Gustavus, AK Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Average temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, with a derived climate comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Gustavus's primary NOAA station, GUSTAVUS - 2 stations mapped to the area.
The climate verdict for Gustavus
Water is the standout signal in Gustavus, Alaska: 62.3 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 40°F. At 24/100 (below average) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 0% of scores.
- 40°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 24/100
- comfort score, above 0% of station-mapped location scores
- 62.3"
- annual precipitation · 72" snow
- 109 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Gustavus: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00025322 · Gustavus, AK 40°F mean · 62.3" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-WET · SWING-NARROW · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-MULTI · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 40°F
- RANK-COOL #343
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Homer
- PRCP-WET 62.3"
- SWING-NARROW 28°F
- COMF-LOW 24/100
- LOAD-HEAT 9,072 HDD
- STN-MULTI USW00025322
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Homer, AK (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every AK station list.
- Gustavus (this station) 40°F
- Cold Sand Point, AK 40°F
- Hot Homer, AK 40°F
- Near Yakutat, AK 40°F
- Near Wally Noerenber…, AK 40°F
Gustavus sits in Alaska, the #1 coldest U.S. state at 33.5°F statewide annual average - see all 50 coldest states ranked by NOAA normals
Climate Living Index · Gustavus
Gustavus: 9/100 · grade F
Gustavus publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Gustavus, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 24/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 194 calendar days | 17/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 72.3 inches/year | 9/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 62.3 in · 27.3 from 35 in | 7/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 40.1°F · 27.4° from 67.5°F | 5/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 109 days/year | 2/100 · F |
Gustavus · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Gustavus is a continental Köppen climate: Dfc
Coldest-month mean 26.4°F and warmest-month mean 54.8°F place this station in continental, no dry season, cool summer climates (Dfc). Class Dfc is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, cool summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfc
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 54.8°F
- Coldest month
- 26.4°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Gustavus sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Gustavus's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 95%
- Among 6,861 stations, Gustavus sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Top 4% wettest
- Gustavus's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 92%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Gustavus is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Gustavus compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Gustavus's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
24 0th percentile score exceeds 0% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). This entry sits in this band.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Above this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Above this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Gustavus's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 37 complete annual observations from 1940 to 2024, GUSTAVUS warmed at a fitted rate of 0.18°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Gustavus primary station fitted change +0.18 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32°F (0°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 5.9" | 18.1" | 25.9 | 0.0 |
| February | 36°F (2°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 3.8" | 11.4" | 22.5 | 0.0 |
| March | 40°F (4°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 31°F (0°C) | 3.2" | 11.7" | 25.9 | 0.0 |
| April | 49°F (9°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 3.0" | 1.8" | 17.5 | 0.0 |
| May | 57°F (14°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 3.0" | 0.0" | 8.1 | 0.0 |
| June | 61°F (16°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 2.9" | 0.0" | 0.7 | 0.0 |
| July | 63°F (17°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 4.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| August | 63°F (17°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 5.4" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| September | 57°F (14°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 8.2" | 0.0" | 3.7 | 0.0 |
| October | 47°F (8°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 8.4" | 0.5" | 11.5 | 0.0 |
| November | 38°F (3°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 6.8" | 10.8" | 20.7 | 0.0 |
| December | 34°F (1°C) | 24°F (-5°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 7.3" | 18.0" | 24.2 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 64°F around August 3, short of 90°F on every date, while 194 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 20°F near January 17.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 30, then returns to freezing around October 20, covering 194 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is October 10, when 75% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is May 22 at 52%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 228 wet dates a year.
The widest day
May 9 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 21°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Gustavus.
Where Gustavus Stands Nationally
This is one of the wettest normals climates ranked: about 62 inches of precipitation in a normal year, a total fewer than one station in ten surpasses.
Freezing is routine here by normals standards — the normal low reaches 32°F or colder on about 194 nights a year, more than most ranked stations.
Gustavus earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 18.1"
20.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 11.4"
16.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 11.7"
16.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.8"
17.9 days with precipitation
15.9 days with precipitation
16.2 days with precipitation
17.8 days with precipitation
19.4 days with precipitation
21.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.5"
23.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 10.8"
21.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 18.0"
20.8 days with precipitation
Gustavus spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 20% of the annual total and December through February 27%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Gustavus has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry an unusually narrow 28.4°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: October averages 8.4" and June 2.9". The three wettest months together take 38% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
How Gustavus's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 227 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 62.3" between them, or roughly 0.27 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Winter brings real snow to Gustavus
Gustavus averages 72.3 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 36 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 72.3 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 36 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 12% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
September 16
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 30
50% probability date
Growing Season
109 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
9,072
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
0
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside AK closest to Gustavus on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (40°F here).
- Detroit Lakes, MN 40°F · 0.0°F off
- Long Prairie, MN 40°F · 0.0°F off
- Ada, MN 40°F · 0.1°F off
- Cass Lake, MN 40°F · 0.1°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (62.3" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Iuka, MS 62.3" · 0.0" off
- Geneva, AL 62.3" · 0.0" off
- Nevada City, CA 62.3" · 0.0" off
- Elizabeth, LA 62.1" · 0.2" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Gustavus
heating led · wet · low swing
Heating is the larger measured load in Gustavus, at 9,072 degree days versus 0 for cooling. Unlike a strongly continental record, however, its 28.4°F month-to-month range is compact; persistent cool-season demand matters more than a dramatic summer-to-winter reversal.
Only about 109 days are frost-free in a normal year. That short interval is consistent with the cold-season signal, but the measure does not predict the exact first or last freeze in any one year.
-
1. Gustavus coldest normal
January
The monthly mean of 26°F (-3°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Gustavus typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Gustavus snow peak
January
Gustavus averages 72.3 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Gustavus's climate
How much snow does Gustavus get? ▼
How cold does Gustavus get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Gustavus? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Gustavus's primary station: GUSTAVUS (USW00025322). 2 NOAA stations are mapped to the Gustavus area; the primary station's record is used for consistency. For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 0230940). Match rule for Gustavus: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Gustavus comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.