Climateby Month

Anchorage, AK climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 104 ft elevation

Summers in Anchorage are mild; winters are very cold and snowy. Highs peak at 66°F in July and fall to 23°F in January. The wettest month is September (about 15 wet days) and the driest is April (about 5). Normal snowfall is about 78 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is July.

Warmest month
66°F
July normal high
Coldest month
11°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
115
16.4 in of precipitation
Snow a year
77.9 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Anchorage?

Normal highs range from 23°F in January to 66°F in July.

0°20°40°60°80° January: normal high 23°F (-5°C), low 11°F (-12°C) 23° 11° February: normal high 27°F (-3°C), low 15°F (-9°C) March: normal high 33°F (1°C), low 19°F (-7°C) April: normal high 45°F (7°C), low 30°F (-1°C) May: normal high 56°F (13°C), low 40°F (4°C) June: normal high 63°F (17°C), low 48°F (9°C) July: normal high 66°F (19°C), low 53°F (12°C) 66° 53° August: normal high 64°F (18°C), low 51°F (11°C) September: normal high 56°F (13°C), low 43°F (6°C) October: normal high 42°F (6°C), low 31°F (-1°C) November: normal high 29°F (-2°C), low 18°F (-8°C) December: normal high 25°F (-4°C), low 14°F (-10°C) JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is Anchorage?

September has the most wet days (about 15); the year brings about 16 in of precipitation.

January: 8 wet days February: 8 wet days March: 6 wet days April: 5 wet days 5 May: 7 wet days June: 9 wet days July: 12 wet days August: 14 wet days September: 15 wet days 15 October: 12 wet days November: 10 wet days December: 11 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How much does it snow?

Normal snowfall is 77.9 in a year, most of it in December.

January: 12.4 in of snow February: 13.4 in of snow March: 11.0 in of snow April: 4.0 in of snow May: 0.3 in of snow June: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 July: 0.0 in of snow August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.4 in of snow October: 5.6 in of snow November: 12.6 in of snow December: 18.2 in of snow 18.2 JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Anchorage?

Muggy days (dew point 65°F or higher) are rare in any month.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 0 muggy days June: 0 muggy days July: 0 muggy days August: 0 muggy days September: 0 muggy days October: 0 muggy days November: 0 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Merrill Field Airport, 1.4 mi E of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 5.6 hours in December to 19.2 hours in June.

January: 6.5 hours of daylight February: 9.0 hours of daylight March: 11.8 hours of daylight April: 14.8 hours of daylight May: 17.5 hours of daylight June: 19.2 hours of daylight 19.2 July: 18.3 hours of daylight August: 15.8 hours of daylight September: 12.9 hours of daylight October: 10.0 hours of daylight November: 7.3 hours of daylight December: 5.6 hours of daylight 5.6 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Anchorage, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 23°F11°F 0.8 in8 12.4 in 0 6.5 h
February 27°F15°F 0.9 in8 13.4 in 0 9.0 h
March 33°F19°F 0.7 in6 11.0 in 0 11.8 h
April 45°F30°F 0.4 in5 4.0 in 0 14.8 h
May 56°F40°F 0.7 in7 0.3 in 0 17.5 h
June 63°F48°F 1.0 in9 0.0 in 0 19.2 h
July 66°F53°F 1.8 in12 0.0 in 0 18.3 h
August 64°F51°F 2.9 in14 0.0 in 0 15.8 h
September 56°F43°F 3.1 in15 0.4 in 0 12.9 h
October 42°F31°F 1.8 in12 5.6 in 0 10.0 h
November 29°F18°F 1.2 in10 12.6 in 0 7.3 h
December 25°F14°F 1.2 in11 18.2 in 0 5.6 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit Anchorage

By our comfort score, the best month is July.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 240329
Feb 240326
Mar 340225
Apr 54016
May 63420
Jun 731230
Jul 801950
Aug 711480
Sep 50280
Oct 350512
Nov 240427
Dec 230429

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. How the score works.

Frost dates in Anchorage

The last spring frost typically comes around May 5, and the first fall frost around Oct 1, leaving 147 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Anchorage
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)May 5after May 15
First fall frost (32°F)Oct 1before Sep 18
Last hard freeze (28°F)Apr 22after May 3
First hard freeze (28°F)Oct 10before Sep 29
Frost-free season147 daysunder 131 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: Anchorage Intl Airport (USW00026451), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Alaska.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 90°F (July 4, 2019); the lowest was -28°F (February 4, 1999).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Near Anchorage

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snowfall, snow depth and frost dates: Anchorage Intl Airport (USW00026451), 5.4 mi SW of the city center, 120 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Humidity and wind by hour: Anchorage Merrill Fld (USW00026409), 1.5 mi E of the city center, 138 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Merrill Field Airport (702735-26409), 1.4 mi E of the city center, 126 ft . Hourly observations, 1991-2020.
  • Not available for this location: cloud cover (no station close enough or similar enough in elevation).

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error