Kuparuk, Alaska climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Kuparuk's normal year runs from −22°F January nights to 57°F July afternoons, with 4.7 inches of precipitation and 36 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of −10.3°C, January lows of −30°C, July highs of 14°C, 120 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationKuparuk
- Station IDUSC00505136
- Location70.33°N 149.61°W
- Elevation64 ft (20 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Kuparuk is 21°F and the normal low 10°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 Kuparuk.
- Jan -9° -22°
- Feb -9° -22°
- Mar -6° -20°
- Apr 10° -4°
- May 29° 19°
- Jun 48° 33°
- Jul 57° 40°
- Aug 51° 38°
- Sep 40° 30°
- Oct 24° 14°
- Nov 8° -5°
- Dec -4° -16°
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 Kuparuk each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 57°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −22°F. The most precipitation falls in August (1.21 in), the least in March (0.11 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −9°F | −22°F | -15.6°F | 0.15 | 2.9 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 0 h |
| February | −9°F | −22°F | -15.4°F | 0.14 | 3.0 | 4 | <1 | 28 | 7 h 10 min |
| March | −6°F | −20°F | -12.9°F | 0.11 | 2.7 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 30 min |
| April | 10°F | −4°F | 3.2°F | 0.16 | 3.6 | 4 | <1 | 30 | 16 h 10 min |
| May | 29°F | 19°F | 24.1°F | 0.15 | 2.1 | 3 | <1 | 30 | 23 h |
| June | 48°F | 33°F | 40.8°F | 0.34 | 0.6 | 4 | <1 | 15 | 24 h |
| July | 57°F | 40°F | 48.1°F | 0.95 | 0.0 | 9 | <1 | 3 | 24 h |
| August | 51°F | 38°F | 44.2°F | 1.21 | 0.3 | 11 | <1 | 6 | 18 h 30 min |
| September | 40°F | 30°F | 34.8°F | 0.59 | 2.8 | 9 | <1 | 20 | 13 h 40 min |
| October | 24°F | 14°F | 19.3°F | 0.41 | 7.5 | 9 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| November | 8°F | −5°F | 1.5°F | 0.28 | 6.1 | 7 | <1 | 30 | 3 h 50 min |
| December | −4°F | −16°F | -10.3°F | 0.22 | 3.9 | 6 | <1 | 31 | 0 h |
| Year (annual) | 20°F | 7°F | 13.5°F | 4.71 | 35.5 | 75 | <1 | 286 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −23°C | −30°C | −26.4°C | 4 mm | 7 cm |
| February | −23°C | −30°C | −26.3°C | 4 mm | 8 cm |
| March | −21°C | −29°C | −24.9°C | 3 mm | 7 cm |
| April | −12°C | −20°C | −16.0°C | 4 mm | 9 cm |
| May | −1°C | −7°C | −4.4°C | 4 mm | 5 cm |
| June | 9°C | 1°C | 4.9°C | 9 mm | 2 cm |
| July | 14°C | 4°C | 8.9°C | 24 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 10°C | 3°C | 6.8°C | 31 mm | 1 cm |
| September | 4°C | −1°C | 1.6°C | 15 mm | 7 cm |
| October | −4°C | −10°C | −7.1°C | 10 mm | 19 cm |
| November | −13°C | −21°C | −16.9°C | 7 mm | 15 cm |
| December | −20°C | −27°C | −23.5°C | 6 mm | 10 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00505136; 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 Kuparuk?
No month's normal high reaches 65°F in Kuparuk: the warmest is July at 57°F.
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 USC00505136.
How hot and how cold does it get at Kuparuk?
In a normal year in Kuparuk, a 90°F day is rare, 286 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 75 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 286a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 231high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 75a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 10a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1983) is 88°F, on August 6, 2024; the lowest is −58°F, on February 17, 1987.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2017, with 7.56 in; the snowiest season is 2002–03, with 50.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00505136; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00505136. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How many heating and cooling degree days does Kuparuk record?
A normal year at Kuparuk brings 18,744 heating degree days, 3.5 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1 cooling degree days, 100% fewer than the median (908). Twelve months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 129 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 2,499 | 0 |
| February | 2,253 | 0 |
| March | 2,416 | 0 |
| April | 1,852 | 0 |
| May | 1,266 | 0 |
| June | 726 | 0 |
| July | 525 | 1 |
| August | 645 | 0 |
| September | 906 | 0 |
| October | 1,417 | 0 |
| November | 1,905 | 0 |
| December | 2,334 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 18,744 | 1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00505136. 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.
Have recent years at Kuparuk been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 16.0°F, 2.5°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 13.5°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 11.9°F | −1.6°F | 5.51 | 26.3 |
| 2022 | 14.1°F | +0.6°F | 5.78 | 14.1 |
| 2023 | 17.0°F | +3.5°F | 5.70 | 26.0 |
| 2024 | 16.7°F | +3.2°F | 6.39 | 25.2 |
| 2025 | 16.0°F | +2.5°F | 7.45 | 24.3 |
Over 38 complete years from 1984 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 18.2°F per century (+1.01°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00505136; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Kuparuk's climate compare?
Kuparuk is warmer than 1 of the 85 places with their own NOAA record in Alaska, and wetter than 0. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 13.5°F is warmer than 0%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Kuparuk is ET: tundra. 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.
Questions about Kuparuk's climate
What is the coldest month at Kuparuk?
January, with a normal high of −9°F and a normal low of −22°F. The warmest is July (57°F by day, 40°F at night).
Does it snow at Kuparuk?
Yes: 36 inches in a normal year, falling on 65 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in October (7.5 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Kuparuk?
August, with 1.21 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is March with 0.11 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Kuparuk in?
By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −46°F (27 years, 1991-2020): zone 2a.
Nearby and next
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Colville Village, AK20 miles from this station, 13.2°F a year
- Deadhorse Airport, AK28 miles from this station, 13.3°F a year
- Alpine, AK30 miles from this station, 14.4°F a year
- Nuiqsut, AK34 miles from this station, 13.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made