Silver Lake, Alaska climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Silver Lake's normal year runs from −11°F January nights to 70°F July afternoons, with 14.4 inches of precipitation and 48 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of −1.6°C, January lows of −24°C, July highs of 21°C, 366 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationSilver Lake
- Station IDUSC00508470
- Location61.52°N 144.19°W
- Elevation1,200 ft (366 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Silver Lake is 35°F and the normal low 17°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 20%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Silver Lake.
- Jan 5° -11°
- Feb 20° -4°
- Mar 31° 1°
- Apr 46° 19°
- May 58° 31°
- Jun 67° 41°
- Jul 70° 45°
- Aug 67° 42°
- Sep 55° 33°
- Oct 40° 21°
- Nov 18° 1°
- Dec 10° -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 Silver Lake 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 (2.19 in), the least in April (0.15 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5°F | −11°F | -2.9°F | 0.81 | 10.0 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 6 h 10 min |
| February | 20°F | −4°F | 7.8°F | 0.84 | 6.0 | 3 | <1 | 27 | 9 h |
| March | 31°F | 1°F | 16.1°F | 0.43 | 4.1 | 2 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 40 min |
| April | 46°F | 19°F | 32.7°F | 0.15 | 0.8 | 1 | <1 | 29 | 14 h 40 min |
| May | 58°F | 31°F | 44.9°F | 0.77 | 0.2 | 4 | <1 | 20 | 17 h 30 min |
| June | 67°F | 41°F | 54.1°F | 0.83 | 0.0 | 4 | <1 | 2 | 19 h 30 min |
| July | 70°F | 45°F | 57.5°F | 2.03 | 0.0 | 8 | <1 | <1 | 18 h 40 min |
| August | 67°F | 42°F | 54.5°F | 2.19 | 0.0 | 8 | <1 | 2 | 16 h |
| September | 55°F | 33°F | 44.0°F | 2.09 | 0.3 | 8 | <1 | 16 | 13 h |
| October | 40°F | 21°F | 30.3°F | 1.40 | 6.2 | 7 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 10 min |
| November | 18°F | 1°F | 9.3°F | 1.49 | 11.5 | 6 | <1 | 29 | 7 h 20 min |
| December | 10°F | −7°F | 1.4°F | 1.36 | 9.3 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 5 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 41°F | 18°F | 29.1°F | 14.39 | 48.4 | 59 | <1 | 246 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −15°C | −24°C | −19.4°C | 21 mm | 25 cm |
| February | −7°C | −20°C | −13.4°C | 21 mm | 15 cm |
| March | 0°C | −17°C | −8.8°C | 11 mm | 10 cm |
| April | 8°C | −7°C | 0.4°C | 4 mm | 2 cm |
| May | 15°C | 0°C | 7.2°C | 20 mm | 1 cm |
| June | 20°C | 5°C | 12.3°C | 21 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 21°C | 7°C | 14.2°C | 52 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 20°C | 5°C | 12.5°C | 56 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 13°C | 0°C | 6.7°C | 53 mm | 1 cm |
| October | 4°C | −6°C | −0.9°C | 36 mm | 16 cm |
| November | −8°C | −17°C | −12.6°C | 38 mm | 29 cm |
| December | −12°C | −22°C | −17.0°C | 35 mm | 24 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00508470; 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 Silver Lake?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July and August. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (4).
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 USC00508470.
When is the last frost at Silver Lake?
In Silver Lake, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 31 in half of years and after June 10 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 3 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 311 year in 10 after June 10; 9 in 10 after May 20
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 31 year in 10 before August 20; 9 in 10 before September 17
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 95 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 121 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 16 in half of springs and before September 17 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 USC00508470. 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 Silver Lake?
In a normal year in Silver Lake, a 90°F day is rare, 246 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 59 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
- 246a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 123high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 59a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 17a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00508470.
How sunny is it at Silver Lake?
Over a year 64% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Silver Lake, 2.6 kWh per square metre a day. April is the sunniest month (74%) and November the cloudiest (51%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 53% | 0.3 |
| February | 59% | 0.9 |
| March | 71% | 2.5 |
| April | 74% | 4.3 |
| May | 67% | 5.0 |
| June | 63% | 5.2 |
| July | 64% | 4.8 |
| August | 63% | 3.8 |
| September | 60% | 2.4 |
| October | 52% | 1.0 |
| November | 51% | 0.4 |
| December | 55% | 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Silver Lake record?
A normal year at Silver Lake brings 13,053 heating degree days, 2.4 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 4 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 555 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 2,105 | 0 |
| February | 1,603 | 0 |
| March | 1,516 | 0 |
| April | 969 | 0 |
| May | 625 | 0 |
| June | 328 | 1 |
| July | 236 | 2 |
| August | 326 | 1 |
| September | 629 | 0 |
| October | 1,074 | 0 |
| November | 1,672 | 0 |
| December | 1,970 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 13,053 | 4 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00508470. 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 Silver Lake's climate compare?
Silver Lake is warmer than 32 of the 85 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 21. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 29.1°F is warmer than 1%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Silver Lake 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 Silver Lake share this climate record?
Chitina has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its 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.
- Chitina, AK100 people · 2 mi N
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 Silver Lake's climate
What is the coldest month at Silver Lake?
January, with a normal high of 5°F and a normal low of −11°F. The warmest is July (70°F by day, 45°F at night).
Does it snow at Silver Lake?
Yes: 48 inches in a normal year, falling on 20 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in November (11.5 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Silver Lake?
August, with 2.19 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is April with 0.15 in.
How late can frost come at Silver Lake?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 31; in one year in ten it comes after June 10. Waiting until June 10 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Tonsina, AK34 miles from this station, 27.6°F a year
- McCarthy, AK40 miles from this station, 29.9°F a year
- Gennallen Kcam, AK60 miles from this station, 27.1°F a year
- Gulkana, AK61 miles from this station, 28.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made