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Utqiagvik, Alaska climate
ET Tundra
Utqiagvik has a strongly seasonal subarctic climate (Tundra, Köppen ET). The hottest month is July with an average daily high near 48°F, while the coldest is February averaging around −18°F at night. Precipitation totals about 5 inches a year and is strongly seasonal — August alone averages 1.1 inches while January barely receives 0.14 inches. Winters bring significant snowfall (46 inches of snow per year on average). At latitude 71°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)Utqiagvik climate normals (1991–2020)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | −5 | −6 | −4 | 11 | 27 | 41 | 48 | 45 | 37 | 26 | 12 | 0 |
| Avg temp (°F) | −12 | −12 | −11 | 4 | 23 | 36 | 42 | 40 | 34 | 21 | 6 | −6 |
| Avg low (°F) | −18 | −18 | −17 | −3 | 19 | 31 | 36 | 35 | 30 | 17 | 0 | −12 |
| Precipitation (in) | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Snowfall (in) | 3.5 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 4.1 | 10.3 | 7.8 | 5.0 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | −5 | −6 | −4 | 11 | 27 | 41 |
| Avg temp (°F) | −12 | −12 | −11 | 4 | 23 | 36 |
| Avg low (°F) | −18 | −18 | −17 | −3 | 19 | 31 |
| Precipitation (in) | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Snowfall (in) | 3.5 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 0.7 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 48 | 45 | 37 | 26 | 12 | 0 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 42 | 40 | 34 | 21 | 6 | −6 |
| Avg low (°F) | 36 | 35 | 30 | 17 | 0 | −12 |
| Precipitation (in) | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Snowfall (in) | 0.2 | 0.8 | 4.1 | 10.3 | 7.8 | 5.0 |
How often — frequency of weather events
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Days with low ≤ 32°F (days) | 31 | 28 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 20 | 9 | 10 | 20 | 31 | 30 | 31 |
| Days with snowfall ≥ 1 in (days) | 0.9 | 1 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Days with low ≤ 32°F (days) | 31 | 28 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 20 |
| Days with snowfall ≥ 1 in (days) | 0.9 | 1 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.2 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Days with low ≤ 32°F (days) | 9 | 10 | 20 | 31 | 30 | 31 |
| Days with snowfall ≥ 1 in (days) | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Sky & atmosphere
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 71 | 69 | 66 | 68 | 72 | 66 | 71 | 82 | 81 | 85 | 81 | 72 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 98 | 98 | 97 | 96 | 94 | 94 | 95 | 93 | 90 | 88 | 95 | 98 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 11.8 | 12.0 | 11.3 | 10.8 | 10.1 | 8.8 | 8.9 | 9.9 | 11.6 | 13.5 | 12.1 | 12.0 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 71 | 69 | 66 | 68 | 72 | 66 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 98 | 98 | 97 | 96 | 94 | 94 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 11.8 | 12.0 | 11.3 | 10.8 | 10.1 | 8.8 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 71 | 82 | 81 | 85 | 81 | 72 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 95 | 93 | 90 | 88 | 95 | 98 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 8.9 | 9.9 | 11.6 | 13.5 | 12.1 | 12.0 |
Methodology & sources
Temperature & precipitation — the official 1991–2020 climate normals from NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals, measured at Barrow AP (NOAA GHCN station USW00027502), about 2 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.