King Salmon, Alaska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
King Salmon's normal year runs from 10°F January nights to 65°F July afternoons, with 21.4 inches of precipitation and 47 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 2.5°C, January lows of −12°C, July highs of 18°C, 545 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationKing Salmon Airport
- Station IDUSW00025503
- Location58.68°N 156.63°W
- Elevation63 ft (19 m)
- Population (census place)354
On October 23, the normal high in King Salmon is 41°F and the normal low 26°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 45%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for King Salmon.
- Jan 24° 10°
- Feb 30° 15°
- Mar 32° 15°
- Apr 45° 28°
- May 55° 36°
- Jun 62° 44°
- Jul 65° 49°
- Aug 63° 48°
- Sep 56° 41°
- Oct 44° 29°
- Nov 32° 18°
- Dec 26° 11°
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 King Salmon each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 65°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 10°F. The most precipitation falls in September (3.40 in), the least in March (0.76 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24°F | 10°F | 16.6°F | 0.93 | 8.6 | 10 | <1 | 27 | 7 h |
| February | 30°F | 15°F | 22.1°F | 0.91 | 7.2 | 10 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 20 min |
| March | 32°F | 15°F | 23.5°F | 0.76 | 7.2 | 9 | <1 | 28 | 11 h 40 min |
| April | 45°F | 28°F | 36.0°F | 1.04 | 4.4 | 11 | <1 | 23 | 14 h 20 min |
| May | 55°F | 36°F | 45.6°F | 1.44 | 0.6 | 12 | <1 | 10 | 16 h 50 min |
| June | 62°F | 44°F | 52.8°F | 1.83 | 0.0 | 14 | <1 | 1 | 18 h 20 min |
| July | 65°F | 49°F | 56.7°F | 2.46 | 0.0 | 16 | <1 | <1 | 17 h 40 min |
| August | 63°F | 48°F | 55.7°F | 3.26 | 0.0 | 17 | <1 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| September | 56°F | 41°F | 48.7°F | 3.40 | 0.0 | 18 | <1 | 6 | 13 h |
| October | 44°F | 29°F | 36.4°F | 2.31 | 2.5 | 15 | <1 | 20 | 10 h 20 min |
| November | 32°F | 18°F | 25.0°F | 1.72 | 6.7 | 13 | <1 | 25 | 7 h 50 min |
| December | 26°F | 11°F | 18.6°F | 1.38 | 10.2 | 13 | <1 | 28 | 6 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 44°F | 29°F | 36.5°F | 21.44 | 47.4 | 159 | <1 | 192 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5°C | −12°C | −8.6°C | 24 mm | 22 cm |
| February | −1°C | −10°C | −5.5°C | 23 mm | 18 cm |
| March | 0°C | −9°C | −4.7°C | 19 mm | 18 cm |
| April | 7°C | −2°C | 2.2°C | 26 mm | 11 cm |
| May | 13°C | 2°C | 7.6°C | 37 mm | 2 cm |
| June | 17°C | 6°C | 11.6°C | 46 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 18°C | 9°C | 13.7°C | 62 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 17°C | 9°C | 13.2°C | 83 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 13°C | 5°C | 9.3°C | 86 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 7°C | −2°C | 2.4°C | 59 mm | 6 cm |
| November | 0°C | −8°C | −3.9°C | 44 mm | 17 cm |
| December | −4°C | −11°C | −7.4°C | 35 mm | 26 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00025503; 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 King Salmon?
No month's normal high reaches 65°F in King Salmon: the warmest is July at 65°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 USW00025503.
When is the last frost in King Salmon?
In King Salmon, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 26 in half of years and after June 11 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 15 in half of years and before August 31 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 261 year in 10 after June 11; 9 in 10 after May 9
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 151 year in 10 before August 31; 9 in 10 before September 29
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 111 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 142 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 8 in half of springs and before September 27 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts King Salmon in zone 4a in ZIP code 99613. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, King Salmon's NOAA station is in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −30°F (29 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 USW00025503; 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 King Salmon?
