Elfin Cove, Alaska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Elfin Cove's normal year runs from 29°F January nights to 59°F August afternoons, with 104.0 inches of precipitation and 110 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.0°C, January lows of −1°C, August highs of 15°C, 2,643 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationElfin Cove
- Station IDUSC00502785
- Location58.19°N 136.34°W
- Elevation20 ft (6 m)
- From the center7 miles
- Population (census place)13
On October 23, the normal high in Elfin Cove is 46°F and the normal low 38°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 76%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Elfin Cove.
- Jan 36° 29°
- Feb 38° 30°
- Mar 40° 31°
- Apr 46° 35°
- May 52° 41°
- Jun 56° 46°
- Jul 58° 49°
- Aug 59° 50°
- Sep 56° 47°
- Oct 48° 40°
- Nov 40° 34°
- Dec 37° 31°
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 Elfin Cove each month?
August is the warmest month, with normal highs of 59°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 29°F. The most precipitation falls in October (14.53 in), the least in June (3.59 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36°F | 29°F | 32.7°F | 10.53 | 30.1 | 23 | <1 | 18 | 7 h 10 min |
| February | 38°F | 30°F | 33.8°F | 7.99 | 19.7 | 21 | <1 | 16 | 9 h 20 min |
| March | 40°F | 31°F | 35.1°F | 7.81 | 20.3 | 19 | <1 | 16 | 11 h 40 min |
| April | 46°F | 35°F | 40.5°F | 5.80 | 2.1 | 18 | <1 | 7 | 14 h 20 min |
| May | 52°F | 41°F | 46.2°F | 4.73 | 0.1 | 17 | <1 | <1 | 16 h 40 min |
| June | 56°F | 46°F | 50.8°F | 3.59 | 0.0 | 18 | <1 | <1 | 18 h 10 min |
| July | 58°F | 49°F | 53.7°F | 4.94 | 0.0 | 20 | <1 | <1 | 17 h 30 min |
| August | 59°F | 50°F | 54.4°F | 7.87 | 0.0 | 20 | <1 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| September | 56°F | 47°F | 51.1°F | 12.18 | 0.0 | 22 | <1 | <1 | 13 h |
| October | 48°F | 40°F | 44.1°F | 14.53 | 1.5 | 23 | <1 | 2 | 10 h 30 min |
| November | 40°F | 34°F | 36.9°F | 12.26 | 15.8 | 22 | <1 | 9 | 8 h |
| December | 37°F | 31°F | 34.1°F | 11.81 | 20.4 | 24 | <1 | 15 | 6 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 47°F | 38°F | 42.8°F | 104.04 | 110.0 | 247 | <1 | 83 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2°C | −1°C | 0.4°C | 267 mm | 76 cm |
| February | 3°C | −1°C | 1.0°C | 203 mm | 50 cm |
| March | 4°C | −1°C | 1.7°C | 198 mm | 52 cm |
| April | 8°C | 2°C | 4.7°C | 147 mm | 5 cm |
| May | 11°C | 5°C | 7.9°C | 120 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 13°C | 8°C | 10.4°C | 91 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 14°C | 10°C | 12.1°C | 125 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 15°C | 10°C | 12.4°C | 200 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 13°C | 8°C | 10.6°C | 309 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 9°C | 4°C | 6.7°C | 369 mm | 4 cm |
| November | 5°C | 1°C | 2.7°C | 311 mm | 40 cm |
| December | 3°C | −1°C | 1.2°C | 300 mm | 52 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00502785; 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 Elfin Cove?
No month's normal high reaches 65°F in Elfin Cove: the warmest is August at 59°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 USC00502785.
When is the last frost in Elfin Cove?
In Elfin Cove, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 26 in half of years and after May 8 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 1 in half of years and before October 15 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
- April 261 year in 10 after May 8; 9 in 10 after April 8
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 11 year in 10 before October 15; 9 in 10 before November 18
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 188 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 234 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 30 in half of springs and before November 19 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Elfin Cove in zone 7a in ZIP code 99825. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Elfin Cove's NOAA station is in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 12°F (15 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 USC00502785; 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 Elfin Cove?
In a normal year in Elfin Cove, a 90°F day is rare, 83 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 247 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
- 83a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 22high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 247a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 25a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00502785.
How sunny is Elfin Cove?
Over a year 62% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Elfin Cove, 2.5 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (66%) and December the cloudiest (50%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 51% | 0.3 |
| February | 56% | 1.0 |
| March | 59% | 2.2 |
| April | 62% | 3.6 |
| May | 64% | 4.8 |
| June | 66% | 5.4 |
| July | 65% | 5.0 |
| August | 63% | 3.8 |
| September | 58% | 2.4 |
| October | 53% | 1.2 |
| November | 51% | 0.5 |
| December | 50% | 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 Elfin Cove need?
A normal year in Elfin Cove brings 8,083 heating degree days, 50% 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 385 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,001 | 0 |
| February | 874 | 0 |
| March | 927 | 0 |
| April | 734 | 0 |
| May | 583 | 0 |
| June | 425 | 0 |
| July | 350 | 0 |
| August | 327 | 0 |
| September | 416 | 0 |
| October | 648 | 0 |
| November | 842 | 0 |
| December | 958 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,083 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00502785. 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 Elfin Cove's climate compare?
Elfin Cove is warmer than 72 of the other 84 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 66. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 42.8°F is warmer than 12%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Elfin Cove is Cfb: temperate, no dry season, warm 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 Elfin Cove's climate
What is the coldest month in Elfin Cove?
January, with a normal high of 36°F and a normal low of 29°F. The warmest is August (59°F by day, 50°F at night).
Does it snow in Elfin Cove?
Yes: 110 inches in a normal year, falling on 45 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (30.1 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Elfin Cove?
October, with 14.53 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 3.59 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Elfin Cove in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Elfin Cove in zone 7a in ZIP code 99825. By the same method at Elfin Cove's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 12°F (15 years, 1991-2020): zone 8a.
How late can frost come in Elfin Cove?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 26; in one year in ten it comes after May 8. Waiting until May 8 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Pelican, AK17 miles from this station, 42.7°F a year
- Glacier Bay, AK25 miles from this station, 40.9°F a year
- Gustavus, AK29 miles from this station, 40.6°F a year
- Hoonah, AK34 miles from this station, 43.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made