McCarthy, Alaska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
McCarthy's normal year runs from −9°F January nights to 71°F July afternoons, with 17.7 inches of precipitation and 67 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of −1.2°C, January lows of −23°C, July highs of 22°C, 450 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMcCarthy (3 mi SW)
- Station IDUSC00505757
- Location61.42°N 143.00°W
- Elevation1,250 ft (381 m)
- Population (census place)2
On October 23, the normal high in McCarthy is 33°F and the normal low 15°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 36%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for McCarthy.
- Jan 6° -9°
- Feb 21° -1°
- Mar 33° 4°
- Apr 48° 22°
- May 62° 31°
- Jun 70° 39°
- Jul 71° 43°
- Aug 67° 40°
- Sep 56° 33°
- Oct 39° 20°
- Nov 17° 2°
- Dec 9° -4°
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 McCarthy each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 71°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −9°F. The most precipitation falls in August (2.65 in), the least in April (0.31 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6°F | −9°F | -1.6°F | 0.93 | 13.2 | 9 | <1 | 31 | 6 h 20 min |
| February | 21°F | −1°F | 9.7°F | 1.11 | 7.9 | 7 | <1 | 28 | 9 h |
| March | 33°F | 4°F | 18.2°F | 0.40 | 5.4 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 40 min |
| April | 48°F | 22°F | 34.6°F | 0.31 | 2.5 | 3 | <1 | 29 | 14 h 40 min |
| May | 62°F | 31°F | 46.6°F | 0.93 | 0.6 | 7 | <1 | 21 | 17 h 30 min |
| June | 70°F | 39°F | 54.3°F | 1.63 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | 6 | 19 h 20 min |
| July | 71°F | 43°F | 57.3°F | 2.45 | 0.0 | 14 | <1 | 1 | 18 h 40 min |
| August | 67°F | 40°F | 53.5°F | 2.65 | 0.0 | 16 | <1 | 5 | 16 h |
| September | 56°F | 33°F | 44.3°F | 2.56 | 2.7 | 15 | <1 | 16 | 13 h |
| October | 39°F | 20°F | 29.4°F | 2.22 | 9.4 | 11 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 10 min |
| November | 17°F | 2°F | 9.7°F | 1.45 | 13.5 | 10 | <1 | 30 | 7 h 20 min |
| December | 9°F | −4°F | 2.3°F | 1.06 | 11.3 | 9 | <1 | 31 | 5 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 42°F | 18°F | 29.9°F | 17.70 | 66.5 | 118 | <1 | 256 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −14°C | −23°C | −18.7°C | 24 mm | 34 cm |
| February | −6°C | −18°C | −12.4°C | 28 mm | 20 cm |
| March | 0°C | −16°C | −7.7°C | 10 mm | 14 cm |
| April | 9°C | −6°C | 1.4°C | 8 mm | 6 cm |
| May | 17°C | −1°C | 8.1°C | 24 mm | 2 cm |
| June | 21°C | 4°C | 12.4°C | 41 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 22°C | 6°C | 14.1°C | 62 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 19°C | 5°C | 11.9°C | 67 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 13°C | 1°C | 6.8°C | 65 mm | 7 cm |
| October | 4°C | −7°C | −1.4°C | 56 mm | 24 cm |
| November | −8°C | −17°C | −12.4°C | 37 mm | 34 cm |
| December | −13°C | −20°C | −16.5°C | 27 mm | 29 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00505757; 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 McCarthy?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July and August. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (11).
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 USC00505757.
How hot and how cold does it get in McCarthy?
In a normal year in McCarthy, a 90°F day is rare, 256 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 118 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
- 256a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 125high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 118a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 21a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00505757.
How sunny is McCarthy?
Over a year 69% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around McCarthy, 2.8 kWh per square metre a day. April is the sunniest month (75%) and November the cloudiest (52%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 53% | 0.3 |
| February | 58% | 0.9 |
| March | 70% | 2.5 |
| April | 75% | 4.5 |
| May | 75% | 5.7 |
| June | 71% | 5.9 |
| July | 70% | 5.4 |
| August | 70% | 4.2 |
| September | 64% | 2.6 |
| October | 55% | 1.1 |
| November | 52% | 0.4 |
| December | 56% | 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 McCarthy need?
A normal year in McCarthy brings 12,788 heating degree days, 2.4 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1 cooling degree days, 100% 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 532 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 2,063 | 0 |
| February | 1,549 | 0 |
| March | 1,451 | 0 |
| April | 911 | 0 |
| May | 572 | 0 |
| June | 322 | 1 |
| July | 238 | 1 |
| August | 357 | 0 |
| September | 621 | 0 |
| October | 1,104 | 0 |
| November | 1,660 | 0 |
| December | 1,942 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 12,788 | 1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00505757. 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 McCarthy's climate compare?
McCarthy is warmer than 33 of the other 84 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 31. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 29.9°F is warmer than 1%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, McCarthy 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.
Questions about McCarthy's climate
What is the coldest month in McCarthy?
January, with a normal high of 6°F and a normal low of −9°F. The warmest is July (71°F by day, 43°F at night).
Does it snow in McCarthy?
Yes: 67 inches in a normal year, falling on 47 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in November (13.5 inches).
What is the rainiest month in McCarthy?
August, with 2.65 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is April with 0.31 in.
What plant hardiness zone is McCarthy in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts McCarthy in zone 4b in ZIP code 99566, the nearest ZIP area.
Nearby and next
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Silver Lake, AK40 miles from this station, 29.1°F a year
- Nabesna, AK68 miles from this station, 26.7°F a year
- Tonsina, AK73 miles from this station, 27.6°F a year
- Gulkana, AK95 miles from this station, 28.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made