Ester, Alaska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Ester's normal year runs from −15°F January nights to 72°F July afternoons, with 14.6 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of −2.9°C, January lows of −26°C, July highs of 22°C, 370 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationEster
- Station IDUSC00502870
- Location64.85°N 148.03°W
- Elevation655 ft (200 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population (census place)2,784
On October 23, the normal high in Ester is 27°F and the normal low 10°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Ester.
- Jan 0° -15°
- Feb 11° -10°
- Mar 25° -5°
- Apr 45° 18°
- May 61° 34°
- Jun 71° 45°
- Jul 72° 49°
- Aug 65° 43°
- Sep 54° 31°
- Oct 33° 15°
- Nov 11° -5°
- Dec 3° -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 in Ester each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 72°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −15°F. The most precipitation falls in August (2.83 in), the least in April (0.41 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0°F | −15°F | -7.7°F | 0.67 | – | <1 | 31 | 5 h |
| February | 11°F | −10°F | 0.7°F | 0.61 | – | <1 | 28 | 8 h 20 min |
| March | 25°F | −5°F | 10.3°F | 0.53 | – | <1 | 31 | 11 h 30 min |
| April | 45°F | 18°F | 31.6°F | 0.41 | – | <1 | 30 | 15 h |
| May | 61°F | 34°F | 47.6°F | 0.68 | – | <1 | 13 | 18 h 30 min |
| June | 71°F | 45°F | 58.1°F | 2.08 | – | <1 | 1 | 21 h 40 min |
| July | 72°F | 49°F | 60.5°F | 2.70 | – | <1 | <1 | 20 h 20 min |
| August | 65°F | 43°F | 54.1°F | 2.83 | – | <1 | 2 | 16 h 40 min |
| September | 54°F | 31°F | 42.8°F | 1.51 | – | <1 | 17 | 13 h 10 min |
| October | 33°F | 15°F | 24.4°F | 0.89 | – | <1 | 30 | 9 h 50 min |
| November | 11°F | −5°F | 3.2°F | 0.89 | – | <1 | 30 | 6 h 20 min |
| December | 3°F | −12°F | -4.2°F | 0.75 | – | <1 | 31 | 3 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 38°F | 16°F | 26.8°F | 14.55 | – | <1 | 244 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −18°C | −26°C | −22.1°C | 17 mm |
| February | −12°C | −23°C | −17.4°C | 15 mm |
| March | −4°C | −20°C | −12.1°C | 13 mm |
| April | 7°C | −8°C | −0.2°C | 10 mm |
| May | 16°C | 1°C | 8.7°C | 17 mm |
| June | 22°C | 7°C | 14.5°C | 53 mm |
| July | 22°C | 10°C | 15.8°C | 69 mm |
| August | 18°C | 6°C | 12.3°C | 72 mm |
| September | 12°C | 0°C | 6.0°C | 38 mm |
| October | 1°C | −9°C | −4.2°C | 23 mm |
| November | −12°C | −20°C | −16.0°C | 23 mm |
| December | −16°C | −24°C | −20.1°C | 19 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, University Experiment Station (5 miles away), gets 61 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00502870; 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 Ester?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June and 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 USC00502870.
When is the last frost in Ester?
In Ester, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 24 in half of years and after June 4 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 1 in half of years and before August 19 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 241 year in 10 after June 4; 9 in 10 after May 12
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 11 year in 10 before August 19; 9 in 10 before September 12
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 98 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 119 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 13 in half of springs and before September 11 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Ester in zone 3b across its 2 ZIP code areas (3b in 99709, the largest).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Alaska · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00502870; 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.
What hardiness zone is each Ester ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Ester's 2 ZIP code areas are all in zone 3b. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
Source: USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; ZIP areas in the place: Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. A ZIP area counts when at least a tenth of its land (and 0.5 km²) lies in the place.
How hot and how cold does it get in Ester?
In a normal year in Ester, a 90°F day is rare and 244 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- 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
- 244a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 155high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00502870.
How sunny is Ester?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Ester, 2.6 kWh per square metre a day. March is the sunniest month (85%) and October the cloudiest (61%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 75% | 0.2 |
| February | 76% | 0.9 |
| March | 85% | 2.6 |
| April | 84% | 4.5 |
| May | 75% | 5.3 |
| June | 71% | 5.6 |
| July | 67% | 4.8 |
| August | 68% | 3.7 |
| September | 68% | 2.4 |
| October | 61% | 0.9 |
| November | 63% | 0.3 |
| December | 78% | 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 much heating and cooling does Ester need?
A normal year in Ester brings 13,922 heating degree days, 2.6 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 29 cooling degree days, 97% 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 798 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 2,252 | 0 |
| February | 1,802 | 0 |
| March | 1,696 | 0 |
| April | 1,002 | 0 |
| May | 538 | 0 |
| June | 215 | 10 |
| July | 155 | 17 |
| August | 339 | 2 |
| September | 668 | 0 |
| October | 1,259 | 0 |
| November | 1,852 | 0 |
| December | 2,145 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 13,922 | 29 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00502870. 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 Ester's climate compare?
Ester is warmer than 19 of the other 84 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 21. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 26.8°F is warmer than 1%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Ester 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 Ester share this climate record?
Chena Ridge has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its 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.
- Chena Ridge, AK5,927 people · 4 mi S
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Ester's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Ester. This page uses Ester; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ester (5 mi NE) USC00502871 | 4 mi NE | 630 ft | 25.9°F | −18°F | 73°F | 14.3 | – | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Ester's climate
What is the coldest month in Ester?
January, with a normal high of 0°F and a normal low of −15°F. The warmest is July (72°F by day, 49°F at night).
Does it snow in Ester?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Ester's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, University Experiment Station (5 miles away), records 61 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Ester?
August, with 2.83 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is April with 0.41 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Ester in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Ester in zone 3b across its 2 ZIP code areas (3b in 99709, the largest).
How late can frost come in Ester?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 24; in one year in ten it comes after June 4. Waiting until June 4 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- University Experiment Station, AK5 miles from this station, 28.9°F a year
- Fairbanks, AK6 miles from this station, 28.3°F a year
- College, AK6 miles from this station, 28.5°F a year
- Goldstream, AK6 miles from this station, 24.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made