Kaltag, Alaska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Kaltag's normal year runs from −12°F January nights to 69°F July afternoons, with 21.5 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of −2.3°C, January lows of −25°C, July highs of 21°C, 547 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationKaltag Airport
- Station IDUSW00026502
- Location64.33°N 158.74°W
- Elevation181 ft (55 m)
- From the center1 miles
- Population154
On October 23, the normal high in Kaltag is 30°F and the normal low 17°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 32%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Kaltag.
- Jan 4° -12°
- Feb 14° -6°
- Mar 21° -2°
- Apr 38° 17°
- May 56° 34°
- Jun 69° 46°
- Jul 69° 49°
- Aug 64° 45°
- Sep 53° 36°
- Oct 35° 21°
- Nov 17° 2°
- Dec 8° -8°
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 Kaltag each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 69°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −12°F. The most precipitation falls in August (3.38 in), the least in December (0.72 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4°F | −12°F | -4.0°F | 1.02 | 7 | <1 | 31 | 5 h 10 min |
| February | 14°F | −6°F | 4.1°F | 1.29 | 10 | <1 | 28 | 8 h 30 min |
| March | 21°F | −2°F | 9.7°F | 1.45 | 9 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 30 min |
| April | 38°F | 17°F | 27.6°F | 1.39 | 8 | <1 | 29 | 15 h |
| May | 56°F | 34°F | 45.1°F | 1.02 | 9 | <1 | 15 | 18 h 20 min |
| June | 69°F | 46°F | 57.4°F | 1.65 | 12 | <1 | 1 | 21 h 10 min |
| July | 69°F | 49°F | 59.3°F | 2.24 | 14 | <1 | <1 | 20 h |
| August | 64°F | 45°F | 54.3°F | 3.38 | 18 | <1 | 2 | 16 h 30 min |
| September | 53°F | 36°F | 44.5°F | 3.17 | 15 | <1 | 12 | 13 h 10 min |
| October | 35°F | 21°F | 27.8°F | 2.78 | 11 | <1 | 25 | 10 h |
| November | 17°F | 2°F | 9.4°F | 1.43 | 8 | <1 | 30 | 6 h 30 min |
| December | 8°F | −8°F | 0.1°F | 0.72 | 7 | <1 | 31 | 4 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 38°F | 18°F | 27.9°F | 21.54 | 126 | <1 | 234 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −15°C | −25°C | −20.0°C | 26 mm |
| February | −10°C | −21°C | −15.5°C | 33 mm |
| March | −6°C | −19°C | −12.4°C | 37 mm |
| April | 3°C | −8°C | −2.4°C | 35 mm |
| May | 13°C | 1°C | 7.3°C | 26 mm |
| June | 21°C | 8°C | 14.1°C | 42 mm |
| July | 21°C | 10°C | 15.2°C | 57 mm |
| August | 18°C | 7°C | 12.4°C | 86 mm |
| September | 12°C | 2°C | 6.9°C | 81 mm |
| October | 2°C | −6°C | −2.3°C | 71 mm |
| November | −8°C | −17°C | −12.6°C | 36 mm |
| December | −13°C | −22°C | −17.7°C | 18 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station, and no record within 25 miles keeps one, so snow is left out here rather than estimated.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00026502; 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 Kaltag?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June and July. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (12).
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 USW00026502.
When is the last frost in Kaltag?
In Kaltag, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 25 in half of years and after June 11 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 3 in half of years and before August 18 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 251 year in 10 after June 11; 9 in 10 after May 10
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 31 year in 10 before August 18; 9 in 10 before September 21
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 101 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 125 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 12 in half of springs and before September 17 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Kaltag in zone 2a in ZIP code 99748. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Kaltag's NOAA station is in zone 2a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −46°F (15 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Alaska · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00026502; 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 Kaltag?
In a normal year in Kaltag, a 90°F day is rare, 234 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 126 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
- 234a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 159high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 126a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00026502.
How sunny is Kaltag?
Over a year 68% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Kaltag, 2.5 kWh per square metre a day. March is the sunniest month (82%) and October the cloudiest (56%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 74% | 0.2 |
| February | 70% | 0.8 |
| March | 82% | 2.5 |
| April | 79% | 4.3 |
| May | 72% | 5.1 |
| June | 67% | 5.3 |
| July | 62% | 4.5 |
| August | 63% | 3.5 |
| September | 62% | 2.1 |
| October | 56% | 0.9 |
| November | 64% | 0.3 |
| December | 76% | 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 Kaltag need?
A normal year in Kaltag brings 13,510 heating degree days, 2.5 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 22 cooling degree days, 98% 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 747 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 2,139 | 0 |
| February | 1,707 | 0 |
| March | 1,716 | 0 |
| April | 1,122 | 0 |
| May | 617 | 0 |
| June | 235 | 7 |
| July | 189 | 14 |
| August | 335 | 2 |
| September | 617 | 0 |
| October | 1,153 | 0 |
| November | 1,668 | 0 |
| December | 2,014 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 13,510 | 22 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00026502. 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 Kaltag's climate compare?
Kaltag is warmer than 24 of the other 84 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 39. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 27.9°F is warmer than 1%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Kaltag 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 Kaltag share this climate record?
Nulato 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.
- Nulato, AK225 people · 29 mi NE
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 Kaltag's climate
What is the coldest month in Kaltag?
January, with a normal high of 4°F and a normal low of −12°F. The warmest is July (69°F by day, 49°F at night).
What is the rainiest month in Kaltag?
August, with 3.38 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is December with 0.72 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Kaltag in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Kaltag in zone 2a in ZIP code 99748. By the same method at Kaltag's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −46°F (15 years, 1991-2020): zone 2a.
How late can frost come in Kaltag?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 25; in one year in ten it comes after June 11. Waiting until June 11 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Galena, AK62 miles from this station, 26.0°F a year
- McGrath, AK135 miles from this station, 28.9°F a year
- Ruby (44 mi ESE), AK138 miles from this station, 26.3°F a year
- Deering, AK168 miles from this station, 23.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made