Anchorage weather in January: Anchorage, Alaska: normal highs, lows, rain and records for January
Anchorage in January has a normal high of 23°F and a normal low of 11°F, a daily mean of 17°F, holding near 23°F all month. Measurable precipitation falls on 8 days in a normal January, 0.75 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of −5°C and low of −12°C, 19 mm of precipitation and 31 cm of snow in January.
- NOAA stationAnchorage Ted Stevens International Airport
- Station IDUSW00026451
- Location61.17°N 150.03°W
- Elevation120 ft (37 m)
- Population289,600
- Jan 23° 11°
- Feb 27° 15°
- Mar 33° 19°
- Apr 45° 30°
- May 56° 40°
- Jun 63° 48°
- Jul 66° 53°
- Aug 64° 51°
- Sep 56° 43°
- Oct 42° 31°
- Nov 29° 18°
- Dec 25° 14°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Anchorage in January?
The normal high is 23°F and the normal low 11°F, for a daily mean of 16.9°F. January is 2.5°F cooler than December and 4.4°F cooler than February. January is the 12th warmest month of the year in Anchorage and the 9th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 1°F, from 23°F on January 1 to 24°F on January 31. From one year to the next January's mean temperature typically moves about 6.4°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Januarys in three average between 10°F and 23°F.
Bars above: each day's normal high to low. Columns below: the chance of 0.01 inch or more of precipitation that day, on a scale of 0 to 100% (highest 29%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 23°F | 11°F | 29% | 10% |
| January 8 | 22°F | 10°F | 27% | 10% |
| January 15 | 22°F | 10°F | 27% | 9% |
| January 22 | 23°F | 11°F | 28% | 10% |
| January 31 | 24°F | 13°F | 29% | 10% |
Every day of January: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon January 31, coldest night January 9)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 23°F | 11°F | 29% | 10% | 5 h 40 min |
| January 2 | 23°F | 11°F | 28% | 10% | 5 h 40 min |
| January 3 | 23°F | 11°F | 28% | 10% | 5 h 40 min |
| January 4 | 23°F | 11°F | 28% | 10% | 5 h 40 min |
| January 5 | 23°F | 11°F | 28% | 10% | 5 h 50 min |
| January 6 | 22°F | 11°F | 28% | 10% | 5 h 50 min |
| January 7 | 22°F | 10°F | 27% | 10% | 5 h 50 min |
| January 8 | 22°F | 10°F | 27% | 10% | 6 h |
| January 9 | 22°F | 10°F | 27% | 9% | 6 h |
| January 10 | 22°F | 10°F | 27% | 9% | 6 h |
| January 11 | 22°F | 10°F | 27% | 9% | 6 h 10 min |
| January 12 | 22°F | 10°F | 27% | 9% | 6 h 10 min |
| January 13 | 22°F | 10°F | 27% | 9% | 6 h 10 min |
| January 14 | 22°F | 10°F | 27% | 9% | 6 h 20 min |
| January 15 | 22°F | 10°F | 27% | 9% | 6 h 20 min |
| January 16 | 22°F | 10°F | 27% | 9% | 6 h 20 min |
| January 17 | 22°F | 11°F | 27% | 9% | 6 h 30 min |
| January 18 | 22°F | 11°F | 27% | 9% | 6 h 30 min |
| January 19 | 22°F | 11°F | 27% | 9% | 6 h 40 min |
| January 20 | 22°F | 11°F | 27% | 9% | 6 h 40 min |
| January 21 | 23°F | 11°F | 28% | 10% | 6 h 50 min |
| January 22 | 23°F | 11°F | 28% | 10% | 6 h 50 min |
| January 23 | 23°F | 11°F | 28% | 10% | 7 h |
| January 24 | 23°F | 11°F | 28% | 10% | 7 h |
| January 25 | 23°F | 12°F | 28% | 10% | 7 h 10 min |
| January 26 | 23°F | 12°F | 28% | 10% | 7 h 10 min |
| January 27 | 24°F | 12°F | 28% | 10% | 7 h 20 min |
| January 28 | 24°F | 12°F | 28% | 10% | 7 h 20 min |
| January 29 | 24°F | 12°F | 28% | 10% | 7 h 30 min |
| January 30 | 24°F | 13°F | 28% | 10% | 7 h 30 min |
| January 31 | 24°F | 13°F | 29% | 10% | 7 h 40 min |
- Normal high
- 23°FJanuary average
- Normal low
- 11°FJanuary average
- Precipitation
- 0.75 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 80.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 12.4 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 30
- Daylight
- 5 h 40 min to 7 h 40 minJanuary 1 to January 31
- Sunshine
- 60%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00026451; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Anchorage in January?
On a given January day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 28% on average, highest around January 1 (29%). In all, 0.75 in falls on 8 days of a normal January.
In a normal January in Anchorage, 30 nights fall to freezing, 24 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 12.4 inches.
Snow falls on 9 days in a normal January, and an inch or more covers the ground on 31 days.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00026451.
How humid and windy is Anchorage in January?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 21°F with 72% relative humidity and a dew point of 13°F; at 6 a.m. it is 17°F with 77% humidity. The wind averages 6.2 mph, most often from the north-northeast in the afternoon. A dew point under 50°F feels dry.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 17°F | 11°F | 77% | 6.0 mph | 24% |
| 9 a.m. | 17°F | 11°F | 77% | 6.1 mph | 18% |
| noon | 19°F | 12°F | 74% | 6.6 mph | 17% |
| 3 p.m. | 21°F | 13°F | 72% | 6.8 mph | 15% |
| 6 p.m. | 19°F | 13°F | 75% | 6.1 mph | 19% |
| 9 p.m. | 18°F | 12°F | 76% | 6.0 mph | 24% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00026451. Hourly normals exist only for NOAA's first-order stations; a dash where NOAA publishes no value for that hour (the sky at some hours).
What are the records for January in Anchorage?
The warmest January temperature on Anchorage's official record (since 1953) is 50°F, on January 19, 1961; the coldest is −34°F, on January 5, 1975. The wettest January brought 2.96 in (2026); the snowiest, 40.2 inches (2026).
The January mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 16.9°F: 2021 22.3°F (+5.4), 2022 20.6°F (+3.8), 2023 23.7°F (+6.8), 2024 13.2°F (−3.7), 2025 26.7°F (+9.8), 2026 13.6°F (−3.3). 4 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| January | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 22.3°F | +5.4°F | 0.67 in |
| 2022 | 20.6°F | +3.8°F | 1.07 in |
| 2023 | 23.7°F | +6.8°F | 0.59 in |
| 2024 | 13.2°F | −3.7°F | 1.29 in |
| 2025 | 26.7°F | +9.8°F | 1.72 in |
| 2026 | 13.6°F | −3.3°F | 2.96 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record ANCthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00026451. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does January in Anchorage compare across Alaska?
Across the 85 places PlainClimate covers in Alaska, January normal highs run from −11°F in Chicken to 41°F in Metlakatla; Anchorage's is 23°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.