Anchorage Weather Averages

Anchorage, Alaska usually has seven months of wintery weather followed by five months of mild temperatures and long days.

This page gives detailed information on annual temperature, precipitation, snow, sun, humidity, wind and storm averages for Anchorage. The numbers here are historical averages based on climate data gathered at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, located a few miles from downtown Anchorage.

Temperature

44 °F	annual average high	7 °C
31 °F	annual average low	0 °C

Anchorage's coldest days of the year usually occur in mid January when the daily maximum temperature averages 22 degrees Fahrenheit (-6 degrees Celsius) and the minimum averages 10 °F (-12 °C).

The year's hottest days are normally in July and early August. The average temperature peaks then with daily highs of 66 °F (19 °C) and nighttime lows of 53 °F (12 °C).

94 days	60 °F max. or more (16 °C)
186 days	32 °F min. or less (0 °C)

Anchorage averages 18 days a year when the thermometer reaches into the 70s °F (over 21 °C). One day a year, on average, the temperature climbs to 80 °F (26 °C). Typically 104 days annually stay entirely below freezing.

The temperature dips to 10 °F (-12 °C) or below on an average of 50 nights a year. On 19 of those nights, Anchorage gets at least as cold as 0 °F (-18 °C).

Precipitation

16.4 in	total precipitation	417 mm
115 days	of rain or snowfall

August and September are usually the wettest months of the year in Anchorage, while sping months are the driest.

Snow

77.5 in	total snowfall	198 cm
48 days	with new snow

Most years, it snows in Anchorage from October to April. The snowpack accumulates to at least 10 inches (25 cm) deep on an average of 86 days annually.

Sun

41 %	sunshine
61 days	clear skies

The sun's rays reach the ground in Anchorage during 41 percent of daylight hours on average year round, for a total of 1857 hours annually. Typically on 61 days a year the sky is mainly clear, with at most 30 percent cloud cover.

Sunlight in Anchorage averages 12 hours and 24 minutes a day. The shortest days of the year in mid December have 5 hours and 27 minutes of daylight. The year's longest days in mid June last 19:22 from sunrise to sunset.

Humidity

71 %	average humidity

The annual average for relative humidity in Anchorage ranges throughout the day from 77 percent at 6:00 am to 64 percent at 3:00 pm standard time.

Local Time	12 am	3 am	6 am	9 am	12 pm	3 pm	6 pm	9 pm
Humidity %	74	76	77	74	67	64	66	71

Wind

7.1 mph

wind speed average

11.4 kph

May is usually the windiest month for Anchorage, and the wind is calmest during December.

Storms

4 days	snowfall of 5 inches (13 cm) or more
1 day	with thunderstorms a year

Thunderstorms don't happen every year in Anchorage. May to September are the months when thunderstorms might appear over the city.