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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 18°C, while the coldest is January averaging around −17°C at night. Precipitation totals about 500 mm a year and is strongly seasonal — August alone averages 85 mm while March barely receives 19 mm. Snowfall is heavy (163 cm 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.

☀️ Summers

Cool

Highs near 18°C in July.

❄️ Winters

Bitterly cold

Lows near −17°C in January.

About 215 freezing nights a year

🌧️ Rain & snow

Fairly dry

About 500 mm of rain a year, plus 163 cm of snow.

Snow falls through the winter months

⛅ Sky & trend

Often grey

Overcast skies dominate much of the year.

+1.0 °C vs 50 years ago

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 figures

Hours 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 (°C)	−11	−7	−6	3	11	17	18	16	12	3	−4	−9
Avg temp (°C)	−14	−10	−10	−2	6	12	14	12	8	0	−8	−12
Avg low (°C)	−17	−14	−14	−6	1	7	9	9	4	−3	−11	−16
Precipitation (mm)	20	22	19	20	31	45	65	85	73	47	46	27
Snowfall (cm)	24	21	22	15	5	—	—	—	1	10	34	31

Jan – Jun	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
Avg high (°C)	−11	−7	−6	3	11	17
Avg temp (°C)	−14	−10	−10	−2	6	12
Avg low (°C)	−17	−14	−14	−6	1	7
Precipitation (mm)	20	22	19	20	31	45
Snowfall (cm)	24	21	22	15	5	—

Jul – Dec	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Avg high (°C)	18	16	12	3	−4	−9
Avg temp (°C)	14	12	8	0	−8	−12
Avg low (°C)	9	9	4	−3	−11	−16
Precipitation (mm)	65	85	73	47	46	27
Snowfall (cm)	—	—	1	10	34	31

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 ≤ 0°C (days)	30	28	30	27	13	0.4	—	0.1	5	23	28	30
Days with snowfall ≥ 2.5 cm (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 ≤ 0°C (days)	30	28	30	27	13	0.4
Days with snowfall ≥ 2.5 cm (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 ≤ 0°C (days)	—	0.1	5	23	28	30
Days with snowfall ≥ 2.5 cm (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 (km/h)	15.0	15.9	14.4	13.0	11.4	9.9	9.8	10.7	11.4	12.1	12.9	13.5

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 (km/h)	15.0	15.9	14.4	13.0	11.4	9.9

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 (km/h)	9.8	10.7	11.4	12.1	12.9	13.5

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.

How we build these numbers →