Alaska Weather

When most people think of Alaska, and weather in Alaska in particular, they think ice, snow, glaciers – in a word, cold. It’s true that winter in Alaska is long and cold, and snow and ice are abundant. But Alaska is an enormous place, covering a wide range of latitudes and there is a lot more to Alaskan weather than just cold. The summers in Fairbanks, for example, can be quite warm. Miami it is not, but you won’t necessarily be wrapped up in a parka either. The differences in weather between the cities and regions of Alaska depend mostly on their latitude, their proximity to the ocean, and their altitude.

In addition to knowing the weather for your trip, check out the amount of daylight you can expect. Depending on where you’re headed in Alaska and when, it can be even more important than the weather.

Here are a few tables showing average high and low temperatures, and number of days with precipitation:

Anchorage (South Central Alaska)

Being right on the water, Anchorage doesn’t get quite as warm in the summer, or as cold in the winter, as the interior of the state. July is the warmest month, January the coldest, and September the wettest.

Fairbanks (Interior Central Alaska)

Without the sea to help regulate its temperatures, and sitting in a deep river valley, Fairbanks has one of the more extreme ranges of temperatures of any city in the world. The record low in Fairbanks is -66 Farenheit, and the record high is 97 F. January is the coldest month, and July is both the warmest and wettest month of the year.

Juneau (Southeast Alaska)

Though it is coastal like Anchorage, Juneau’s climate is less affected by the ocean. It is noticeably wetter than either of the other two cities listed. The winters are much milder than farther north, and the temperature range over the entire year is much narrower than in Fairbanks or Anchorage.