Alaska Temperatures

Alaska Temperatures

Temperatures and climate vary dramatically in Alaska

Many weather-related myths surround Alaska’s temperatures and climate. One of the most common is that Alaska temperatures in summer are cool. In fact, like much of the United States, Alaska has four seasons and weather records at both ends of the thermometer. Alaska’s summers are warm with temperatures that can reach into the 90°s. Ft. Yukon holds the all-time record with a sizzling 100°F temperature recorded in 1915. Many believe that the far northern part of Alaska would be the coldest. Actually, the record for Alaska (and the entire U.S. for that matter) was set in 1971 at Prospect Creek in the northern interior: a bone-chilling -80°F! When compared to high readings near 90°, Alaska temperatures range is an astonishing 170°.

Wasilla Lake  Photo By Dennis Zaki
Wasilla Lake
Photo By Dennis Zaki

Alaska’s climate is changing

The annual average temperature in Alaska has increased 3.5°F from 1949 to 2005. Temperatures have changed more in Alaska over the past 30 years than they have anywhere else on Earth: winters have warmed by a startling 5-6°F, compared with a global average of 1°F. That’s guaranteed to have dramatic effects in an Arctic landscape, where even small temperature changes can make the difference between freezing and melting. In Fairbanks, a city built on permafrost, the annual mean temperature is just 28°F. If it pops above zero, residents can say goodbye to the frozen ground beneath their feet, along with the free iceboxes in their basements. The impacts on wildlife, and the people who depend on it for their livelihoods, will be huge.

Alaska Weather and Climate



Alaska Weather Records

Lowest Temperature
(U.S. Record)

Highest Temperature

Lowest Annual Normal Temperature
9.3° F (-12.6° C) at Barrow
(U.S. Record)

Lowest Summer Normal Temperature
36.4° F (2.4° C) at Barrow
(U.S. Record)

Lowest Winter Normal Temperature
(U.S. Record)]

Southeast Coastal Zone Climate


Southeast Climate



Southwest Coastal Zone Temperatures


Southern Zone Climate




Northern Arctic Zone Temperatures



Alaska Temperatures by Month

Summer Temperatures

Alaska Precipitation by Month


Here’s the Alaska NOAA weather website for more information.


  1. Larry

    What effect does the wide extremes of weather in Alaska have on life expectancy of it’s citizens in comparison to those with less variances?

    1. Lekkadu

      Just find the mean of the average weather temperatures. Add up the temperatures and divide the sum by the number of numbers to find the mean.

    1. Dennis

      It says “May through September” at the bottom. That’s Spring, Summer, and Fall in Alaska. After and before is usually snow. I just changed it to “Rainfall”.


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