University Experiment Station, Alaska climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
University Experiment Station's normal year runs from −13°F January nights to 73°F July afternoons, with 13.1 inches of precipitation and 61 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of −1.7°C, January lows of −25°C, July highs of 23°C, 334 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationUniversity Experiment Station
- Station IDUSC00509641
- Location64.86°N 147.86°W
- Elevation475 ft (145 m)
On October 23, the normal high in University Experiment Station is 29°F and the normal low 13°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 29%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for University Experiment Station.
- Jan 3° -13°
- Feb 13° -6°
- Mar 25° 0°
- Apr 46° 21°
- May 62° 37°
- Jun 71° 48°
- Jul 73° 51°
- Aug 67° 46°
- Sep 55° 35°
- Oct 35° 18°
- Nov 13° -1°
- Dec 6° -9°
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 University Experiment Station each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 73°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −13°F. The most precipitation falls in July (2.51 in), the least in April (0.34 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3°F | −13°F | -5.2°F | 0.63 | 10.6 | 7 | <1 | 31 | 5 h |
| February | 13°F | −6°F | 3.5°F | 0.51 | 9.5 | 6 | <1 | 28 | 8 h 20 min |
| March | 25°F | 0°F | 12.7°F | 0.45 | 6.8 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 30 min |
| April | 46°F | 21°F | 33.5°F | 0.34 | 2.7 | 3 | <1 | 27 | 15 h |
| May | 62°F | 37°F | 49.1°F | 0.58 | 0.5 | 6 | <1 | 8 | 18 h 30 min |
| June | 71°F | 48°F | 59.8°F | 1.93 | 0.0 | 12 | <1 | <1 | 21 h 40 min |
| July | 73°F | 51°F | 61.8°F | 2.51 | 0.0 | 13 | <1 | <1 | 20 h 20 min |
| August | 67°F | 46°F | 56.0°F | 2.44 | 0.0 | 15 | <1 | 1 | 16 h 40 min |
| September | 55°F | 35°F | 44.9°F | 1.53 | 1.2 | 11 | <1 | 11 | 13 h 10 min |
| October | 35°F | 18°F | 26.5°F | 0.79 | 7.9 | 9 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 50 min |
| November | 13°F | −1°F | 6.1°F | 0.78 | 11.4 | 9 | <1 | 30 | 6 h 20 min |
| December | 6°F | −9°F | -1.3°F | 0.64 | 10.3 | 8 | <1 | 31 | 3 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 39°F | 19°F | 28.9°F | 13.13 | 60.9 | 104 | <1 | 228 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −16°C | −25°C | −20.7°C | 16 mm | 27 cm |
| February | −10°C | −21°C | −15.8°C | 13 mm | 24 cm |
| March | −4°C | −18°C | −10.7°C | 11 mm | 17 cm |
| April | 8°C | −6°C | 0.8°C | 9 mm | 7 cm |
| May | 16°C | 3°C | 9.5°C | 15 mm | 1 cm |
| June | 22°C | 9°C | 15.4°C | 49 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 23°C | 11°C | 16.6°C | 64 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 19°C | 8°C | 13.3°C | 62 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 13°C | 1°C | 7.2°C | 39 mm | 3 cm |
| October | 2°C | −8°C | −3.1°C | 20 mm | 20 cm |
| November | −10°C | −18°C | −14.4°C | 20 mm | 29 cm |
| December | −14°C | −23°C | −18.5°C | 16 mm | 26 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00509641; 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 University Experiment Station?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July and August. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (12).
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 USC00509641.
When is the last frost at University Experiment Station?
In University Experiment Station, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 16 in half of years and after May 30 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 8 in half of years and before August 26 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 30; 9 in 10 after May 5
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 81 year in 10 before August 26; 9 in 10 before September 21
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 114 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 136 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 7 in half of springs and before September 20 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts University Experiment Station in zone 2b in ZIP code 99775, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 2b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −44°F (30 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Alaska · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00509641; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. 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 University Experiment Station?
In a normal year in University Experiment Station, a 90°F day is rare, 228 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
- 228a 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
- 23a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1904) is 95°F, on June 26, 1915; the lowest is −65°F, on January 14, 1934.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1967, with 20.05 in; the snowiest season is 1990–91, with 131.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00509641; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00509641. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at University Experiment Station?
Over a year 71% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at University Experiment Station, 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 many heating and cooling degree days does University Experiment Station record?
A normal year at University Experiment Station brings 13,166 heating degree days, 2.5 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 56 cooling degree days, 94% fewer than the median (908). Nine months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 972 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 2,174 | 0 |
| February | 1,724 | 0 |
| March | 1,620 | 0 |
| April | 945 | 0 |
| May | 493 | 1 |
| June | 180 | 22 |
| July | 126 | 27 |
| August | 285 | 6 |
| September | 602 | 0 |
| October | 1,194 | 0 |
| November | 1,767 | 0 |
| December | 2,057 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 13,166 | 56 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00509641. 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.
Have recent years at University Experiment Station been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 31.7°F, 2.8°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 28.9°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 27.6°F | −1.3°F | 18.52 | 121.2 |
| 2022 | 29.8°F | +0.9°F | 9.80 | – |
| 2023 | 30.3°F | +1.4°F | 11.58 | – |
| 2024 | 30.3°F | +1.4°F | 16.37 | – |
| 2025 | 31.7°F | +2.8°F | 14.73 | 54.1 |
Over 95 complete years from 1906 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 2.7°F per century (+0.15°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00509641; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does University Experiment Station's climate compare?
University Experiment Station is warmer than 31 of the 85 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 16. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 28.9°F is warmer than 1%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, University Experiment Station 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 University Experiment Station's climate
What is the coldest month at University Experiment Station?
January, with a normal high of 3°F and a normal low of −13°F. The warmest is July (73°F by day, 51°F at night).
Does it snow at University Experiment Station?
Yes: 61 inches in a normal year, falling on 49 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in November (11.4 inches).
What is the rainiest month at University Experiment Station?
July, with 2.51 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is April with 0.34 in.
What plant hardiness zone is University Experiment Station in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts University Experiment Station in zone 2b in ZIP code 99775, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −44°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 2b.
How late can frost come at University Experiment Station?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 16; in one year in ten it comes after May 30. Waiting until May 30 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- College, AK1 miles from this station, 28.5°F a year
- Fairbanks Midtown, AK2 miles from this station, 29.0°F a year
- Goldstream, AK2 miles from this station, 24.3°F a year
- Fairbanks, AK4 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