Fairbanks Midtown, Alaska climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Fairbanks Midtown's normal year runs from −14°F January nights to 73°F July afternoons, with 12.6 inches of precipitation and 52 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of −1.7°C, January lows of −25°C, July highs of 23°C, 321 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationFairbanks Midtown
- Station IDUSC00502970
- Location64.83°N 147.79°W
- Elevation440 ft (134 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Fairbanks Midtown is 28°F and the normal low 14°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 30%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Fairbanks Midtown.
- Jan 1° -14°
- Feb 13° -7°
- Mar 26° 0°
- Apr 47° 22°
- May 63° 38°
- Jun 72° 50°
- Jul 73° 53°
- Aug 66° 47°
- Sep 55° 35°
- Oct 34° 19°
- Nov 12° -1°
- Dec 4° -9°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Fairbanks Midtown each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 73°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −14°F. The most precipitation falls in July (2.44 in), the least in April (0.29 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1°F | −14°F | -6.6°F | 0.60 | 7.9 | 8 | <1 | 31 | 5 h |
| February | 13°F | −7°F | 2.9°F | 0.52 | 8.1 | 6 | <1 | 28 | 8 h 20 min |
| March | 26°F | 0°F | 13.1°F | 0.39 | 4.7 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 30 min |
| April | 47°F | 22°F | 34.2°F | 0.29 | 2.0 | 3 | <1 | 28 | 15 h |
| May | 63°F | 38°F | 50.2°F | 0.66 | 0.7 | 7 | <1 | 9 | 18 h 30 min |
| June | 72°F | 50°F | 61.0°F | 1.88 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | <1 | 21 h 40 min |
| July | 73°F | 53°F | 62.8°F | 2.44 | 0.0 | 15 | <1 | <1 | 20 h 20 min |
| August | 66°F | 47°F | 56.6°F | 2.28 | 0.0 | 15 | <1 | <1 | 16 h 40 min |
| September | 55°F | 35°F | 45.1°F | 1.55 | 0.9 | 12 | <1 | 10 | 13 h 10 min |
| October | 34°F | 19°F | 26.5°F | 0.75 | 9.0 | 10 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 50 min |
| November | 12°F | −1°F | 5.4°F | 0.70 | 8.6 | 8 | <1 | 30 | 6 h 20 min |
| December | 4°F | −9°F | -2.6°F | 0.58 | 9.6 | 8 | <1 | 31 | 3 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 39°F | 19°F | 29.0°F | 12.64 | 51.5 | 107 | 1 | 226 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −17°C | −25°C | −21.4°C | 15 mm | 20 cm |
| February | −11°C | −22°C | −16.2°C | 13 mm | 21 cm |
| March | −3°C | −18°C | −10.5°C | 10 mm | 12 cm |
| April | 8°C | −6°C | 1.2°C | 7 mm | 5 cm |
| May | 17°C | 3°C | 10.1°C | 17 mm | 2 cm |
| June | 22°C | 10°C | 16.1°C | 48 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 23°C | 11°C | 17.1°C | 62 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 19°C | 8°C | 13.7°C | 58 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 13°C | 2°C | 7.3°C | 39 mm | 2 cm |
| October | 1°C | −7°C | −3.1°C | 19 mm | 23 cm |
| November | −11°C | −18°C | −14.8°C | 18 mm | 22 cm |
| December | −16°C | −23°C | −19.2°C | 15 mm | 24 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00502970; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
Which months are mildest at Fairbanks Midtown?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July and August. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (11).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00502970.
When is the last frost at Fairbanks Midtown?
In Fairbanks Midtown, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 13 in half of years and after May 28 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 10 in half of years and before August 28 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- May 131 year in 10 after May 28; 9 in 10 after May 3
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 101 year in 10 before August 28; 9 in 10 before September 23
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 119 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 137 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 5 in half of springs and before September 20 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Fairbanks Midtown in zone 2b in ZIP code 99775, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Alaska · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00502970; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get at Fairbanks Midtown?
In a normal year in Fairbanks Midtown, 1 day a year reaches 90°F, 226 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 107 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 226a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 155high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 107a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 19a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00502970.
How sunny is it at Fairbanks Midtown?
Over a year 71% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Fairbanks Midtown, 2.6 kWh per square metre a day. March is the sunniest month (84%) and October the cloudiest (62%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 75% | 0.2 |
| February | 75% | 0.8 |
| March | 84% | 2.6 |
| April | 83% | 4.4 |
| May | 73% | 5.2 |
| June | 69% | 5.4 |
| July | 66% | 4.8 |
| August | 67% | 3.7 |
| September | 67% | 2.3 |
| October | 62% | 1.0 |
| November | 63% | 0.3 |
| December | 79% | 0.1 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How many heating and cooling degree days does Fairbanks Midtown record?
A normal year at Fairbanks Midtown brings 13,140 heating degree days, 2.4 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 70 cooling degree days, 92% fewer than the median (908). Nine months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,070 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 2,219 | 0 |
| February | 1,738 | 0 |
| March | 1,607 | 0 |
| April | 923 | 0 |
| May | 461 | 1 |
| June | 148 | 28 |
| July | 100 | 32 |
| August | 270 | 9 |
| September | 599 | 0 |
| October | 1,192 | 0 |
| November | 1,789 | 0 |
| December | 2,094 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 13,140 | 70 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00502970. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
How does Fairbanks Midtown's climate compare?
Fairbanks Midtown is warmer than 32 of the 85 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 14. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 29.0°F is warmer than 1%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Fairbanks Midtown is Dfb: continental, no dry season, warm summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Fairbanks Midtown share this climate record?
South Van Horn has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- South Van Horn, AK354 people · 2 mi S
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Fairbanks Midtown's climate
What is the coldest month at Fairbanks Midtown?
January, with a normal high of 1°F and a normal low of −14°F. The warmest is July (73°F by day, 53°F at night).
Does it snow at Fairbanks Midtown?
Yes: 52 inches in a normal year, falling on 59 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (9.6 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Fairbanks Midtown?
July, with 2.44 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is April with 0.29 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Fairbanks Midtown in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Fairbanks Midtown in zone 2b in ZIP code 99775, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Fairbanks Midtown?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 13; in one year in ten it comes after May 28. Waiting until May 28 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- College, AK2 miles from this station, 28.5°F a year
- Aurora, AK2 miles from this station, 28.5°F a year
- University Experiment Station, AK2 miles from this station, 28.9°F a year
- Fairbanks, AK3 miles from this station, 28.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made