Kotzebue, AK 99761 Frost Dates
Kotzebue, AK: when does the frost end?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 06/05, roughly 281 days out. Fall's first freeze usually shows up around 09/24, roughly 110 days after the last spring frost.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Kotzebue in Zone 2a (-50 to -45°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
Stretching the season past the first frost
With roughly 4 weeks until Kotzebue's first fall frost, a row cover or cold frame is what stretches the last few weeks of harvest here.
Why 06/05 isn't a guarantee
06/05 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Getting tender plants in by 05/20 carries real risk, frost has hit that late in about 9 of 10 years here. Wait until 06/17 and only about 1 year in 10 sees frost after that.
Kotzebue against the rest of the dataset
Kotzebue's growing season runs about 110 days, ranking 39,504 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within AK, it ranks 173 of 269.
Learn more
Before leaning on 99761's figures: local microclimates explains what one yard in Kotzebue can differ from the 99761 normal, while zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 2a and Kotzebue's frost date answer different questions.