Utqiaġvik, Alaska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Utqiaġvik's normal year runs from −18°F February nights to 48°F July afternoons, with 5.4 inches of precipitation and 46 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of −10.2°C, February lows of −28°C, July highs of 9°C, 137 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationWiley Post-Will Rogers Airport
- Station IDUSW00027502
- Location71.28°N 156.78°W
- Elevation31 ft (9 m)
- From the center1 miles
- Population4,668
On October 14, the normal high in Utqiaġvik is 27°F and the normal low 18°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 44%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Utqiaġvik.
- Jan -5° -18°
- Feb -5° -18°
- Mar -4° -17°
- Apr 11° -2°
- May 27° 19°
- Jun 41° 31°
- Jul 48° 36°
- Aug 45° 35°
- Sep 37° 30°
- Oct 26° 17°
- Nov 12° 0°
- Dec 0° -12°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Utqiaġvik each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 48°F; February the coldest, with normal lows of −18°F. The most precipitation falls in August (1.09 in), the least in January (0.14 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5°F | −18°F | -11.5°F | 0.14 | 3.5 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 0 h |
| February | −5°F | −18°F | -11.9°F | 0.21 | 3.5 | 6 | <1 | 28 | 6 h 50 min |
| March | −4°F | −17°F | -10.5°F | 0.18 | 2.9 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 20 min |
| April | 11°F | −2°F | 4.0°F | 0.18 | 3.6 | 5 | <1 | 30 | 16 h 20 min |
| May | 27°F | 19°F | 22.7°F | 0.28 | 3.4 | 6 | <1 | 30 | 24 h |
| June | 41°F | 31°F | 36.0°F | 0.43 | 0.7 | 6 | <1 | 20 | 24 h |
| July | 48°F | 36°F | 41.7°F | 0.98 | 0.2 | 10 | <1 | 9 | 24 h |
| August | 45°F | 35°F | 39.8°F | 1.09 | 0.8 | 12 | <1 | 10 | 19 h |
| September | 37°F | 30°F | 33.7°F | 0.77 | 4.1 | 14 | <1 | 20 | 13 h 40 min |
| October | 26°F | 17°F | 21.2°F | 0.54 | 10.3 | 14 | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| November | 12°F | 0°F | 5.7°F | 0.37 | 7.8 | 10 | <1 | 30 | 3 h |
| December | 0°F | −12°F | -6.3°F | 0.22 | 5.0 | 7 | <1 | 31 | 0 h |
| Year (annual) | 19°F | 8°F | 13.7°F | 5.39 | 45.8 | 98 | <1 | 300 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −21°C | −28°C | −24.2°C | 4 mm | 9 cm |
| February | −21°C | −28°C | −24.4°C | 5 mm | 9 cm |
| March | −20°C | −27°C | −23.6°C | 5 mm | 7 cm |
| April | −12°C | −19°C | −15.6°C | 5 mm | 9 cm |
| May | −3°C | −7°C | −5.2°C | 7 mm | 9 cm |
| June | 5°C | 0°C | 2.2°C | 11 mm | 2 cm |
| July | 9°C | 2°C | 5.4°C | 25 mm | 1 cm |
| August | 7°C | 2°C | 4.3°C | 28 mm | 2 cm |
| September | 3°C | −1°C | 0.9°C | 20 mm | 10 cm |
| October | −4°C | −8°C | −6.0°C | 14 mm | 26 cm |
| November | −11°C | −18°C | −14.6°C | 9 mm | 20 cm |
| December | −18°C | −25°C | −21.3°C | 6 mm | 13 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00027502; 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.
When is the best weather to visit Utqiaġvik?
No month's normal high reaches 65°F in Utqiaġvik: the warmest is July at 48°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 USW00027502.
How hot and how cold does it get in Utqiaġvik?
In a normal year in Utqiaġvik, a 90°F day is rare, 300 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 98 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
- 300a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 237high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 98a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 13a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1901) is 79°F, on July 13, 1993; the lowest is −56°F, on February 3, 1924.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2019, with 10.11 in; the snowiest season is 2008–09, with 76.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00027502; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00027502. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Utqiaġvik, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 36°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 38°F; the driest air comes in February (−15°F). October is the windiest month (14.0 mph on average), and February has the most clear or nearly clear hours (45%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −15°F | 89% | 92% | 12.0 mph | 44% | 32% |
| February | −15°F | 83% | 82% | 13.0 mph | 45% | 31% |
| March | −9°F | 81% | 79% | 12.0 mph | 45% | 31% |
| April | 10°F | 85% | 82% | 12.1 mph | 26% | 49% |
| May | 27°F | 89% | 86% | 12.5 mph | – | – |
| June | 35°F | 86% | 81% | 11.9 mph | 22% | 44% |
| July | 38°F | 89% | 83% | 12.4 mph | – | – |
| August | 34°F | 88% | 83% | 12.6 mph | – | – |
| September | 25°F | 85% | 83% | 13.5 mph | – | – |
| October | 11°F | 84% | 84% | 14.0 mph | – | – |
| November | −5°F | 81% | 81% | 13.8 mph | – | – |
| December | −12°F | 81% | 82% | 12.9 mph | 45% | 34% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00027502. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How much heating and cooling does Utqiaġvik need?
A normal year in Utqiaġvik brings 18,666 heating degree days, 3.5 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 0 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 17 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 2,372 | 0 |
| February | 2,153 | 0 |
| March | 2,340 | 0 |
| April | 1,828 | 0 |
| May | 1,311 | 0 |
| June | 870 | 0 |
| July | 724 | 0 |
| August | 781 | 0 |
| September | 939 | 0 |
| October | 1,358 | 0 |
| November | 1,779 | 0 |
| December | 2,210 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 18,666 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00027502. 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.
Has Utqiaġvik been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 17.1°F, 3.4°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 13.7°F. 4 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 13.9°F | +0.2°F | 7.73 | – |
| 2022 | 15.8°F | +2.1°F | – | – |
| 2023 | 17.6°F | +3.9°F | – | – |
| 2024 | 17.1°F | +3.4°F | 7.47 | – |
Over 103 complete years from 1902 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 5.9°F per century (+0.33°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00027502; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Utqiaġvik's climate compare?
Utqiaġvik is warmer than 1 of the other 84 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 13.7°F is warmer than 0%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Utqiaġvik 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 Utqiaġvik's climate
What is the coldest month in Utqiaġvik?
February, with a normal high of −5°F and a normal low of −18°F. The warmest is July (48°F by day, 36°F at night).
Does it snow in Utqiaġvik?
Yes: 46 inches in a normal year, falling on 92 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in October (10.3 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Utqiaġvik?
August, with 1.09 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.14 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Utqiaġvik in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Utqiaġvik in zone 2b in ZIP code 99723. By the same method at Utqiaġvik's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −43°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 2b.
Nearby and next
- Utqiaġvik in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Alaska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Utqiagvik, formerly Barrow (4 mi ENE), AK4 miles from this station, 12.7°F a year
- Wainwright, AK85 miles from this station, 14.8°F a year
- Alpine, AK148 miles from this station, 14.4°F a year
- Nuiqsut, AK151 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