Lake Susitna, Alaska climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Lake Susitna's normal year runs from −15°F January nights to 69°F July afternoons, with 11.8 inches of precipitation and 55 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of −3.2°C, January lows of −26°C, July highs of 20°C, 299 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationLake Susitna
- Station IDUSC00505397
- Location62.45°N 146.68°W
- Elevation2,375 ft (724 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Lake Susitna is 30°F and the normal low 13°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 Lake Susitna.
- Jan 5° -15°
- Feb 16° -9°
- Mar 27° -6°
- Apr 43° 13°
- May 56° 30°
- Jun 66° 43°
- Jul 69° 47°
- Aug 63° 42°
- Sep 53° 33°
- Oct 35° 18°
- Nov 16° -4°
- Dec 5° -13°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Lake Susitna each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 69°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −15°F. The most precipitation falls in July (2.38 in), the least in April (0.16 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5°F | −15°F | -5.1°F | 0.47 | 7.6 | 9 | <1 | 31 | 6 h |
| February | 16°F | −9°F | 3.5°F | 0.55 | 6.7 | 8 | <1 | 28 | 8 h 50 min |
| March | 27°F | −6°F | 10.4°F | 0.37 | 4.7 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 40 min |
| April | 43°F | 13°F | 27.6°F | 0.16 | 2.6 | 3 | <1 | 29 | 14 h 40 min |
| May | 56°F | 30°F | 43.0°F | 0.73 | 2.6 | 9 | <1 | 22 | 17 h 40 min |
| June | 66°F | 43°F | 54.3°F | 1.82 | 0.0 | 13 | <1 | 1 | 19 h 50 min |
| July | 69°F | 47°F | 57.7°F | 2.38 | 0.0 | 16 | <1 | <1 | 19 h |
| August | 63°F | 42°F | 52.8°F | 1.78 | 0.0 | 14 | <1 | 3 | 16 h 10 min |
| September | 53°F | 33°F | 43.1°F | 1.28 | 2.7 | 12 | <1 | 13 | 13 h 10 min |
| October | 35°F | 18°F | 26.6°F | 0.98 | 9.7 | 10 | <1 | 29 | 10 h 10 min |
| November | 16°F | −4°F | 6.0°F | 0.61 | 8.5 | 7 | <1 | 30 | 7 h |
| December | 5°F | −13°F | -3.8°F | 0.63 | 9.4 | 9 | <1 | 31 | 5 h |
| Year (annual) | 38°F | 15°F | 26.3°F | 11.76 | 54.5 | 114 | <1 | 248 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −15°C | −26°C | −20.6°C | 12 mm | 19 cm |
| February | −9°C | −23°C | −15.8°C | 14 mm | 17 cm |
| March | −3°C | −21°C | −12.0°C | 9 mm | 12 cm |
| April | 6°C | −11°C | −2.4°C | 4 mm | 7 cm |
| May | 13°C | −1°C | 6.1°C | 19 mm | 7 cm |
| June | 19°C | 6°C | 12.4°C | 46 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 20°C | 8°C | 14.3°C | 60 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 17°C | 6°C | 11.6°C | 45 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 12°C | 1°C | 6.2°C | 33 mm | 7 cm |
| October | 2°C | −8°C | −3.0°C | 25 mm | 25 cm |
| November | −9°C | −20°C | −14.4°C | 15 mm | 22 cm |
| December | −15°C | −25°C | −19.9°C | 16 mm | 24 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00505397; 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.
Which months are mildest at Lake Susitna?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June and July. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (13).
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 USC00505397.
When is the last frost at Lake Susitna?
In Lake Susitna, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 30 in half of years and after June 9 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 4 in half of years and before August 17 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 301 year in 10 after June 9; 9 in 10 after May 20
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 41 year in 10 before August 17; 9 in 10 before September 18
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 95 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 118 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 19 in half of springs and before September 17 in half of autumns.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Alaska · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00505397. 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 at Lake Susitna?
In a normal year in Lake Susitna, a 90°F day is rare, 248 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 114 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
- 248a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 150high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 114a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 18a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00505397.
How sunny is it at Lake Susitna?
Over a year 68% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Lake Susitna, 2.6 kWh per square metre a day. April is the sunniest month (82%) and October the cloudiest (59%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 67% | 0.3 |
| February | 69% | 1.0 |
| March | 82% | 2.8 |
| April | 82% | 4.7 |
| May | 70% | 5.1 |
| June | 64% | 5.2 |
| July | 63% | 4.7 |
| August | 64% | 3.7 |
| September | 64% | 2.4 |
| October | 59% | 1.1 |
| November | 61% | 0.4 |
| December | 64% | 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Lake Susitna record?
A normal year at Lake Susitna brings 14,081 heating degree days, 2.6 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 9 cooling degree days, 99% fewer than the median (908). Eleven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 531 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 2,173 | 0 |
| February | 1,724 | 0 |
| March | 1,691 | 0 |
| April | 1,122 | 0 |
| May | 680 | 0 |
| June | 322 | 2 |
| July | 233 | 5 |
| August | 382 | 2 |
| September | 659 | 0 |
| October | 1,190 | 0 |
| November | 1,771 | 0 |
| December | 2,134 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 14,081 | 9 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00505397. 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 Lake Susitna's climate compare?
Lake Susitna is warmer than 16 of the 85 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 10. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 26.3°F is warmer than 1%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Lake Susitna is Dsc: continental, dry-summer, 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 Lake Susitna share this climate record?
4 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.
- Nelchina, AK106 people · 31 mi S
- Mendeltna, AK58 people · 21 mi S
- Eureka Roadhouse, AK0 people · 37 mi SW
- Lake Louise, AK0 people · 11 mi SE
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 Lake Susitna's climate
What is the coldest month at Lake Susitna?
January, with a normal high of 5°F and a normal low of −15°F. The warmest is July (69°F by day, 47°F at night).
Does it snow at Lake Susitna?
Yes: 55 inches in a normal year, falling on 64 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in October (9.7 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Lake Susitna?
July, with 2.38 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is April with 0.16 in.
How late can frost come at Lake Susitna?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 30; in one year in ten it comes after June 9. Waiting until June 9 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Gennallen Kcam, AK44 miles from this station, 27.1°F a year
- Gulkana, AK44 miles from this station, 28.3°F a year
- Paxson, AK55 miles from this station, 26.2°F a year
- Tonsina, AK74 miles from this station, 27.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made