In a normal year in King Salmon, a 90°F day is rare, 192 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 159 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
- 192a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 80high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 159a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 17a normal year
The highest temperature in King Salmon's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1917) is 89°F, on July 4, 2019; the lowest is −48°F, on January 28, 1989.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1935, with 31.55 in; the snowiest season is 2011–12, with 82.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00025503; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record AKNthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is King Salmon, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 48°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 50°F; the driest air comes in December (12°F). January is the windiest month (10.4 mph on average), and January has the most clear or nearly clear hours (34%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13°F | 82% | 75% | 10.4 mph | 34% | 35% |
| February | 17°F | 77% | 67% | 10.3 mph | 32% | 35% |
| March | 21°F | 73% | 60% | 9.9 mph | 29% | 34% |
| April | 31°F | 70% | 52% | 9.6 mph | 20% | 35% |
| May | 39°F | 68% | 49% | 9.5 mph | 14% | 32% |
| June | 47°F | 76% | 61% | 8.0 mph | 6% | 50% |
| July | 50°F | 81% | 66% | 8.4 mph | 5% | 56% |
| August | 47°F | 82% | 65% | 8.6 mph | 9% | 50% |
| September | 37°F | 80% | 64% | 9.3 mph | 19% | 39% |
| October | 25°F | 82% | 72% | 9.3 mph | 22% | 41% |
| November | 16°F | 83% | 80% | 9.2 mph | 30% | 39% |
| December | 12°F | 82% | 78% | 9.3 mph | 33% | 36% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00025503. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is King Salmon?
Over a year 63% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around King Salmon, 2.6 kWh per square metre a day. March is the sunniest month (71%) and December the cloudiest (53%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 58% | 0.4 |
| February | 58% | 1.1 |
| March | 71% | 2.7 |
| April | 67% | 3.9 |
| May | 66% | 4.9 |
| June | 64% | 5.2 |
| July | 58% | 4.3 |
| August | 59% | 3.6 |
| September | 61% | 2.5 |
| October | 61% | 1.4 |
| November | 60% | 0.6 |
| December | 53% | 0.3 |
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 King Salmon need?
A normal year in King Salmon brings 10,385 heating degree days, 93% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 3 cooling degree days, 100% 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 566 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,499 | 0 |
| February | 1,201 | 0 |
| March | 1,286 | 0 |
| April | 869 | 0 |
| May | 600 | 0 |
| June | 366 | 0 |
| July | 258 | 2 |
| August | 291 | 1 |
| September | 491 | 0 |
| October | 887 | 0 |
| November | 1,199 | 0 |
| December | 1,440 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 10,385 | 3 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00025503. 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.
Has King Salmon been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 37.1°F, 0.6°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 36.5°F. 2 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 33.2°F | −3.3°F | 22.51 | – |
| 2022 | 37.5°F | +1.0°F | 30.83 | – |
| 2023 | 35.9°F | −0.6°F | 24.40 | – |
| 2024 | 37.1°F | +0.6°F | 20.88 | – |
Over 88 complete years from 1919 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 4.0°F per century (+0.22°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00025503; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does King Salmon's climate compare?
King Salmon is warmer than 48 of the other 84 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 38. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 36.5°F is warmer than 2%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, King Salmon 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 King Salmon share this climate record?
5 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their 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.
- Naknek, AK458 people · 11 mi NW
- South Naknek, AK66 people · 13 mi W
- Egegik, AK34 people · 46 mi SW
- Levelock, AK18 people · 29 mi N
- Portage Creek, AK5 people · 40 mi W
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 King Salmon's climate
What is the coldest month in King Salmon?
January, with a normal high of 24°F and a normal low of 10°F. The warmest is July (65°F by day, 49°F at night).
Does it snow in King Salmon?
Yes: 47 inches in a normal year, falling on 50 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (10.2 inches).
What is the rainiest month in King Salmon?
September, with 3.40 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is March with 0.76 in.
What plant hardiness zone is King Salmon in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts King Salmon in zone 4a in ZIP code 99613. By the same method at King Salmon's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −30°F (29 years, 1991-2020): zone 4a.
How late can frost come in King Salmon?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 26; 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
- King Salmon in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- King Salmon (42 mi SE), AK42 miles from this station, 35.2°F a year
- Iliamna, AK96 miles from this station, 37.7°F a year
- Intricate Bay, AK97 miles from this station, 36.7°F a year
- Port Alsworth, AK132 miles from this station, 34.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made