Valdez Wso, AK Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Valdez Wso's primary NOAA station, VALDEZ WSO.
The climate verdict for Valdez Wso
Water is the standout signal in Valdez Wso, Alaska: 67.9 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 40°F. At 24/100 (below average) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 0% of scores.
- 40°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 24/100
- comfort score, above 0% of station-mapped location scores
- 67.9"
- annual precipitation · 325" snow
- 155 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Valdez Wso: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00026442 · Valdez Wso, AK 40°F mean · 67.9" precip
TEMP-COLD · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-WET · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COLD 40°F
- RANK-COOL #343
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Wild Horse Rsvr
- PRCP-WET 67.9"
- SWING-MID 33°F
- COMF-LOW 24/100
- LOAD-HEAT 9,219 HDD
- STN-1 USW00026442
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Wild Horse Rsvr, NV (+ 0.2 °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.
- Valdez Wso (this station) 40°F
- Cold Seldovia, AK 40°F
- Hot Wild Horse Rsvr, NV 40°F
- Near Main Bay, AK 40°F
- Near St Mary, MT 40°F
Valdez Wso 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 · Valdez Wso
Valdez Wso: 13/100 · grade F
Valdez Wso publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Valdez Wso, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 24/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Frost-free season | 155 days/year | 29/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 176 calendar days | 28/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 39.7°F · 27.8° from 67.5°F | 4/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 67.9 in · 32.9 from 35 in | 0/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 325.3 inches/year | 0/100 · F |
Valdez Wso · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Valdez Wso is a continental Köppen climate: Dfc
Coldest-month mean 23.9°F and warmest-month mean 56.6°F place this station in continental, no dry season, cool summer climates (Dfc). Class Dfc is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, cool summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfc
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 56.6°F
- Coldest month
- 23.9°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 Valdez Wso sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Valdez Wso's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 95%
- Among 6,861 stations, Valdez Wso sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Top 2% wettest
- Valdez Wso's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 87%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Valdez Wso is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Valdez Wso compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Valdez Wso's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
24 0th percentile score exceeds 0% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Above this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Above this entry.
- 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 | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29°F (-2°C) | 19°F (-7°C) | 24°F (-5°C) | 6.6" | 66.6" | 29.8 | 0.0 |
| February | 32°F (0°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 5.9" | 63.4" | 26.3 | 0.0 |
| March | 37°F (3°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 4.1" | 45.8" | 28.9 | 0.0 |
| April | 46°F (8°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 3.4" | 22.3" | 16.2 | 0.0 |
| May | 56°F (13°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 3.0" | 3.4" | 1.4 | 0.0 |
| June | 63°F (17°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 2.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| July | 64°F (18°C) | 49°F (10°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 3.9" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| August | 62°F (17°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 7.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| September | 55°F (13°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 9.8" | 0.7" | 1.4 | 0.0 |
| October | 45°F (7°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 8.0" | 9.1" | 13.2 | 0.0 |
| November | 34°F (1°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 29°F (-1°C) | 6.1" | 43.5" | 26.5 | 0.0 |
| December | 31°F (-1°C) | 22°F (-6°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 7.7" | 70.5" | 29.7 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 64°F around July 1, short of 90°F on every date, while 176 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 19°F near January 15.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 15, then returns to freezing around October 23, covering 176 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 September 19, when 69% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is March 16 at 45%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 198 wet dates a year.
The widest day
May 30 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 17°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Valdez Wso.
Where Valdez Wso Stands Nationally
This is one of the wettest normals climates ranked: about 68 inches of precipitation in a normal year, a total fewer than one station in ten surpasses.
Among the steadiest day-night climates ranked: even the widest normal daily swing holds to roughly 17°F.
Valdez Wso earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 66.6"
16.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 63.4"
15.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 45.8"
13.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 22.3"
14.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.4"
15.0 days with precipitation
13.8 days with precipitation
18.0 days with precipitation
18.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.7"
20.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 9.1"
19.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 43.5"
15.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 70.5"
17.3 days with precipitation
Valdez Wso spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 20% of the annual total and December through February 30%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Valdez Wso has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 32.7°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: September averages 9.8" and June 2.4". The three wettest months together take 38% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
How Valdez Wso's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 198 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 67.9" between them, or roughly 0.34 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Winter brings real snow to Valdez Wso
Valdez Wso averages 325.3 inches of snowfall a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 84 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 325.3 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 84 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 48% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 2
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 30
50% probability date
Growing Season
155 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
9,219
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
3
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside AK closest to Valdez Wso 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 (40°F here).
- Butternut, WI 40°F · 0.0°F off
- Cloquet, MN 40°F · 0.0°F off
- Colebrook, NH 40°F · 0.0°F off
- Laona, WI 40°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (67.9" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Pensacola, FL 67.8" · 0.1" off
- Startup, WA 68.3" · 0.4" off
- Miami, FL 67.4" · 0.5" off
- Wiggins, MS 67.4" · 0.5" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Valdez Wso
heating led · wet · mid swing
Valdez Wso's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 9,219 annual heating degree days against 3 for cooling. Its 32.7°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Valdez Wso's frost-free season lasts about 155 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Valdez Wso coldest normal
January
Averaging 24°F (-5°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Valdez Wso typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Valdez Wso snow peak
December
Valdez Wso averages 325.3 inches of snow a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Valdez Wso's climate
How much snow does Valdez Wso get? ▼
How cold does Valdez Wso get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Valdez Wso? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Valdez Wso's primary station: VALDEZ WSO (USW00026442). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The conservative exact name-and-state crosswalk finds no Census place match, so PlainClimate treats this as a station-mapped location and does not claim it is a municipality. No exact Gazetteer row for Valdez Wso; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Valdez Wso 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.