Climateby Month

Ketchikan, AK climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 40 ft elevation

Summers in Ketchikan are cool; winters are cold and snowy. Highs peak at 65°F in August and fall to 40°F in January. Wet days are spread through the year, from about 16 to 24 a month. Normal snowfall is about 35 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is July and August.

Warmest month
65°F
August normal high
Coldest month
32°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
233
149.5 in of precipitation
Snow a year
34.8 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Ketchikan?

Normal highs range from 40°F in January to 65°F in August.

30°40°50°60°70° January: normal high 40°F (4°C), low 32°F (0°C) 40° 32° February: normal high 41°F (5°C), low 32°F (0°C) March: normal high 44°F (7°C), low 32°F (0°C) April: normal high 50°F (10°C), low 37°F (3°C) May: normal high 57°F (14°C), low 43°F (6°C) June: normal high 61°F (16°C), low 49°F (9°C) July: normal high 65°F (18°C), low 53°F (12°C) 65° 53° August: normal high 65°F (18°C), low 53°F (12°C) September: normal high 59°F (15°C), low 48°F (9°C) October: normal high 51°F (11°C), low 41°F (5°C) November: normal high 44°F (7°C), low 36°F (2°C) December: normal high 40°F (4°C), low 33°F (1°C) JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is Ketchikan?

November has the most wet days (about 24); the year brings about 150 in of precipitation.

January: 22 wet days February: 17 wet days March: 21 wet days April: 19 wet days May: 16 wet days June: 16 wet days July: 16 wet days 16 August: 17 wet days September: 20 wet days October: 23 wet days November: 24 wet days 24 December: 22 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How much does it snow?

Normal snowfall is 34.8 in a year, most of it in December.

January: 7.0 in of snow February: 7.3 in of snow March: 7.8 in of snow April: 1.0 in of snow May: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 June: 0.0 in of snow July: 0.0 in of snow August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.0 in of snow October: 0.0 in of snow November: 3.6 in of snow December: 8.1 in of snow 8.1 JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Ketchikan?

Muggy days (dew point 65°F or higher) are rare in any month.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 0 muggy days June: 0 muggy days July: 0 muggy days August: 0 muggy days September: 0 muggy days October: 0 muggy days November: 0 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Ketchikan Intl Airport, 3.2 mi WNW of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 7.2 hours in December to 17.4 hours in June.

January: 7.8 hours of daylight February: 9.7 hours of daylight March: 11.9 hours of daylight April: 14.2 hours of daylight May: 16.2 hours of daylight June: 17.4 hours of daylight 17.4 July: 16.8 hours of daylight August: 14.9 hours of daylight September: 12.7 hours of daylight October: 10.4 hours of daylight November: 8.4 hours of daylight December: 7.2 hours of daylight 7.2 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Ketchikan, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 40°F32°F 16.2 in22 7.0 in 0 7.8 h
February 41°F32°F 11.8 in17 7.3 in 0 9.7 h
March 44°F32°F 11.0 in21 7.8 in 0 11.9 h
April 50°F37°F 10.3 in19 1.0 in 0 14.2 h
May 57°F43°F 8.7 in16 0.0 in 0 16.2 h
June 61°F49°F 7.0 in16 0.0 in 0 17.4 h
July 65°F53°F 7.3 in16 0.0 in 0 16.8 h
August 65°F53°F 11.3 in17 0.0 in 0 14.9 h
September 59°F48°F 14.3 in20 0.0 in 0 12.7 h
October 51°F41°F 18.4 in23 0.0 in 0 10.4 h
November 44°F36°F 17.1 in24 3.6 in 0 8.4 h
December 40°F33°F 16.3 in22 8.1 in 0 7.2 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit Ketchikan

By our comfort score, the best months are July and August.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 2201715
Feb 2601313
Mar 350167
Apr 460140
May 564120
Jun 618110
Jul 6813110
Aug 6814120
Sep 464160
Oct 330190
Nov 240207
Dec 2101815

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. How the score works.

Frost dates in Ketchikan

The last spring frost typically comes around Apr 22, and the first fall frost around Oct 23, leaving 185 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Ketchikan
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Apr 22after May 9
First fall frost (32°F)Oct 23before Oct 3
Last hard freeze (28°F)Mar 31after Apr 18
First hard freeze (28°F)Nov 10before Oct 20
Frost-free season185 daysunder 160 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: Ketchikan Intl Airport (USW00025325), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Alaska.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 85°F (June 16, 2013, and 1 other day); the lowest was -2°F (January 19, 2012).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, frost dates and humidity and wind by hour: Ketchikan Intl Airport (USW00025325), 2.8 mi WNW of the city center, 76 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Snowfall and snow depth: Annette Island Airport (USW00025308), 21 mi S of the city center, 109 ft (69 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Ketchikan Intl Airport (703950-25325), 3.2 mi WNW of the city center, 84 ft . Hourly observations, 1991-2020.
  • Not available for this location: cloud cover (no station close enough or similar enough in elevation).

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error