Mile 42 Steese, Alaska climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Mile 42 Steese's normal year runs from −11°F January nights to 70°F July afternoons, with 15.4 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of −2.4°C, January lows of −24°C, July highs of 21°C, 391 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMile 42 Steese
- Station IDUSC00505880
- Location65.22°N 147.17°W
- Elevation960 ft (293 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Mile 42 Steese is 28°F and the normal low 10°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 27%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Mile 42 Steese.
- Jan 6° -11°
- Feb 14° -5°
- Mar 24° -1°
- Apr 43° 19°
- May 58° 34°
- Jun 69° 44°
- Jul 70° 47°
- Aug 64° 41°
- Sep 53° 31°
- Oct 34° 15°
- Nov 14° -2°
- Dec 8° -7°
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 Mile 42 Steese each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 70°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −11°F. The most precipitation falls in August (3.25 in), the least in April (0.32 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6°F | −11°F | -2.8°F | 0.57 | 7 | <1 | 31 | 4 h 50 min |
| February | 14°F | −5°F | 4.7°F | 0.61 | 6 | <1 | 28 | 8 h 20 min |
| March | 24°F | −1°F | 11.5°F | 0.40 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 30 min |
| April | 43°F | 19°F | 30.9°F | 0.32 | 5 | <1 | 29 | 15 h 10 min |
| May | 58°F | 34°F | 46.1°F | 0.94 | 8 | <1 | 15 | 18 h 40 min |
| June | 69°F | 44°F | 56.6°F | 2.13 | 12 | <1 | <1 | 22 h 10 min |
| July | 70°F | 47°F | 58.4°F | 3.03 | 16 | <1 | <1 | 20 h 30 min |
| August | 64°F | 41°F | 52.7°F | 3.25 | 15 | <1 | 4 | 16 h 50 min |
| September | 53°F | 31°F | 42.1°F | 1.68 | 11 | <1 | 18 | 13 h 10 min |
| October | 34°F | 15°F | 24.2°F | 0.90 | 9 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 50 min |
| November | 14°F | −2°F | 6.0°F | 1.05 | 7 | <1 | 30 | 6 h 20 min |
| December | 8°F | −7°F | 0.6°F | 0.53 | 7 | <1 | 31 | 3 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 38°F | 17°F | 27.6°F | 15.41 | 105 | <1 | 247 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −15°C | −24°C | −19.3°C | 14 mm |
| February | −10°C | −21°C | −15.2°C | 15 mm |
| March | −4°C | −18°C | −11.4°C | 10 mm |
| April | 6°C | −7°C | −0.6°C | 8 mm |
| May | 15°C | 1°C | 7.8°C | 24 mm |
| June | 21°C | 7°C | 13.7°C | 54 mm |
| July | 21°C | 8°C | 14.7°C | 77 mm |
| August | 18°C | 5°C | 11.5°C | 83 mm |
| September | 12°C | 0°C | 5.6°C | 43 mm |
| October | 1°C | −9°C | −4.3°C | 23 mm |
| November | −10°C | −19°C | −14.4°C | 27 mm |
| December | −13°C | −22°C | −17.4°C | 13 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Gilmore Creek (20 miles away), gets 53 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00505880; 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 Mile 42 Steese?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June and July. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (12).
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 USC00505880.
When is the last frost at Mile 42 Steese?
In Mile 42 Steese, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 28 in half of years and after June 19 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before August 26 in half of years and before August 9 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 281 year in 10 after June 19; 9 in 10 after May 15
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- August 261 year in 10 before August 9; 9 in 10 before September 8
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 87 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 114 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 14 in half of springs and before September 6 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 USC00505880. 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 Mile 42 Steese?
In a normal year in Mile 42 Steese, a 90°F day is rare, 247 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 105 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
- 247a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 156high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 105a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00505880.
How sunny is it at Mile 42 Steese?
Over a year 71% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Mile 42 Steese, 2.5 kWh per square metre a day. March is the sunniest month (86%) and October the cloudiest (61%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 76% | 0.1 |
| February | 77% | 0.8 |
| March | 86% | 2.6 |
| April | 85% | 4.5 |
| May | 73% | 5.2 |
| June | 69% | 5.5 |
| July | 65% | 4.7 |
| August | 65% | 3.5 |
| September | 66% | 2.2 |
| October | 61% | 0.9 |
| November | 66% | 0.2 |
| December | 82% | 0.0 |
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 Mile 42 Steese record?
A normal year at Mile 42 Steese brings 13,640 heating degree days, 2.5 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 22 cooling degree days, 98% 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 662 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 2,103 | 0 |
| February | 1,688 | 0 |
| March | 1,658 | 0 |
| April | 1,025 | 0 |
| May | 588 | 0 |
| June | 262 | 8 |
| July | 215 | 10 |
| August | 383 | 3 |
| September | 689 | 0 |
| October | 1,263 | 0 |
| November | 1,770 | 0 |
| December | 1,996 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 13,640 | 22 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00505880. 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 Mile 42 Steese's climate compare?
Mile 42 Steese is warmer than 22 of the 85 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 23. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 27.6°F is warmer than 1%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Mile 42 Steese 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 Mile 42 Steese's climate
What is the coldest month at Mile 42 Steese?
January, with a normal high of 6°F and a normal low of −11°F. The warmest is July (70°F by day, 47°F at night).
Does it snow at Mile 42 Steese?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Gilmore Creek (20 miles away), records 53 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Mile 42 Steese?
August, with 3.25 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is April with 0.32 in.
How late can frost come at Mile 42 Steese?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 28; in one year in ten it comes after June 19. Waiting until June 19 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Fort Knox Mine, AK16 miles from this station, 30.5°F a year
- Gilmore Creek, AK20 miles from this station, 28.4°F a year
- Fox, AK22 miles from this station, 27.8°F a year
- Two Rivers, AK25 miles from this station, 29.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made