Palmer, AK Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Average temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, with a derived climate comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Palmer's primary NOAA station, PALMER MUNI AP.
The climate verdict for Palmer
Dryness leads the climate profile for Palmer, Alaska, with 12.6 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 37°F. At 40/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 6% of scores.
- 37°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 40/100
- comfort score, above 6% of station-mapped location scores
- 12.6"
- annual precipitation
- 142 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Palmer: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00025331 · Palmer, AK 37°F mean · 12.6" precip
TEMP-COLD · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COLD 37°F
- RANK-COOL #137
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Anderson Lake
- PRCP-DRY 12.6"
- SWING-MID 44°F
- COMF-LOW 40/100
- LOAD-HEAT 10,147 HDD
- STN-1 USW00025331
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Anderson Lake, AK ( -0.1 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every AK station list.
- Palmer (this station) 37°F
- Cold Rio Grande Rsvr, CO 37°F
- Near Anderson Lake, AK 37°F
- Near Sargents, CO 37°F
- Near Ben's Farm, AK 37°F
Palmer sits in Alaska, the #1 coldest U.S. state at 33.5°F statewide annual average - see all 50 coldest states ranked by NOAA normals
Climate Living Index · Palmer
Palmer: 13/100 · grade F
Palmer publishes 4 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 2 missing weights rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Palmer, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 40/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Frost-free season | 142 days/year | 20/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 12.6 in · 22.4 from 35 in | 20/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 192 calendar days | 18/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 37.1°F · 30.4° from 67.5°F | 0/100 · F |
Palmer · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Palmer is a continental Köppen climate: Dsc
Coldest-month mean 15.4°F and warmest-month mean 59.2°F place this station in continental, dry-summer, cool summer climates (Dsc). Class Dsc is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, dry-summer, cool summer.
- Köppen code
- Dsc
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 59.2°F
- Coldest month
- 15.4°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Palmer sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Palmer's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 98%
- Among 6,861 stations, Palmer sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 88%
- Palmer's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 53rd percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Palmer compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Palmer's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
40 6th percentile score exceeds 6% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). This entry sits in this band.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22°F (-5°C) | 8°F (-13°C) | 15°F (-9°C) | 0.7" | 29.4 | 0.0 |
| February | 28°F (-2°C) | 13°F (-10°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 0.7" | 26.6 | 0.0 |
| March | 34°F (1°C) | 17°F (-8°C) | 26°F (-4°C) | 0.5" | 28.7 | 0.0 |
| April | 48°F (9°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 0.3" | 20.0 | 0.0 |
| May | 59°F (15°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 0.6" | 3.3 | 0.0 |
| June | 66°F (19°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 1.0" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| July | 68°F (20°C) | 51°F (10°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 1.6" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| August | 65°F (18°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 56°F (14°C) | 2.3" | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| September | 56°F (13°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 2.1" | 3.0 | 0.0 |
| October | 42°F (6°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 1.3" | 18.7 | 0.0 |
| November | 29°F (-2°C) | 16°F (-9°C) | 22°F (-5°C) | 0.7" | 27.3 | 0.0 |
| December | 25°F (-4°C) | 11°F (-11°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 1.0" | 29.6 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 68°F around July 6, short of 90°F on every date, while 192 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 7°F near January 9.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 19, then returns to freezing around October 11, covering 192 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is August 18, when 47% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is April 10 at 14%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 98 wet dates a year.
The widest day
May 15 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 21°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Palmer.
Where Palmer Stands Nationally
Among the steadiest day-night climates ranked: even the widest normal daily swing holds to roughly 21°F.
Freezing is routine here by normals standards — the normal low reaches 32°F or colder on about 192 nights a year, more than most ranked stations.
Palmer earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall
6.2 days with precipitation
6.1 days with precipitation
4.6 days with precipitation
3.9 days with precipitation
6.7 days with precipitation
8.7 days with precipitation
11.9 days with precipitation
14.3 days with precipitation
13.3 days with precipitation
8.9 days with precipitation
5.6 days with precipitation
7.7 days with precipitation
Palmer runs a summer-peaked wet season
39% of Palmer's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is August at 2.3", on a 43.8°F seasonal spread. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: August, September, July, taking 48% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: April at 0.3".
- Winter share: 18% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
Palmer is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 98 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 27% of the calendar, and they carry 12.6" between them. At roughly 0.13 inches on an average wet day, this is not the damp drizzle of a marine climate; it is an arid record in which precipitation is both uncommon and light when it appears.
The wettest month by count is August at about 14 wet days; the driest is April at about 4.
A low per-event average in a dry record is a statement about typical days only. Arid regions can still take a large share of a year's total from a single convective storm, which a normal cannot show.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, not the extremes within it.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
September 25
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 6
50% probability date
Growing Season
142 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
10,147
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
5
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside AK closest to Palmer on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (37°F here).
- Edmore, ND 37°F · 0.2°F off
- Grand Lake, CO 37°F · 0.2°F off
- Tower, MN 37°F · 0.2°F off
- Island Park, ID 37°F · 0.3°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (12.6" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- San Manuel, AZ 12.6" · 0.0" off
- Conrad, MT 12.6" · 0.0" off
- Kermit, TX 12.6" · 0.0" off
- Maybell, CO 12.6" · 0.0" off
Scarce-water calendar
Where Palmer's limited precipitation lands
heating led · dry · mid swing
Palmer's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 10,147 annual heating degree days against 5 for cooling. Its 43.8°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 142 days are frost-free in a normal year. That short interval is consistent with the cold-season signal, but the measure does not predict the exact first or last freeze in any one year.
July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Palmer's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 43.8°F. The annual average is 37°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Palmer's cold-season load does not imply a wet climate. Annual precipitation is 12.6 inches, which places the station in PlainClimate's dry range. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. The snowfall and rainfall fields should be read separately rather than inferred from temperature.
Palmer wettest normal
August
August concentrates the scarce annual total (12.6 inches).
Palmer driest normal
April
April is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.
Questions about Palmer's climate
How dry is Palmer? ▼
How cold does Palmer get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Palmer? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Palmer's primary station: PALMER MUNI AP (USW00025331). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 0258660). Match rule for Palmer: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Palmer comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.