Whittier, AK Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, plus PlainClimate's derived comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Whittier's primary NOAA station, WHITTIER.
The climate verdict for Whittier
Water is the standout signal in Whittier, Alaska: 197.3 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 41°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.
- 41°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 24/100
- comfort score, above 0% of station-mapped location scores
- 197.3"
- annual precipitation · 268" snow
- 172 days
- frost-free growing season
Whittier: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00509829 · Whittier, AK 41°F mean · 197.3" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-WET · SWING-NARROW · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 41°F
- RANK-COOL #480
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Cedar Breaks Na…
- PRCP-WET 197.3"
- SWING-NARROW 29°F
- COMF-LOW 24/100
- LOAD-HEAT 8,708 HDD
- STN-1 USC00509829
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Cedar Breaks National Monument, UT (+ 0 °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.
- Whittier (this station) 41°F
- Cold Snettisham Pwr…, AK 41°F
- Hot Odell Lake-east, OR 41°F
- Near Cedar Breaks Na…, UT 41°F
- Near Yakutat State, AK 41°F
Whittier 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 · Whittier
Whittier: 18/100 · grade F
Whittier publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Whittier, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 24/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Frost-free season | 172 days/year | 43/100 · D |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 164 calendar days | 36/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 41.1°F · 26.4° from 67.5°F | 7/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 197.3 in · 162.3 from 35 in | 0/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 268.2 inches/year | 0/100 · F |
Whittier · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Whittier is a continental Köppen climate: Dfc
Coldest-month mean 28.2°F and warmest-month mean 57.2°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
- 57.2°F
- Coldest month
- 28.2°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 Whittier sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Whittier's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 93%
- Among 6,861 stations, Whittier sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Top 1% wettest
- Whittier's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 92%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Whittier is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Whittier compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Whittier'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 | 33°F (0°C) | 24°F (-5°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 18.8" | 50.0" | 23.8 | 0.0 |
| February | 33°F (1°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 16.1" | 44.8" | 20.5 | 0.0 |
| March | 36°F (2°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 31°F (0°C) | 13.7" | 55.1" | 22.4 | 0.0 |
| April | 44°F (7°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 14.7" | 15.9" | 8.7 | 0.0 |
| May | 53°F (12°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 14.9" | 1.8" | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| June | 61°F (16°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 9.2" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| July | 63°F (17°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 11.2" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| August | 62°F (16°C) | 51°F (10°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 16.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| September | 54°F (12°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 22.5" | 0.0" | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| October | 44°F (7°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 21.1" | 5.9" | 7.1 | 0.0 |
| November | 37°F (3°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 18.8" | 33.3" | 19.8 | 0.0 |
| December | 34°F (1°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 19.8" | 61.4" | 24.3 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 64°F around July 6, short of 90°F on every date, while 164 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 24°F near January 11.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 11, then returns to freezing around October 31, covering 164 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 December 8, when 64% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is June 21 at 47%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 208 wet dates a year.
The widest day
June 14 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 14°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Whittier.
Where Whittier Stands Nationally
This is one of the wettest normals climates ranked: about 197 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 14°F.
Whittier 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: 50.0"
17.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 44.8"
16.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 55.1"
16.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 15.9"
16.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.8"
14.7 days with precipitation
14.5 days with precipitation
17.9 days with precipitation
17.2 days with precipitation
18.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.9"
19.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 33.3"
18.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 61.4"
20.2 days with precipitation
Whittier spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 19% of the annual total and December through February 28%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Whittier has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry an unusually narrow 29°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: September averages 22.5" and June 9.2". The three wettest months together take 32% 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.
When it rains in Whittier, it arrives in quantity
197.3" of precipitation falls across only about 208 wet days here, averaging 0.95 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.
- Days with measurable precipitation
- about 208 a year, 57% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.95 inches
- Most wet days
- December, about 20
- Fewest wet days
- June, about 15
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.
Winter brings real snow to Whittier
Whittier averages 268.2 inches of snowfall a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 59 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: 268.2 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 59 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 14% 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 14
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 25
50% probability date
Growing Season
172 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
8,708
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
9
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside AK closest to Whittier 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 (41°F here).
- Brainerd, MN 41°F · 0.0°F off
- Island Pond, VT 41°F · 0.0°F off
- Port Wing, WI 41°F · 0.0°F off
- Sundance, WY 41°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (197.3" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Hilo, HI 120.4" · 76.9" off
- Forks, WA 119.9" · 77.4" off
- Cougar, WA 115.3" · 82.0" off
- Naselle, WA 112.2" · 85.1" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Whittier
heating led · wet · low swing
Heating is the larger measured load in Whittier, at 8,708 degree days versus 9 for cooling. Unlike a strongly continental record, however, its 29.0°F month-to-month range is compact; persistent cool-season demand matters more than a dramatic summer-to-winter reversal.
Whittier's frost-free season lasts about 172 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Whittier coldest normal
January
The monthly mean of 28°F (-2°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Whittier typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Whittier snow peak
December
Whittier averages 268.2 inches of snow a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Whittier's climate
How much snow does Whittier get? ▼
How cold does Whittier get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Whittier? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Whittier's primary station: WHITTIER (USC00509829). 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 0284510). Match rule for Whittier: 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 Whittier 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.