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Bethel, Alaska climate
Dfc Subarctic
Bethel has a strongly seasonal subarctic climate (Subarctic, Köppen Dfc). The hottest month is July with an average daily high near 64°F, while the coldest is January averaging around 1°F at night. Precipitation totals about 20 inches a year and is strongly seasonal — August alone averages 3.4 inches while March barely receives 0.74 inches. Snowfall is heavy (64 inches of snow per year on average). At latitude 61°N, day length swings from 5.3 hours in midwinter to 18.7 hours at midsummer.
Temperature & precipitation
Daily high–low temperature range with the monthly average, plus monthly precipitation split into rain and snow · 1991–2020 normals · hover a month for the exact figuresHours of sunshine per day
Estimated sunny hours each month — daylight length × clear-sky fraction · 1991–2020 monthly cloud cover (NASA POWER)Bethel climate normals (1991–2020)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 13 | 20 | 22 | 37 | 52 | 62 | 64 | 61 | 53 | 38 | 24 | 16 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 7 | 13 | 15 | 29 | 43 | 53 | 56 | 54 | 46 | 32 | 19 | 10 |
| Avg low (°F) | 1 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 34 | 45 | 49 | 47 | 39 | 26 | 13 | 4 |
| Precipitation (in) | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.1 |
| Snowfall (in) | 9.4 | 8.1 | 8.8 | 6.0 | 1.9 | — | — | — | 0.5 | 3.9 | 13.2 | 12.2 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 13 | 20 | 22 | 37 | 52 | 62 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 7 | 13 | 15 | 29 | 43 | 53 |
| Avg low (°F) | 1 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 34 | 45 |
| Precipitation (in) | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.8 |
| Snowfall (in) | 9.4 | 8.1 | 8.8 | 6.0 | 1.9 | — |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 64 | 61 | 53 | 38 | 24 | 16 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 56 | 54 | 46 | 32 | 19 | 10 |
| Avg low (°F) | 49 | 47 | 39 | 26 | 13 | 4 |
| Precipitation (in) | 2.6 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.1 |
| Snowfall (in) | — | — | 0.5 | 3.9 | 13.2 | 12.2 |
How often — frequency of weather events
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 14 | 11 |
| Days with low ≤ 32°F (days) | 30 | 28 | 30 | 27 | 13 | 0.4 | — | 0.1 | 5 | 23 | 28 | 30 |
| Days with snowfall ≥ 1 in (days) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0.5 | — | — | — | 0.2 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 13 |
| Days with low ≤ 32°F (days) | 30 | 28 | 30 | 27 | 13 | 0.4 |
| Days with snowfall ≥ 1 in (days) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0.5 | — |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 16 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 14 | 11 |
| Days with low ≤ 32°F (days) | — | 0.1 | 5 | 23 | 28 | 30 |
| Days with snowfall ≥ 1 in (days) | — | — | 0.2 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
Sky & atmosphere
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 64 | 68 | 60 | 68 | 75 | 78 | 83 | 82 | 77 | 71 | 70 | 69 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 96 | 95 | 94 | 90 | 82 | 78 | 82 | 85 | 88 | 92 | 96 | 96 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 9.3 | 9.9 | 8.9 | 8.1 | 7.1 | 6.1 | 6.1 | 6.6 | 7.1 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 8.4 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 64 | 68 | 60 | 68 | 75 | 78 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 96 | 95 | 94 | 90 | 82 | 78 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 9.3 | 9.9 | 8.9 | 8.1 | 7.1 | 6.1 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 83 | 82 | 77 | 71 | 70 | 69 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 82 | 85 | 88 | 92 | 96 | 96 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 6.1 | 6.6 | 7.1 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 8.4 |
Methodology & sources
Temperature & precipitation — the official 1991–2020 climate normals from NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals, measured at Bethel AP (NOAA GHCN station USW00026615), about 4 km from the city centre.
Cloud, humidity, wind & sunshine — modelled estimates from NASA POWER, NASA's satellite-and-reanalysis climatology. This is the standard global source for atmospheric variables, which are not measured at most weather stations.