Moose Pass, Alaska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Moose Pass's normal year runs from 9°F January nights to 66°F July afternoons, with 42.2 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 2.1°C, January lows of −13°C, July highs of 19°C, 1,072 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMoose Pass (3 mi NW)
- Station IDUSC00505894
- Location60.50°N 149.43°W
- Elevation492 ft (150 m)
- Population (census place)79
On October 23, the normal high in Moose Pass is 38°F and the normal low 25°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Moose Pass.
- Jan 24° 9°
- Feb 29° 13°
- Mar 35° 14°
- Apr 45° 27°
- May 55° 34°
- Jun 63° 42°
- Jul 66° 47°
- Aug 64° 45°
- Sep 55° 38°
- Oct 42° 27°
- Nov 30° 17°
- Dec 27° 12°
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 Moose Pass each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 66°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 9°F. The most precipitation falls in September (6.04 in), the least in June (1.74 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24°F | 9°F | 16.2°F | 3.46 | – | <1 | 28 | 6 h 30 min |
| February | 29°F | 13°F | 20.9°F | 5.25 | – | <1 | 25 | 9 h |
| March | 35°F | 14°F | 24.4°F | 2.16 | – | <1 | 28 | 11 h 40 min |
| April | 45°F | 27°F | 35.7°F | 2.27 | – | <1 | 21 | 14 h 30 min |
| May | 55°F | 34°F | 44.6°F | 2.10 | – | <1 | 11 | 17 h 10 min |
| June | 63°F | 42°F | 52.6°F | 1.74 | – | <1 | 1 | 19 h |
| July | 66°F | 47°F | 56.2°F | 2.43 | – | <1 | <1 | 18 h 20 min |
| August | 64°F | 45°F | 54.2°F | 3.76 | – | <1 | <1 | 15 h 50 min |
| September | 55°F | 38°F | 46.2°F | 6.04 | – | <1 | 7 | 13 h |
| October | 42°F | 27°F | 34.5°F | 5.41 | – | <1 | 20 | 10 h 20 min |
| November | 30°F | 17°F | 23.7°F | 4.23 | – | <1 | 25 | 7 h 30 min |
| December | 27°F | 12°F | 19.5°F | 3.35 | – | <1 | 29 | 5 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 44°F | 27°F | 35.7°F | 42.20 | – | <1 | 197 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5°C | −13°C | −8.8°C | 88 mm |
| February | −2°C | −11°C | −6.2°C | 133 mm |
| March | 1°C | −10°C | −4.2°C | 55 mm |
| April | 7°C | −3°C | 2.1°C | 58 mm |
| May | 13°C | 1°C | 7.0°C | 53 mm |
| June | 17°C | 6°C | 11.4°C | 44 mm |
| July | 19°C | 8°C | 13.4°C | 62 mm |
| August | 18°C | 7°C | 12.3°C | 96 mm |
| September | 13°C | 3°C | 7.9°C | 153 mm |
| October | 5°C | −3°C | 1.4°C | 137 mm |
| November | −1°C | −8°C | −4.6°C | 107 mm |
| December | −3°C | −11°C | −6.9°C | 85 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Seward (19 mi N) (11 miles away), gets 90 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00505894; 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 Moose Pass?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in July.
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 USC00505894.
When is the last frost in Moose Pass?
In Moose Pass, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 31 in half of years and after June 15 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 8 in half of years and before August 24 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 311 year in 10 after June 15; 9 in 10 after May 19
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 81 year in 10 before August 24; 9 in 10 before September 25
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 99 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 129 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 14 in half of springs and before September 22 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Moose Pass in zone 5a in ZIP code 99631, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Alaska · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00505894; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. 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 Moose Pass?
In a normal year in Moose Pass, a 90°F day is rare and 197 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- 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
- 197a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 71high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00505894.
How sunny is Moose Pass?
Over a year 59% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Moose Pass, 2.4 kWh per square metre a day. March is the sunniest month (64%) and November the cloudiest (52%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 53% | 0.3 |
| February | 55% | 0.9 |
| March | 64% | 2.3 |
| April | 61% | 3.6 |
| May | 61% | 4.6 |
| June | 59% | 4.9 |
| July | 60% | 4.6 |
| August | 58% | 3.5 |
| September | 57% | 2.3 |
| October | 53% | 1.1 |
| November | 52% | 0.4 |
| December | 53% | 0.2 |
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 Moose Pass need?
A normal year in Moose Pass brings 10,660 heating degree days, 98% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 3 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 471 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,513 | 0 |
| February | 1,236 | 0 |
| March | 1,260 | 0 |
| April | 881 | 0 |
| May | 634 | 0 |
| June | 371 | 1 |
| July | 275 | 2 |
| August | 334 | 1 |
| September | 563 | 0 |
| October | 945 | 0 |
| November | 1,238 | 0 |
| December | 1,411 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 10,660 | 3 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00505894. 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 Moose Pass been warmer than normal lately?
2022 averaged 36.3°F, 0.6°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 35.7°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 36.3°F | +0.6°F | – |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00505894. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Moose Pass's climate compare?
Moose Pass is warmer than 44 of the other 84 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 49. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 35.7°F is warmer than 2%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Moose Pass 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 Moose Pass share this climate record?
2 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.
- Primrose, AK125 people · 12 mi S
- Crown Point, AK76 people · 6 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 Moose Pass's climate
What is the coldest month in Moose Pass?
January, with a normal high of 24°F and a normal low of 9°F. The warmest is July (66°F by day, 47°F at night).
Does it snow in Moose Pass?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Moose Pass's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Seward (19 mi N) (11 miles away), records 90 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Moose Pass?
September, with 6.04 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 1.74 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Moose Pass in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Moose Pass in zone 5a in ZIP code 99631, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Moose Pass?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 31; in one year in ten it comes after June 15. Waiting until June 15 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Cooper Lake Project, AK11 miles from this station, 38.4°F a year
- Cooper Landing, AK19 miles from this station, 36.7°F a year
- Seward, AK26 miles from this station, 40.4°F a year
- Portage Glacier V C, AK28 miles from this station, 37.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made