Anchorage, Alaska (Dena'ina: Dgheyay Kaq'; Dgheyaytnu)[1] has a subarctic climate with the code Dfc according to the Köppen climate classification due to its short, cool summers.[2] The weather on any given day is very unpredictable. Some winters feature several feet of snow and cold temperatures, while the summers are typically mild but are cool compared to the contiguous US and interior Alaska. Because of Anchorage's high latitude, summer days are very long and winter daylight hours are very short. The longest day of sunlight being 18hrs and 21 minutes, and shortest being 5 hours and 28 minutes.[3] Anchorage is often cloudy during the winter, which decreases the amount of sunlight experienced by residents.
Average daytime summer temperatures range from approximately 55 to 78 °F (12.8 to 25.6 °C);[4] average daytime winter temperatures are about 5 to 30 °F (−15.0 to −1.1 °C).[4] Anchorage has a frost-free growing season that averages slightly over one hundred days. Average January low and high temperatures at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (PANC) are 11 / 23 °F (−11.7 / −5.0 °C) with an average winter snowfall of 75.59 inches, or 1.92 meters. Farther afield at the Campbell Airstrip is another weather station recording colder night temperatures in both summer and winter.[4]
Average July low and high temperatures are 52 / 66 °F (11.1 / 18.9 °C) and the hottest reading ever recorded was 90 °F or 32.2 °C on July 4, 2019.[5]
Between 2000 and 2022 the annual rainfall in Anchorage was 16.7 inches.[6] The months with the highest average mean of rain were August and September, each having an annual mean of 2.75 inches (August) and 3.24 inches (September).
Snowfalledit
Winter view of Anchorage and the Chugach Mountains
For snowfall, the annual mean average for 2000 to 2022 was 76.4 inches;[7] the highest snowfall season being 2011 - 2012 with 134.5 inches, and the lowest season being 25.1 inches in 2015.
Climate changeedit
Based on the ERA5 data published by ECMWF, the annual mean temperature of Anchorage has increased from 0.8 °C in 1940 to 3.8 °C in 2022, an increase of 3 °C. [8] The mayor and the assembly of Anchorage in 2019 issued a climate action plan for the anticipated effects that climate change will have on its city and people.[9] The action plan includes all of the municipality of Anchorage, as far north as Eklutna and as south as Portage. One of the major goals of the climate action plan is to reduce green house gas emissions by 80% by the year 2050 from its 2008 emission levels. The first annual report on this came out in 2021. For its near term plans, the city also introduced a plan called the "Municipality of Anchorage Climate Action Strategy." This appears[according to whom?] to be a document for a broader audience of people so it is easier for them to understand what will go into these climate action plans. In comparison, the Anchorage Climate Action plan is 108 pages long, whereas the Municipality of Anchorage Climate Action Strategy is just 12 pages.[original research?]
Due to its proximity to active volcanoes, ash hazards are a significant, though infrequent, occurrence. The most recent notable incident was an August 1992 eruption of Mt. Spurr, which is located 78 mi (126 km) west of the city.[needs update] The eruption deposited about 3 mm (0.12 in) of volcanic ash on the city.[10] The cleanup of ash resulted in excessive demands for water and caused major problems for the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility.[citation needed]
On March 17, 2002, there was a storm that caused 28.6 in of snow to close schools for two days.[11] The storm broke the city record for the most snowfall in a single day. The storm beat the previous record from 1955 on March 16, which was just 15.6 inches. The National Weather Service also recorded this same snow data.[12]
Classificationsedit
Anchorage Climate according to major climate systems
^Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
Referencesedit
