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Anchorage, Alaska climate
Dfc Subarctic
Anchorage has a seasonal cold-temperate climate (Subarctic, Köppen Dfc). The hottest month is July with an average daily high near 19°C, while the coldest is January averaging around −12°C at night. Precipitation totals about 417 mm a year and is strongly seasonal — September alone averages 79 mm while April barely receives 11 mm. Snowfall is heavy (198 cm of snow per year on average). At latitude 61°N, day length swings from 5.1 hours in midwinter to 18.9 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)Anchorage climate normals (1991–2020)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | −5 | −3 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 13 | 6 | −2 | −4 |
| Avg temp (°C) | −8 | −6 | −3 | 3 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 2 | −5 | −7 |
| Avg low (°C) | −12 | −9 | −7 | −1 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 6 | −1 | −8 | −10 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 19 | 22 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 26 | 46 | 74 | 79 | 46 | 30 | 29 |
| Snowfall (cm) | 31 | 34 | 28 | 10 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 14 | 32 | 46 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | −5 | −3 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 17 |
| Avg temp (°C) | −8 | −6 | −3 | 3 | 9 | 13 |
| Avg low (°C) | −12 | −9 | −7 | −1 | 4 | 9 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 19 | 22 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 26 |
| Snowfall (cm) | 31 | 34 | 28 | 10 | 1 | — |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 19 | 18 | 13 | 6 | −2 | −4 |
| Avg temp (°C) | 15 | 14 | 10 | 2 | −5 | −7 |
| Avg low (°C) | 12 | 11 | 6 | −1 | −8 | −10 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 46 | 74 | 79 | 46 | 30 | 29 |
| Snowfall (cm) | — | — | 1 | 14 | 32 | 46 |
How often — frequency of weather events
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 11 |
| Days with high ≥ 32°C (days) | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Days with low ≤ 0°C (days) | 30 | 27 | 29 | 19 | 3 | — | — | — | 3 | 18 | 27 | 31 |
| Days with snowfall ≥ 2.5 cm (days) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 9 |
| Days with high ≥ 32°C (days) | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Days with low ≤ 0°C (days) | 30 | 27 | 29 | 19 | 3 | — |
| Days with snowfall ≥ 2.5 cm (days) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | — |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 12 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 11 |
| Days with high ≥ 32°C (days) | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Days with low ≤ 0°C (days) | — | — | 3 | 18 | 27 | 31 |
| Days with snowfall ≥ 2.5 cm (days) | — | — | 0.1 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
Sky & atmosphere
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 62 | 64 | 55 | 62 | 69 | 70 | 74 | 71 | 70 | 67 | 64 | 69 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 92 | 91 | 89 | 83 | 78 | 78 | 81 | 82 | 84 | 88 | 92 | 93 |
| Wind speed (m/s) | 2.0 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.0 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 62 | 64 | 55 | 62 | 69 | 70 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 92 | 91 | 89 | 83 | 78 | 78 |
| Wind speed (m/s) | 2.0 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.3 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 74 | 71 | 70 | 67 | 64 | 69 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 81 | 82 | 84 | 88 | 92 | 93 |
| Wind speed (m/s) | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.0 |
30-year delta table (1991–2020 minus 1981–2010, °F)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Δ Max temp | -0.4 | +0.7 | -0.9 | +0.6 | +0.3 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +1.5 | +1.1 | +0.2 |
| Δ Avg temp | -0.2 | +1.1 | -0.8 | +0.7 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +1.5 | +1.4 | +0.4 |
| Δ Min temp | -0.1 | +1.4 | -0.6 | +0.8 | +0.4 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +1.6 | +1.7 | +0.6 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Δ Max temp | -0.4 | +0.7 | -0.9 | +0.6 | +0.3 | +0.6 |
| Δ Avg temp | -0.2 | +1.1 | -0.8 | +0.7 | +0.3 | +0.7 |
| Δ Min temp | -0.1 | +1.4 | -0.6 | +0.8 | +0.4 | +0.7 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Δ Max temp | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +1.5 | +1.1 | +0.2 |
| Δ Avg temp | +0.8 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +1.5 | +1.4 | +0.4 |
| Δ Min temp | +0.7 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +1.6 | +1.7 | +0.6 |
Methodology & sources
Temperature & precipitation — the official 1991–2020 climate normals from NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals, measured at Anchorage Ted Stevens Intl AP (NOAA GHCN station USW00026451), about 9 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.