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Kotzebue, Alaska climate
Dfc Subarctic
Kotzebue has a strongly seasonal subarctic climate (Subarctic, Köppen Dfc). The hottest month is July with an average daily high near 60°F, while the coldest is January averaging around −8°F at night. Precipitation totals about 11 inches a year and is strongly seasonal — August alone averages 2.1 inches while May barely receives 0.44 inches. Snowfall is heavy (64 inches of snow per year on average). At latitude 67°N, day length swings from 0.0 hours in midwinter to 24.0 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)Kotzebue climate normals (1991–2020)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 5 | 9 | 9 | 24 | 39 | 53 | 60 | 57 | 48 | 31 | 16 | 9 |
| Avg temp (°F) | −2 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 33 | 48 | 55 | 52 | 43 | 27 | 11 | 2 |
| Avg low (°F) | −8 | −6 | −6 | 9 | 27 | 42 | 51 | 48 | 39 | 23 | 6 | −4 |
| Precipitation (in) | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Snowfall (in) | 9.4 | 13.1 | 6.4 | 4.7 | 1.2 | — | — | — | 0.6 | 5.9 | 11.0 | 11.9 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 5 | 9 | 9 | 24 | 39 | 53 |
| Avg temp (°F) | −2 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 33 | 48 |
| Avg low (°F) | −8 | −6 | −6 | 9 | 27 | 42 |
| Precipitation (in) | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.6 |
| Snowfall (in) | 9.4 | 13.1 | 6.4 | 4.7 | 1.2 | — |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 60 | 57 | 48 | 31 | 16 | 9 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 55 | 52 | 43 | 27 | 11 | 2 |
| Avg low (°F) | 51 | 48 | 39 | 23 | 6 | −4 |
| Precipitation (in) | 1.6 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Snowfall (in) | — | — | 0.6 | 5.9 | 11.0 | 11.9 |
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 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 |
| Days with low ≤ 32°F (days) | 31 | 28 | 31 | 29 | 21 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 6 | 25 | 30 | 31 |
| Days with snowfall ≥ 1 in (days) | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0.4 | — | — | — | 0.1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 9 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Days with low ≤ 32°F (days) | 31 | 28 | 31 | 29 | 21 | 3 |
| Days with snowfall ≥ 1 in (days) | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0.4 | — |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 11 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 |
| Days with low ≤ 32°F (days) | 0.0 | 0.1 | 6 | 25 | 30 | 31 |
| Days with snowfall ≥ 1 in (days) | — | — | 0.1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Sky & atmosphere
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 68 | 72 | 65 | 66 | 66 | 72 | 73 | 75 | 72 | 77 | 72 | 70 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 96 | 95 | 94 | 92 | 88 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 86 | 91 | 96 | 96 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 11.0 | 11.4 | 9.7 | 8.2 | 6.0 | 5.1 | 5.6 | 7.1 | 8.2 | 9.6 | 10.8 | 11.0 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 68 | 72 | 65 | 66 | 66 | 72 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 96 | 95 | 94 | 92 | 88 | 85 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 11.0 | 11.4 | 9.7 | 8.2 | 6.0 | 5.1 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 73 | 75 | 72 | 77 | 72 | 70 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 85 | 85 | 86 | 91 | 96 | 96 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 5.6 | 7.1 | 8.2 | 9.6 | 10.8 | 11.0 |
Methodology & sources
Temperature & precipitation — the official 1991–2020 climate normals from NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals, measured at Kotzebue AP (NOAA GHCN station USW00026616), about 1 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.