^Alsworth, Mailing Address: PO Box 227 Port; Us, AK 99653 Phone: 907 644-3626 Contact. "Dena'ina Athabascan Culture - Lake Clark National Park & Preserve (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2022-04-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Society, National Geographic (2019-10-24). "Köppen Climate Classification System". National Geographic Society. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
^"Shortest Day In Alaska | Hours of Daylight & Winter Darkness Fun Facts". ALASKA.ORG. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
^Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
^ "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
^ . U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 2023-07-14. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
^ ab "Anchorage, Alaska, USA - Monthly weather forecast and Climate data". Weather Atlas. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
^ . U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 2023-08-30. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
^ "xmACIS2". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
April 27, 2024
climate, anchorage, anchorage, alaska, dena, dgheyay, dgheyaytnu, subarctic, climate, with, code, according, köppen, climate, classification, short, cool, summers, weather, given, very, unpredictable, some, winters, feature, several, feet, snow, cold, temperat. Anchorage Alaska Dena ina Dgheyay Kaq Dgheyaytnu 1 has a subarctic climate with the code Dfc according to the Koppen climate classification due to its short cool summers 2 The weather on any given day is very unpredictable Some winters feature several feet of snow and cold temperatures while the summers are typically mild but are cool compared to the contiguous US and interior Alaska Because of Anchorage s high latitude summer days are very long and winter daylight hours are very short The longest day of sunlight being 18hrs and 21 minutes and shortest being 5 hours and 28 minutes 3 Anchorage is often cloudy during the winter which decreases the amount of sunlight experienced by residents Climate chart for Anchorage Contents 1 Temperature 1 1 Averages 1 2 Highest daily temperatures 1 3 Lowest daily temperatures 1 4 Daily record warm minima 1 5 Daily record cold maxima 2 Precipitation 2 1 Rainfall 2 2 Snowfall 3 Climate change 4 Notable climate events 5 Classifications 6 Trends in temperature precipitation and daylight hours 6 1 NWS office international airport 6 2 Campbell airstrip 6 3 Merrill Field 7 Notes 8 ReferencesTemperature editAverages edit nbsp Autumn in Eagle River AK Average daytime summer temperatures range from approximately 55 to 78 F 12 8 to 25 6 C 4 average daytime winter temperatures are about 5 to 30 F 15 0 to 1 1 C 4 Anchorage has a frost free growing season that averages slightly over one hundred days Average January low and high temperatures at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport PANC are 11 23 F 11 7 5 0 C with an average winter snowfall of 75 59 inches or 1 92 meters Farther afield at the Campbell Airstrip is another weather station recording colder night temperatures in both summer and winter 4 Average July low and high temperatures are 52 66 F 11 1 18 9 C and the hottest reading ever recorded was 90 F or 32 2 C on July 4 2019 5 Highest daily temperatures edit Period Record temperature 5 Date January 50 F 10 C January 27 2014January 19 1961 February 49 F 9 C Feb 27 2014 March 53 F 12 C Mar 31 2016 April 69 F 21 C Apr 29 2005 May 77 F 25 C May 21 2002May 24 1969 June 85 F 29 C Jun 14 1969 July 90 F 32 C Jul 4 2019 August 82 F 28 C Aug 2 1978Aug 21 1977Aug 6 1968 September 73 F 23 C Sep 5 1957 October 64 F 18 C Oct 9 2006 November 54 F 12 C Nov 26 2002 December 51 F 11 C Dec 9 2019 Lowest daily temperatures edit Period Record temperature Date January 34 F 37 C Jan 5 1975 February 28 F 33 C Feb 4 1999 March 24 F 31 C Mar 7 1971 April 4 F 20 C Apr 2 1985 May 17 F 8 C May 10 1964 June 33 F 1 C Jun 4 1961 July 36 F 2 C Jul 1 1964 August 31 F 1 C Aug 31 1984Aug 28 1984 September 19 F 7 C Sep 24 1992 October 5 F 21 C Oct 31 1956 November 21 F 29 C Nov 17 1956 December 30 F 34 C Dec 27 28 1961Dec 14 1964 Daily record warm minima edit Period Record temperature Date January 36 F 2 C Jan 20 1990 February 37 F 3 C Feb 25 1978 March 40 F 4 C Mar 26 1970 April 44 F 7 C Apr 27 2015Apr 29 2005 