North Pole, Alaska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
North Pole's normal year runs from −17°F January nights to 71°F July afternoons, with 13.5 inches of precipitation and 53 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of −3.1°C, January lows of −27°C, July highs of 22°C, 343 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationNorth Pole (1 mi N)
- Station IDUSC00509891
- Location64.76°N 147.34°W
- Elevation496 ft (151 m)
- Population2,505
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for North Pole.
- Jan -2° -17°
- Feb 11° -11°
- Mar 25° -1°
- Apr 46° 20°
- May 62° 34°
- Jun 70° 47°
- Jul 71° 50°
- Aug 65° 44°
- Sep 53° 33°
- Oct 33° 15°
- Nov 9° -6°
- Dec 1° -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 Pole each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 71°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −17°F. The most precipitation falls in August (2.59 in), the least in April (0.37 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2°F | −17°F | -9.9°F | 0.63 | 8.4 | 8 | <1 | 31 | 5 h |
| February | 11°F | −11°F | 0.0°F | 0.46 | 7.7 | 6 | <1 | 28 | 8 h 20 min |
| March | 25°F | −1°F | 11.7°F | 0.43 | 5.6 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 30 min |
| April | 46°F | 20°F | 33.0°F | 0.37 | 2.8 | 4 | <1 | 28 | 15 h |
| May | 62°F | 34°F | 47.9°F | 0.79 | 0.6 | 6 | <1 | 15 | 18 h 30 min |
| June | 70°F | 47°F | 58.4°F | 1.81 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | 1 | 21 h 30 min |
| July | 71°F | 50°F | 60.6°F | 2.55 | 0.0 | 14 | <1 | <1 | 20 h 10 min |
| August | 65°F | 44°F | 54.5°F | 2.59 | 0.0 | 15 | <1 | 3 | 16 h 40 min |
| September | 53°F | 33°F | 43.0°F | 1.60 | 1.4 | 10 | <1 | 16 | 13 h 10 min |
| October | 33°F | 15°F | 24.3°F | 0.97 | 7.1 | 9 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 50 min |
| November | 9°F | −6°F | 1.2°F | 0.76 | 9.4 | 8 | <1 | 30 | 6 h 30 min |
| December | 1°F | −14°F | -6.5°F | 0.56 | 10.1 | 8 | <1 | 31 | 3 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 37°F | 16°F | 26.5°F | 13.52 | 53.1 | 104 | <1 | 244 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −19°C | −27°C | −23.3°C | 16 mm | 21 cm |
| February | −12°C | −24°C | −17.8°C | 12 mm | 20 cm |
| March | −4°C | −19°C | −11.3°C | 11 mm | 14 cm |
| April | 8°C | −6°C | 0.6°C | 9 mm | 7 cm |
| May | 16°C | 1°C | 8.8°C | 20 mm | 2 cm |
| June | 21°C | 8°C | 14.7°C | 46 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 22°C | 10°C | 15.9°C | 65 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 18°C | 7°C | 12.5°C | 66 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 12°C | 1°C | 6.1°C | 41 mm | 4 cm |
| October | 1°C | −9°C | −4.3°C | 25 mm | 18 cm |
| November | −13°C | −21°C | −17.1°C | 19 mm | 24 cm |
| December | −17°C | −25°C | −21.4°C | 14 mm | 26 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00509891; 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 Pole?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June and July. 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 USC00509891.
When is the last frost in North Pole?
In North Pole, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 22 in half of years and after June 4 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 2 in half of years and before August 20 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 221 year in 10 after June 4; 9 in 10 after May 12
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 21 year in 10 before August 20; 9 in 10 before September 17
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 102 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 124 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 13 in half of springs and before September 14 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts North Pole in zone 2a in ZIP code 99705, 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 USC00509891; 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 Pole?
In a normal year in North Pole, a 90°F day is rare, 244 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 104 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
- 244a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 153high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 104a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 19a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00509891.
How sunny is North Pole?
Over a year 71% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around North Pole, 2.6 kWh per square metre a day. March is the sunniest month (84%) and October the cloudiest (62%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 75% | 0.2 |
| February | 75% | 0.8 |
| March | 84% | 2.6 |
| April | 83% | 4.4 |
| May | 73% | 5.2 |
| June | 69% | 5.4 |
| July | 66% | 4.8 |
| August | 67% | 3.7 |
| September | 67% | 2.3 |
| October | 62% | 1.0 |
| November | 63% | 0.3 |
| December | 79% | 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 Pole need?
A normal year in North Pole brings 14,025 heating degree days, 2.6 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 24 cooling degree days, 97% 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 813 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 2,320 | 0 |
| February | 1,820 | 0 |
| March | 1,652 | 0 |
| April | 962 | 0 |
| May | 530 | 0 |
| June | 209 | 10 |
| July | 149 | 13 |
| August | 328 | 2 |
| September | 662 | 0 |
| October | 1,262 | 0 |
| November | 1,915 | 0 |
| December | 2,217 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 14,025 | 24 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00509891. 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 North Pole been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 28.1°F, 1.6°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 26.5°F. 2 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 24.7°F | −1.8°F | 19.58 | 130.7 |
| 2022 | 26.3°F | −0.2°F | 13.07 | 80.7 |
| 2023 | 27.1°F | +0.6°F | 12.73 | 91.9 |
| 2024 | 26.5°F | at normal | 17.11 | 63.8 |
| 2025 | 28.1°F | +1.6°F | 14.08 | 67.3 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00509891. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does North Pole's climate compare?
North Pole is warmer than 17 of the other 84 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 18. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 26.5°F is warmer than 1%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, North Pole 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.
Questions about North Pole's climate
What is the coldest month in North Pole?
January, with a normal high of −2°F and a normal low of −17°F. The warmest is July (71°F by day, 50°F at night).
Does it snow in North Pole?
Yes: 53 inches in a normal year, falling on 52 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (10.1 inches).
What is the rainiest month in North Pole?
August, with 2.59 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is April with 0.37 in.
What plant hardiness zone is North Pole in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts North Pole in zone 2a in ZIP code 99705, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in North Pole?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 22; in one year in ten it comes after June 4. Waiting until June 4 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Badger, AK1 miles from this station, 28.1°F a year
- Eielson Field, AK9 miles from this station, 26.9°F a year
- Aurora, AK13 miles from this station, 28.5°F a year
- Two Rivers, AK14 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