Anchorage: Geography and Climate
United States City Directory:
Top
Anchorage Climate
Anchorage, Alaska, Climate:
Main | Climate | History | Population | Government | Important Phone Numbers | Information Sources | Area Communities | Economy | Quality of Living Indicators | Education | Hospitals | Transportation | Utilities | Telecommunication | Banks | Shopping | Media | Attractions | Sports & Recreation
Anchorage's proximity to the Pacific Ocean, via Cook Inlet and the Gulf of Alaska, helps to moderate its climate from temperature extremes. Although temperatures occasionally dip below freezing during the winter months, average temperatures range from highs in the low to mid-20s to lows around 10 degrees. An average of 70.6 inches of snow falls each year in Anchorage. Summer days are mild, with average highs in the mid-60s and lows near 50 degrees. Late summer and early autumn are the wettest times of the year in Anchorage.
Average Temperatures & Precipitation
Temperatures
| JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | |
| High | 22 | 26 | 34 | 44 | 55 | 62 | 65 | 63 | 55 | 40 | 28 | 24 |
| Low | 9 | 12 | 18 | 29 | 39 | 47 | 52 | 49 | 41 | 28 | 16 | 11 |
Precipitation
| JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | |
| Inches | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 3 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
Air Quality Index (AQI)
Days Recorded (2008): 153Median AQI: 3
Days in Good Range: 0.93
Days in Moderate Range: 0.07
Days in Unhealthy Range (Sensitive Groups): 0
Days in Unhealthy Range: 0
Gale Guide to Cities of the United States:
Top
Anchorage, Alaska
|
Introduction Geography and Climate History People and Culture Municipal Government Economy Education and Research Health Care Travel Guide Convention Facilities Transportation Communications |
Located in south-central Alaska in a wide valley, Anchorage is bordered on the west, north, and south by Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet. The Chugach Mountains to the east have a general elevation of 4,000 to 5,000 feet, with peaks from 8,000 to 10,000 feet. These mountains block warm air from the Gulf of Mexico, keeping precipitation relatively low. The Alaska Range to the north protects the city from cold air from the state's interior; thus temperatures in Anchorage are usually 25 to 30 degrees warmer than temperatures in the rest of the state. While the area has four seasons, their length and characteristics differ from those of the middle latitudes; snows arrive in October and leave in mid-April, while annual average snowfall is seventy inches. Daylight hours vary from 19 in late June to 6 in late December.
| 1,955 square miles (2000) | |
| 132 feet above sea level | |
| January, 20° F; July, 65° F; annual average, 35.8° F | |
| 15.71 inches of rain; 70.6 inches of snow |
