Anchorage climate
Anchorage (Alaska, United States) has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). The average temperature over the year is 4 °C38 °F, and about 822 mm32 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Anchorage climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −424 | −916 | −720 | 532.1 |
| Feb | −228 | −719 | −523 | 512.0 |
| Mar | −131 | −719 | −425 | 391.5 |
| Apr | 541 | −131 | 236 | 381.5 |
| May | 1253 | 541 | 847 | 471.9 |
| Jun | 1661 | 949 | 1355 | 592.3 |
| Jul | 1865 | 1254 | 1559 | 833.3 |
| Aug | 1763 | 1153 | 1458 | 1104.3 |
| Sep | 1355 | 745 | 1050 | 1184.7 |
| Oct | 642 | 235 | 439 | 873.4 |
| Nov | −229 | −622 | −426 | 712.8 |
| Dec | −326 | −719 | −523 | 642.5 |
| Year | 1865 | −916 | 438 | 82232 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 92% | 65% | 0.3 | 6:20 |
| Feb | 91% | 69% | 0.9 | 8:52 |
| Mar | 88% | 63% | 2.4 | 11:33 |
| Apr | 82% | 72% | 4.0 | 14:35 |
| May | 78% | 78% | 4.9 | 17:25 |
| Jun | 79% | 81% | 5.3 | 19:18 |
| Jul | 81% | 83% | 4.8 | 18:29 |
| Aug | 82% | 79% | 3.8 | 15:48 |
| Sep | 84% | 78% | 2.4 | 12:46 |
| Oct | 88% | 77% | 1.1 | 9:51 |
| Nov | 92% | 70% | 0.4 | 7:05 |
| Dec | 93% | 72% | 0.1 | 5:30 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Anchorage is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 18 °C65 °F and a low of 12 °C54 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −4 °C24 °F and lows −9 °C16 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 21.8 °C39.2 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 822 mm32 in. The wettest three-month stretch is August–October, which brings 38% of the annual total. The wettest month is September (118 mm4.7 in), the driest is April (38 mm1.5 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 78% in May to 93% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 63%) are typical of March. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in July to 8 km/h (5 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 5.5 hours in December to 19.3 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in November–April, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in March, about 48 cm).
Best time to visit Anchorage
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June and July: average highs of 16 °C61 °F to 18 °C65 °F with 59 mm2.3 in to 83 mm3.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −4 °C24 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Anchorage
- Winter (December–February) — highs −424 to −2 °C28 °F, lows −916 to −7 °C19 °F, about 56 mm2.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots.
- Spring (March–May) — highs −131 to 12 °C53 °F, lows −719 to 5 °C41 °F, about 41 mm1.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 1661 to 18 °C65 °F, lows 949 to 12 °C54 °F, about 84 mm3.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs −229 to 13 °C55 °F, lows −622 to 7 °C45 °F, about 92 mm3.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Anchorage compares
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Anchorage is the 222nd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 142nd wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Umeå (Sweden, Dfb), Tampere (Finland, Dfb) and Oulu (Finland, Dfc).
Nearby places
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Anchorage?
July is the warmest month in Anchorage, with an average high of 18 °C (65 °F) and an average low of 12 °C (54 °F).
What is the coldest month in Anchorage?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -4 °C (24 °F) and an average low of -9 °C (16 °F).
When does it rain the most in Anchorage?
September is the wettest month with about 118 mm (4.7 in) of precipitation; April is the driest with about 38 mm (1.5 in).
What is the best time to visit Anchorage?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are June and July.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 296 m, while Anchorage lies at about 31 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.7 °C3.1 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.