8.9°F | 0.48 | 8.5 | 7 | <1 | 31 | 5 h 10 min |
| February | 11°F | −11°F | -0.1°F | 0.37 | 6.5 | 5 | <1 | 28 | 8 h 30 min |
| March | 25°F | −3°F | 11.2°F | 0.32 | 6.9 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 30 min |
| April | 45°F | 21°F | 33.0°F | 0.32 | 3.5 | 3 | <1 | 25 | 15 h |
| May | 61°F | 36°F | 48.2°F | 0.69 | 1.7 | 6 | <1 | 7 | 18 h 30 min |
| June | 71°F | 47°F | 58.9°F | 2.12 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | <1 | 21 h 30 min |
| July | 72°F | 50°F | 60.9°F | 2.67 | 0.0 | 13 | <1 | <1 | 20 h 10 min |
| August | 66°F | 44°F | 55.0°F | 2.61 | 0.0 | 13 | <1 | 1 | 16 h 40 min |
| September | 54°F | 34°F | 44.0°F | 1.49 | 2.6 | 10 | <1 | 11 | 13 h 10 min |
| October | 33°F | 16°F | 24.5°F | 0.87 | 12.9 | 10 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 50 min |
| November | 10°F | −6°F | 2.2°F | 0.52 | 13.4 | 7 | <1 | 30 | 6 h 30 min |
| December | 3°F | −14°F | -5.7°F | 0.42 | 11.7 | 7 | <1 | 31 | 4 h |
| Year (annual) | 38°F | 16°F | 26.9°F | 12.88 | 67.7 | 97 | <1 | 223 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −18°C | −28°C | −22.7°C | 12 mm | 22 cm |
| February | −12°C | −24°C | −17.8°C | 9 mm | 17 cm |
| March | −4°C | −19°C | −11.6°C | 8 mm | 18 cm |
| April | 7°C | −6°C | 0.6°C | 8 mm | 9 cm |
| May | 16°C | 2°C | 9.0°C | 18 mm | 4 cm |
| June | 22°C | 8°C | 14.9°C | 54 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 22°C | 10°C | 16.1°C | 68 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 19°C | 7°C | 12.8°C | 66 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 12°C | 1°C | 6.7°C | 38 mm | 7 cm |
| October | 1°C | −9°C | −4.2°C | 22 mm | 33 cm |
| November | −12°C | −21°C | −16.6°C | 13 mm | 34 cm |
| December | −16°C | −26°C | −20.9°C | 11 mm | 30 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00502707; 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 Eielson Field?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July and August. 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 USC00502707.
When is the last frost at Eielson Field?
In Eielson Field, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 20 in half of years and after June 3 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 1 in half of years and before August 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 201 year in 10 after June 3; 9 in 10 after May 10
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 11 year in 10 before August 20; 9 in 10 before September 16
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 104 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 126 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 10 in half of springs and before September 14 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Eielson Field in zone 2a in ZIP code 99702, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Alaska · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00502707; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. 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 Eielson Field?
In a normal year in Eielson Field, a 90°F day is rare, 223 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 97 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
- 223a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 153high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 97a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 23a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1946) is 93°F, on June 15, 1969; the lowest is −64°F, on January 23, 1971.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1948, with 24.35 in; the snowiest season is 1990–91, with 163.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00502707; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00502707. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Eielson Field?
Over a year 71% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Eielson Field, 2.6 kWh per square metre a day. March is the sunniest month (84%) and October the cloudiest (62%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 75% | 0.2 |
| February | 75% | 0.8 |
| March | 84% | 2.6 |
| April | 83% | 4.4 |
| May | 73% | 5.2 |
| June | 69% | 5.4 |
| July | 66% | 4.8 |
| August | 67% | 3.7 |
| September | 67% | 2.3 |
| October | 62% | 1.0 |
| November | 63% | 0.3 |
| December | 79% | 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 Eielson Field record?
A normal year at Eielson Field brings 13,878 heating degree days, 2.6 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 34 cooling degree days, 96% fewer than the median (908). Ten months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 868 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 2,292 | 0 |
| February | 1,823 | 0 |
| March | 1,666 | 0 |
| April | 962 | 0 |
| May | 523 | 0 |
| June | 195 | 14 |
| July | 141 | 15 |
| August | 315 | 4 |
| September | 630 | 0 |
| October | 1,256 | 0 |
| November | 1,884 | 0 |
| December | 2,192 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 13,878 | 34 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00502707. 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 Eielson Field's climate compare?
Eielson Field is warmer than 20 of the 85 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 16. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 26.9°F is warmer than 1%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Eielson Field 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 Eielson Field share this climate record?
3 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.
- Eielson AFB, AK3,133 people · 1 mi E
- Salcha, AK1,076 people · 11 mi SE
- Moose Creek, AK332 people · 4 mi NW
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 Eielson Field's climate
What is the coldest month at Eielson Field?
January, with a normal high of 0°F and a normal low of −18°F. The warmest is July (72°F by day, 50°F at night).
Does it snow at Eielson Field?
Yes: 68 inches in a normal year, falling on 54 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in November (13.4 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Eielson Field?
July, with 2.67 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is March with 0.32 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Eielson Field in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Eielson Field in zone 2a in ZIP code 99702, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Eielson Field?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 20; in one year in ten it comes after June 3. Waiting until June 3 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Badger, AK9 miles from this station, 28.1°F a year
- North Pole, AK9 miles from this station, 26.5°F a year
- Two Rivers, AK14 miles from this station, 29.9°F a year
- Aurora, AK22 miles from this station, 28.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made