North Lakes, Alaska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
North Lakes's normal year runs from 11°F January nights to 67°F July afternoons, with 18.8 inches of precipitation and 62 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 2.8°C, January lows of −12°C, July highs of 19°C, 478 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationAnderson Lake
- Station IDUSC00500302
- Location61.62°N 149.34°W
- Elevation458 ft (140 m)
- Population (census place)10,583
On October 14, the normal high in North Lakes is 44°F and the normal low 30°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 28%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for North Lakes.
- Jan 24° 11°
- Feb 29° 14°
- Mar 34° 19°
- Apr 47° 29°
- May 58° 37°
- Jun 64° 45°
- Jul 67° 50°
- Aug 64° 47°
- Sep 55° 40°
- Oct 42° 29°
- Nov 30° 17°
- Dec 25° 14°
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 North Lakes each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 67°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 11°F. The most precipitation falls in August (3.44 in), the least in April (0.38 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24°F | 11°F | 17.3°F | 0.73 | 10.9 | 6 | <1 | 30 | 6 h 10 min |
| February | 29°F | 14°F | 21.5°F | 0.87 | 9.0 | 5 | <1 | 26 | 8 h 50 min |
| March | 34°F | 19°F | 26.1°F | 0.64 | 8.7 | 6 | <1 | 29 | 11 h 40 min |
| April | 47°F | 29°F | 37.7°F | 0.38 | 2.3 | 3 | <1 | 20 | 14 h 40 min |
| May | 58°F | 37°F | 47.8°F | 1.12 | 0.3 | 6 | <1 | 7 | 17 h 30 min |
| June | 64°F | 45°F | 54.4°F | 1.75 | 0.0 | 8 | <1 | <1 | 19 h 30 min |
| July | 67°F | 50°F | 58.2°F | 2.59 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | <1 | 18 h 40 min |
| August | 64°F | 47°F | 55.3°F | 3.44 | 0.0 | 13 | <1 | <1 | 16 h |
| September | 55°F | 40°F | 47.1°F | 2.86 | 0.1 | 12 | <1 | 5 | 13 h |
| October | 42°F | 29°F | 35.7°F | 1.84 | 4.4 | 8 | <1 | 21 | 10 h 10 min |
| November | 30°F | 17°F | 23.2°F | 1.15 | 11.3 | 7 | <1 | 27 | 7 h 20 min |
| December | 25°F | 14°F | 19.4°F | 1.46 | 15.0 | 8 | <1 | 30 | 5 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 45°F | 29°F | 37.0°F | 18.83 | 62.0 | 93 | <1 | 194 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5°C | −12°C | −8.2°C | 19 mm | 28 cm |
| February | −2°C | −10°C | −5.8°C | 22 mm | 23 cm |
| March | 1°C | −7°C | −3.3°C | 16 mm | 22 cm |
| April | 8°C | −2°C | 3.2°C | 10 mm | 6 cm |
| May | 15°C | 3°C | 8.8°C | 28 mm | 1 cm |
| June | 18°C | 7°C | 12.4°C | 44 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 19°C | 10°C | 14.6°C | 66 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 18°C | 8°C | 12.9°C | 87 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 13°C | 4°C | 8.4°C | 73 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 6°C | −2°C | 2.1°C | 47 mm | 11 cm |
| November | −1°C | −8°C | −4.9°C | 29 mm | 29 cm |
| December | −4°C | −10°C | −7.0°C | 37 mm | 38 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00500302; 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 North Lakes?
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 USC00500302.
When is the last frost in North Lakes?
In North Lakes, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 16 in half of years and after May 31 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 23 in half of years and before September 8 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 161 year in 10 after May 31; 9 in 10 after May 1
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 231 year in 10 before September 8; 9 in 10 before October 5
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 128 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 156 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 1 in half of springs and before October 3 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts North Lakes in zone 5a in ZIP code 99654.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Alaska · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00500302; 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 North Lakes?
In a normal year in North Lakes, a 90°F day is rare, 194 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 93 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
- 194a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 95high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 93a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 18a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00500302.
How sunny is North Lakes?
Over a year 64% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around North Lakes, 2.5 kWh per square metre a day. April is the sunniest month (70%) and October the cloudiest (55%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 57% | 0.3 |
| February | 59% | 0.9 |
| March | 68% | 2.4 |
| April | 70% | 4.0 |
| May | 66% | 5.0 |
| June | 65% | 5.3 |
| July | 63% | 4.8 |
| August | 63% | 3.8 |
| September | 61% | 2.4 |
| October | 55% | 1.1 |
| November | 55% | 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 North Lakes need?
A normal year in North Lakes brings 10,197 heating degree days, 90% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 5 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 637 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,479 | 0 |
| February | 1,217 | 0 |
| March | 1,204 | 0 |
| April | 819 | 0 |
| May | 533 | 0 |
| June | 319 | 1 |
| July | 213 | 4 |
| August | 301 | 0 |
| September | 539 | 0 |
| October | 908 | 0 |
| November | 1,254 | 0 |
| December | 1,412 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 10,197 | 5 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00500302. 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 North Lakes's climate compare?
North Lakes is warmer than 52 of the other 84 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 35. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 37.0°F is warmer than 2%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, North Lakes 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 North Lakes share this climate record?
3 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.
- Wasilla, AK10,318 people · 5 mi SW
- Tanaina, AK9,738 people · 4 mi NW
- Meadow Lakes, AK8,994 people · 9 mi W
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 North Lakes's climate
What is the coldest month in North Lakes?
January, with a normal high of 24°F and a normal low of 11°F. The warmest is July (67°F by day, 50°F at night).
Does it snow in North Lakes?
Yes: 62 inches in a normal year, falling on 34 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (15.0 inches).
What is the rainiest month in North Lakes?
August, with 3.44 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is April with 0.38 in.
What plant hardiness zone is North Lakes in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts North Lakes in zone 5a in ZIP code 99654.
How late can frost come in North Lakes?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 16; in one year in ten it comes after May 31. Waiting until May 31 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Matanuska Experiment Farm, AK5 miles from this station, 36.7°F a year
- Little Su At Hatcher Pass Bridge, AK7 miles from this station, 35.6°F a year
- Ben's Farm, AK7 miles from this station, 36.9°F a year
- Palmer, AK8 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