Little Port Walter, Alaska climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Little Port Walter's normal year runs from 31°F January nights to 61°F August afternoons, with 245.7 inches of precipitation and 102 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.7°C, January lows of −1°C, August highs of 16°C, 6,241 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationLittle Port Walter
- Station IDUSC00505519
- Location56.38°N 134.65°W
- Elevation14 ft (4 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Little Port Walter is 47°F and the normal low 39°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 80%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Little Port Walter.
- Jan 38° 31°
- Feb 39° 31°
- Mar 41° 32°
- Apr 47° 36°
- May 54° 41°
- Jun 58° 46°
- Jul 61° 50°
- Aug 61° 51°
- Sep 56° 47°
- Oct 49° 41°
- Nov 43° 35°
- Dec 39° 32°
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 Little Port Walter each month?
August is the warmest month, with normal highs of 61°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 31°F. The most precipitation falls in December (32.15 in), the least in June (7.85 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38°F | 31°F | 34.4°F | 27.97 | 28.0 | 24 | <1 | 20 | 7 h 30 min |
| February | 39°F | 31°F | 35.1°F | 18.93 | 19.7 | 20 | <1 | 19 | 9 h 30 min |
| March | 41°F | 32°F | 36.3°F | 18.11 | 20.1 | 21 | <1 | 21 | 11 h 40 min |
| April | 47°F | 36°F | 41.2°F | 14.65 | 1.7 | 19 | <1 | 10 | 14 h 10 min |
| May | 54°F | 41°F | 47.3°F | 12.23 | 0.0 | 15 | <1 | 1 | 16 h 20 min |
| June | 58°F | 46°F | 52.4°F | 7.85 | 0.0 | 15 | <1 | <1 | 17 h 40 min |
| July | 61°F | 50°F | 55.8°F | 10.37 | 0.0 | 15 | <1 | <1 | 17 h 10 min |
| August | 61°F | 51°F | 55.9°F | 16.74 | 0.0 | 17 | <1 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| September | 56°F | 47°F | 51.7°F | 25.72 | 0.0 | 21 | <1 | <1 | 12 h 50 min |
| October | 49°F | 41°F | 45.0°F | 31.61 | 0.4 | 24 | <1 | 3 | 10 h 30 min |
| November | 43°F | 35°F | 38.7°F | 29.39 | 10.3 | 24 | <1 | 12 | 8 h 20 min |
| December | 39°F | 32°F | 35.6°F | 32.15 | 21.6 | 25 | <1 | 19 | 7 h |
| Year (annual) | 49°F | 39°F | 44.1°F | 245.72 | 101.8 | 239 | <1 | 105 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3°C | −1°C | 1.3°C | 710 mm | 71 cm |
| February | 4°C | 0°C | 1.7°C | 481 mm | 50 cm |
| March | 5°C | 0°C | 2.4°C | 460 mm | 51 cm |
| April | 8°C | 2°C | 5.1°C | 372 mm | 4 cm |
| May | 12°C | 5°C | 8.5°C | 311 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 15°C | 8°C | 11.3°C | 199 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 16°C | 10°C | 13.2°C | 263 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 16°C | 10°C | 13.3°C | 425 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 13°C | 8°C | 10.9°C | 653 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 10°C | 5°C | 7.2°C | 803 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 6°C | 2°C | 3.7°C | 747 mm | 26 cm |
| December | 4°C | 0°C | 2.0°C | 817 mm | 55 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00505519; 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 Little Port Walter?
No month's normal high reaches 65°F in Little Port Walter: the warmest is July at 61°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 USC00505519.
When is the last frost at Little Port Walter?
In Little Port Walter, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 21 in half of years and after May 9 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 31 in half of years and before October 5 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
- April 211 year in 10 after May 9; 9 in 10 after March 31
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 311 year in 10 before October 5; 9 in 10 before November 20
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 190 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 240 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 27 in half of springs and before November 22 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Little Port Walter in zone 8a in ZIP code 99836, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 14°F (23 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 USC00505519; 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 at Little Port Walter?
In a normal year in Little Port Walter, a 90°F day is rare, 105 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 239 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
- 105a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 14high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 239a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 24a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1936) is 88°F, on August 12, 1990; the lowest is 0°F, on January 2, 1966.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2023, with 291.81 in; the snowiest season is 2006–07, with 272.1 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00505519; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00505519. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Little Port Walter?
Over a year 58% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Little Port Walter, 2.5 kWh per square metre a day. April is the sunniest month (63%) and December the cloudiest (47%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 48% | 0.4 |
| February | 56% | 1.1 |
| March | 59% | 2.3 |
| April | 63% | 3.7 |
| May | 63% | 4.7 |
| June | 59% | 4.8 |
| July | 56% | 4.2 |
| August | 59% | 3.6 |
| September | 57% | 2.4 |
| October | 53% | 1.3 |
| November | 49% | 0.6 |
| December | 47% | 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Little Port Walter record?
A normal year at Little Port Walter brings 7,600 heating degree days, 41% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1 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 552 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 949 | 0 |
| February | 837 | 0 |
| March | 888 | 0 |
| April | 713 | 0 |
| May | 549 | 0 |
| June | 380 | 0 |
| July | 284 | 0 |
| August | 282 | 0 |
| September | 401 | 0 |
| October | 620 | 0 |
| November | 788 | 0 |
| December | 911 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,600 | 1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00505519. 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.
Have recent years at Little Port Walter been warmer than normal?
2024 averaged 43.3°F, 0.8°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 44.1°F. 0 of the 2 complete years since 2023 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 43.9°F | −0.2°F | 291.81 | 82.3 |
| 2024 | 43.3°F | −0.8°F | 198.81 | 70.8 |
Over 61 complete years from 1937 to 2024, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 1.4°F per century (+0.08°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00505519; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Little Port Walter's climate compare?
Little Port Walter is warmer than 77 of the 85 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 74. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 44.1°F is warmer than 16%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Little Port Walter is Cfb: temperate, no dry season, warm 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.
Questions about Little Port Walter's climate
What is the coldest month at Little Port Walter?
January, with a normal high of 38°F and a normal low of 31°F. The warmest is August (61°F by day, 51°F at night).
Does it snow at Little Port Walter?
Yes: 102 inches in a normal year, falling on 33 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (28.0 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Little Port Walter?
December, with 32.15 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 7.85 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Little Port Walter in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Little Port Walter in zone 8a in ZIP code 99836, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 14°F (23 years, 1991-2020): zone 8a.
How late can frost come at Little Port Walter?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 21; in one year in ten it comes after May 9. Waiting until May 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
- Port Alexander, AK9 miles from this station, 45.6°F a year
- Point Baker, AK39 miles from this station, 43.7°F a year
- Sitka, AK53 miles from this station, 45.4°F a year
- Hidden Falls Hatchery, AK58 miles from this station, 42.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made