Climateby Month

Fairbanks, AK climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 445 ft elevation

Fairbanks has mild summers and very cold and snowy winters. Highs peak at 73°F in July and fall to 1°F in January. The wettest month is August (about 14 wet days) and the driest is April (about 4). Normal snowfall is about 65 in a year. By our comfort score the best months are June and July.

Warmest month
73°F
July normal high
Coldest month
-17°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
107
11.7 in of precipitation
Snow a year
64.6 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Fairbanks?

Normal highs range from 1°F in January to 73°F in July.

-20°0°20°40°60°80° January: normal high 1°F (-17°C), low -17°F (-27°C) 1° -17° February: normal high 12°F (-11°C), low -11°F (-24°C) March: normal high 25°F (-4°C), low -3°F (-19°C) April: normal high 46°F (8°C), low 22°F (-6°C) May: normal high 62°F (17°C), low 39°F (4°C) June: normal high 72°F (22°C), low 50°F (10°C) July: normal high 73°F (23°C), low 53°F (12°C) 73° 53° August: normal high 66°F (19°C), low 48°F (9°C) September: normal high 55°F (13°C), low 36°F (2°C) October: normal high 34°F (1°C), low 18°F (-8°C) November: normal high 12°F (-11°C), low -4°F (-20°C) December: normal high 4°F (-16°C), low -13°F (-25°C) JFMAMJJASOND

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

How rainy is Fairbanks?

August has the most wet days (about 14); the year brings about 12 in of precipitation.

January: 9 wet days February: 7 wet days March: 6 wet days April: 4 wet days 4 May: 6 wet days June: 11 wet days July: 13 wet days August: 14 wet days 14 September: 11 wet days October: 10 wet days November: 10 wet days December: 9 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 64.6 in a year, most of it in November.

January: 10.2 in of snow February: 10.0 in of snow March: 6.5 in of snow April: 3.1 in of snow May: 0.9 in of snow June: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 July: 0.0 in of snow August: 0.0 in of snow September: 2.3 in of snow October: 8.2 in of snow November: 12.5 in of snow 12.5 December: 10.9 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Fairbanks?

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 Fairbanks International, 5.3 mi WSW of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 4.0 hours in December to 21.5 hours in June.

January: 5.3 hours of daylight February: 8.5 hours of daylight March: 11.8 hours of daylight April: 15.3 hours of daylight May: 18.8 hours of daylight June: 21.5 hours of daylight 21.5 July: 20.0 hours of daylight August: 16.5 hours of daylight September: 13.0 hours of daylight October: 9.7 hours of daylight November: 6.3 hours of daylight December: 4.0 hours of daylight 4.0 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Fairbanks, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 1°F-17°F 0.6 in9 10.2 in 0 5.3 h
February 12°F-11°F 0.5 in7 10.0 in 0 8.5 h
March 25°F-3°F 0.4 in6 6.5 in 0 11.8 h
April 46°F22°F 0.3 in4 3.1 in 0 15.3 h
May 62°F39°F 0.5 in6 0.9 in 0 18.8 h
June 72°F50°F 1.5 in11 0.0 in 0 21.5 h
July 73°F53°F 2.3 in13 0.0 in 0 20.0 h
August 66°F48°F 2.1 in14 0.0 in 0 16.5 h
September 55°F36°F 1.4 in11 2.3 in 0 13.0 h
October 34°F18°F 0.8 in10 8.2 in 0 9.7 h
November 12°F-4°F 0.7 in10 12.5 in 0 6.3 h
December 4°F-13°F 0.6 in9 10.9 in 0 4.0 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 Fairbanks

By our comfort score, the best months are June and July.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 230231
Feb 240228
Mar 340127
Apr 54119
May 741221
Jun 842150
Jul 842260
Aug 761760
Sep 57542
Oct 310322
Nov 230230
Dec 240231

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 Fairbanks

The last spring frost typically comes around May 13, and the first fall frost around Sep 13, leaving 121 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Fairbanks
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)May 13after May 26
First fall frost (32°F)Sep 13before Aug 29
Last hard freeze (28°F)May 4after May 14
First hard freeze (28°F)Sep 23before Sep 8
Frost-free season121 daysunder 102 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: Fairbanks Intl Airport (USW00026411), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Alaska.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 94°F (June 21, 1991); the lowest was -58°F (February 2, 1993).

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

Near Fairbanks

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snowfall, snow depth, frost dates and humidity and wind by hour: Fairbanks Intl Airport (USW00026411), 5.2 mi WSW of the city center, 432 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Fairbanks International (702610-26411), 5.3 mi WSW of the city center, 430 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