| Anchorage Weather |
Spring through fall, Anchorage's climate is similar to San Francisco's spring weather, with temperatures that can reach into the 70s. Summer highs average 65°F/18°C.
| |
June |
July |
August |
| maximum temperature |
62°F/16°C |
65°F/18°C |
63°F/17°C |
| minimum temperature |
47°F/8°C |
51°F/10°C |
49°F/9°C |
| precipitation |
1.02 in./2.6 cm |
1.87 in./4.7 cm |
2.70 in./6.9 cm |
average annual
high temperature
43°F/5°C |
average annual
low temperature
29°F/-2°C |
average annual
total precipitation
15.71 in./39.9 cm |
average annual
total snowfall
70.6 in./179.3 cm |
|
| What to Wear |
| Casual wear is welcome virtually everywhere in Alaska. This is perfect for people taking advantage of the area's many outdoor activities. The key to comfort in Alaska is wearing layers of clothing, then pile on or peel off as needed. Visitors may notice a drop in temperature when taking a chairlift ride to the top of Mt. Alyeska, hiking in the nearby Chugach Mountains, or on the water, so it's a good idea to bring warmer layers for those activities. Lightweight raingear is a must for outside activities since even summer weather in Alaska can be wet on occasion. |
| What to Bring |
| Cameras—still and video—and binoculars will help capture your great Alaskan experience. You'll likely also want to bring a day pack, a water bottle, and bug dope in case there isn't enough wind blowing to deter the pesky little, …er, Alaska-size buggers! |
| Daylight Hours |
| In Anchorage, there are nearly 20 hours of functional daylight on Summer Solstice. The further north you travel, the more sun you get in the summer. In the southernmost Inside Passage, around Ketchikan, the sun is above the horizon for about 18 hours. Fairbanks, in the Interior, gets 21 hours and Barrow, at the northern edge of the state, has 24 hours of daylight. |
| Time Zone |
| Alaska time is one hour behind Pacific time and four hours behind Eastern time. Alaska uses daylight saving time on the same schedule as most of the other states. |
| Anchorage Population |
| Anchorage is Alaska's largest city, with 277,000 residents, equalling 42 percent of the state's population—not counting the four-footed kind that also call Anchorage home. |
| Size |
| The Municipality of Anchorage encompasses 1,955 sq. miles (506,342 hectares)—about the size of the state of Delaware! It stretches from Eklutna River on one end to Portage Glacier on the other, and is nestled along the edge of the spectacular Chugach Mountains, with Cook Inlet on the other side. |
| Printable version of this "What to Expect" document available here. - PDF file* (54 KB) |
| Questions |
| If you have any questions please contact us by email at WAFWA2010@alaska.gov or give us a call at (907) 267-2800. |
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