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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 66°F, while the coldest is January averaging around 11°F at night. Precipitation totals about 16 inches a year and is strongly seasonal — September alone averages 3.1 inches while April barely receives 0.43 inches. Snowfall is heavy (78 inches 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 (°F) | 23 | 27 | 33 | 45 | 56 | 63 | 66 | 64 | 56 | 42 | 29 | 25 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 17 | 21 | 26 | 38 | 48 | 56 | 60 | 58 | 49 | 36 | 24 | 19 |
| Avg low (°F) | 11 | 15 | 19 | 30 | 40 | 48 | 53 | 51 | 43 | 31 | 18 | 14 |
| Precipitation (in) | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Snowfall (in) | 12.4 | 13.4 | 11.0 | 4.0 | 0.3 | — | — | — | 0.4 | 5.6 | 12.6 | 18.2 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 23 | 27 | 33 | 45 | 56 | 63 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 17 | 21 | 26 | 38 | 48 | 56 |
| Avg low (°F) | 11 | 15 | 19 | 30 | 40 | 48 |
| Precipitation (in) | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.0 |
| Snowfall (in) | 12.4 | 13.4 | 11.0 | 4.0 | 0.3 | — |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 66 | 64 | 56 | 42 | 29 | 25 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 60 | 58 | 49 | 36 | 24 | 19 |
| Avg low (°F) | 53 | 51 | 43 | 31 | 18 | 14 |
| Precipitation (in) | 1.8 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Snowfall (in) | — | — | 0.4 | 5.6 | 12.6 | 18.2 |
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 ≥ 90°F (days) | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Days with low ≤ 32°F (days) | 30 | 27 | 29 | 19 | 3 | — | — | — | 3 | 18 | 27 | 31 |
| Days with snowfall ≥ 1 in (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 ≥ 90°F (days) | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Days with low ≤ 32°F (days) | 30 | 27 | 29 | 19 | 3 | — |
| Days with snowfall ≥ 1 in (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 ≥ 90°F (days) | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Days with low ≤ 32°F (days) | — | — | 3 | 18 | 27 | 31 |
| Days with snowfall ≥ 1 in (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 (mph) | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.4 |
| 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 (mph) | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.0 |
| 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 (mph) | 2.8 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.4 |
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.