Ketchikan, AK Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Annual temperature and rainfall from NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 normals →; comfort score computed by PlainClimate
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Ketchikan's primary NOAA station, KETCHIKAN INTL AP - 2 stations mapped to the area.
The climate verdict for Ketchikan
Water is the standout signal in Ketchikan, Alaska: 149.5 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 46°F. At 45/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 16% of scores.
- 46°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 45/100
- comfort score, above 16% of station-mapped location scores
- 149.5"
- annual precipitation
- 184 days
- frost-free growing season
Ketchikan: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00025325 · Ketchikan, AK 46°F mean · 149.5" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-WET · SWING-NARROW · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-MULTI · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 46°F
- RANK-COOL #1,578
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Mauna Loa
- PRCP-WET 149.5"
- SWING-NARROW 23°F
- COMF-LOW 45/100
- LOAD-HEAT 6,917 HDD
- STN-MULTI USW00025325
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Mauna Loa, HI (+ 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.
- Ketchikan (this station) 46°F
- Hot Mineral, CA 46°F
- Near Mauna Loa, HI 46°F
- Near Incline Village, NV 46°F
- Near Glenbrook, NV 46°F
Ketchikan 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 · Ketchikan
Ketchikan: 51/100 · grade D
Ketchikan publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals · NOAA hourly normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Ketchikan, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 45/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Summer moisture balance | 51.8°F mean dew point | 96/100 · A |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 85 calendar days | 81/100 · B |
| Frost-free season | 184 days/year | 53/100 · D |
| Annual temperature balance | 46.0°F · 21.5° from 67.5°F | 23/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 149.5 in · 114.5 from 35 in | 0/100 · F |
Ketchikan · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Ketchikan is a temperate Köppen climate: Cfb
Coldest-month mean 35.6°F and warmest-month mean 59.0°F place this station in temperate, no dry season, warm summer climates (Cfb). Class Cfb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: temperate, specifically temperate, no dry season, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Cfb
- Group
- Temperate
- Warmest month
- 59.0°F
- Coldest month
- 35.6°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 Ketchikan sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Ketchikan's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 77%
- Among 6,861 stations, Ketchikan sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Top 1% wettest
- Ketchikan's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 95%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Ketchikan is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Ketchikan compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Ketchikan's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
45 16th percentile score exceeds 16% 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%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). This entry sits in this band.
- 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
Ketchikan's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 83 complete annual observations from 1914 to 2025, KETCHIKAN INTL AP warmed at a fitted rate of 0.05°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Ketchikan primary station fitted change +0.05 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40°F (4°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 16.2" | 15.0 | 0.0 |
| February | 41°F (5°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 11.8" | 15.6 | 0.0 |
| March | 44°F (6°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 11.0" | 15.7 | 0.0 |
| April | 50°F (10°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 44°F (6°C) | 10.3" | 6.8 | 0.0 |
| May | 57°F (14°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 8.7" | 1.4 | 0.0 |
| June | 61°F (16°C) | 49°F (10°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 7.0" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| July | 65°F (18°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 7.3" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| August | 65°F (18°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 11.3" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| September | 59°F (15°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 14.3" | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| October | 51°F (11°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 18.4" | 3.1 | 0.0 |
| November | 44°F (7°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 17.1" | 9.3 | 0.0 |
| December | 40°F (5°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 16.3" | 14.4 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 66°F around July 31, short of 90°F on every date, while 85 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 31°F near February 23.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 15, then returns to freezing around December 22, covering 85 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 November 7, when 77% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is July 31 at 49%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 233 wet dates a year.
The widest day
May 10 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 14°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Ketchikan.
Where Ketchikan Stands Nationally
This is one of the wettest normals climates ranked: about 150 inches of precipitation in a normal year, a total fewer than one station in ten surpasses.
Among the steadiest day-night climates ranked: even the widest normal daily swing holds to roughly 14°F.
Ketchikan earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall
22.0 days with precipitation
17.0 days with precipitation
20.6 days with precipitation
19.4 days with precipitation
16.1 days with precipitation
16.4 days with precipitation
16.0 days with precipitation
16.8 days with precipitation
19.5 days with precipitation
22.8 days with precipitation
23.6 days with precipitation
22.4 days with precipitation
Ketchikan spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 17% of the annual total and December through February 30%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Ketchikan has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry an unusually narrow 23.4°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: October averages 18.4" and June 7.0". The three wettest months together take 35% 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.
When it rains in Ketchikan, it arrives in quantity
149.5" of precipitation falls across only about 233 wet days here, averaging 0.64 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.
- Days with measurable precipitation
- about 233 a year, 64% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.64 inches
- Most wet days
- November, about 24
- Fewest wet days
- July, about 16
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 23
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 22
50% probability date
Growing Season
184 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
6,917
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
16
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
August
Coldest Month
January
Humidity & Wind
Monthly averages from hourly observations
| Month | Humidity | Wind (mph) | Clear Sky % | Overcast % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 83% | 8.8 | 20% | 62% |
| February | 76% | 8.1 | 29% | 53% |
| March | 79% | 8.4 | 21% | 56% |
| April | 76% | 8.9 | 24% | 46% |
| May | 77% | 8.3 | 26% | 48% |
| June | 80% | 8.1 | 18% | 48% |
| July | 80% | 7.9 | 28% | 42% |
| August | 86% | 7.4 | N/A | N/A |
| September | 87% | 7.8 | 23% | 55% |
| October | 85% | 8.2 | N/A | N/A |
| November | 85% | 8.2 | N/A | N/A |
| December | 84% | 8.4 | 27% | 61% |
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside AK closest to Ketchikan 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 (46°F here).
- Algona, IA 46°F · 0.0°F off
- Arlington, WI 46°F · 0.0°F off
- Eau Claire, WI 46°F · 0.0°F off
- Glenbrook, NV 46°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (149.5" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Hilo, HI 120.4" · 29.1" off
- Forks, WA 119.9" · 29.6" off
- Cougar, WA 115.3" · 34.2" off
- Naselle, WA 112.2" · 37.3" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Ketchikan's climate pattern fits together
heating led · wet · low swing
Heating is the larger measured load in Ketchikan, at 6,917 degree days versus 16 for cooling. Unlike a strongly continental record, however, its 23.4°F month-to-month range is compact; persistent cool-season demand matters more than a dramatic summer-to-winter reversal.
Ketchikan's frost-free season lasts about 184 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
Ketchikan's 23.4°F seasonal spread is compact even though precipitation is abundant. August and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar. The annual average is 46°F. Temperature is relatively steady; the monthly rows show how rain and snow observations vary across the calendar.
Alongside its heating load, Ketchikan carries 149.5 inches of precipitation in a normal year, inside PlainClimate's wet range. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. That distinction matters because a wet annual total can arrive as rain, snow, or a mixture at different times.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Ketchikan's primary station, so the winter figures are a thirty-year average and not a floor: a single hard season can run well below them. Treat each band as a descriptive range for Ketchikan, not an official NOAA class or a year-ahead forecast.
Questions about Ketchikan's climate
How much rain does Ketchikan get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Ketchikan? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Ketchikan's primary station: KETCHIKAN INTL AP (USW00025325). 2 NOAA stations are mapped to the Ketchikan 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 0238970). Match rule for Ketchikan: 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 Ketchikan 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.