May 56 F 13 C May 31 1993 June 61 F 16 C Jun 16 2015 July 63 F 17 C Jul 10 2005 August 63 F 17 C Aug 13 14 2019 September 57 F 14 C Sep 6 1993Sep 5 1965 October 52 F 11 C Oct 10 1986 November 45 F 7 C Nov 9 10 1979 December 37 F 3 C Dec 11 2017Dec 28 1982 Daily record cold maxima edit Period Record temperature Date January 19 F 28 C Jan 28 1989 February 13 F 25 C Feb 3 4 1999 March 2 F 19 C Mar 7 1971 April 14 F 10 C Apr 1 1985 May 27 F 3 C May 9 1964 June 47 F 8 C Jun 1 2 1973 July 50 F 10 C Jul 27 1971 August 50 F 10 C Aug 21 1985Aug 25 1983 September 34 F 1 C Sep 30 1992 October 13 F 11 C Oct 31 1975 November 2 F 19 C Nov 29 30 1990 December 17 F 27 C Dec 28 1961Precipitation editRainfall edit Between 2000 and 2022 the annual rainfall in Anchorage was 16 7 inches 6 The months with the highest average mean of rain were August and September each having an annual mean of 2 75 inches August and 3 24 inches September Snowfall edit nbsp Winter view of Anchorage and the Chugach Mountains For snowfall the annual mean average for 2000 to 2022 was 76 4 inches 7 the highest snowfall season being 2011 2012 with 134 5 inches and the lowest season being 25 1 inches in 2015 Climate change editBased on the ERA5 data published by ECMWF the annual mean temperature of Anchorage has increased from 0 8 C in 1940 to 3 8 C in 2022 an increase of 3 C 8 The mayor and the assembly of Anchorage in 2019 issued a climate action plan for the anticipated effects that climate change will have on its city and people 9 The action plan includes all of the municipality of Anchorage as far north as Eklutna and as south as Portage One of the major goals of the climate action plan is to reduce green house gas emissions by 80 by the year 2050 from its 2008 emission levels The first annual report on this came out in 2021 For its near term plans the city also introduced a plan called the Municipality of Anchorage Climate Action Strategy This appears according to whom to be a document for a broader audience of people so it is easier for them to understand what will go into these climate action plans In comparison the Anchorage Climate Action plan is 108 pages long whereas the Municipality of Anchorage Climate Action Strategy is just 12 pages original research Anchorage Climate chart explanation J F M A M J J A S O N D 0 7 23 11 0 7 27 14 0 6 34 19 0 5 45 29 0 8 56 39 1 63 47 1 8 66 52 3 2 64 49 3 55 41 2 40 29 1 2 27 17 1 1 24 13 Average max and min temperatures in F Precipitation totals in inches Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D 19 5 12 19 3 10 15 1 7 12 7 2 19 13 4 24 17 8 46 19 11 82 18 9 76 13 5 52 4 2 30 3 8 28 4 11 Average max and min temperatures in C Precipitation totals in mmNotable climate events editDue to its proximity to active volcanoes ash hazards are a significant though infrequent occurrence The most recent notable incident was an August 1992 eruption of Mt Spurr which is located 78 mi 126 km west of the city needs update The eruption deposited about 3 mm 0 12 in of volcanic ash on the city 10 The cleanup of ash resulted in excessive demands for water and caused major problems for the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility citation needed On March 17 2002 there was a storm that caused 28 6 in of snow to close schools for two days 11 The storm broke the city record for the most snowfall in a single day The storm beat the previous record from 1955 on March 16 which was just 15 6 inches The National Weather Service also recorded this same snow data 12 Classifications editAnchorage Climate according to major climate systems Climatic scheme Initials Description Koppen system 13 Dfc Continental subarctic climate a Trewartha system 14 15 E Boreal climate Alisov system 16 Temperate climate b Strahler system 17 Boreal forest climate Thornthwaite system 18 B1 C 1 Humid and microthermal Neef system 19 20 West side maritime climateTrends in temperature precipitation and daylight hours editNWS office international airport edit Climate data for Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport Alaska 1991 2020 normals 21 extremes 1953 present Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high F C 50 10 49 9 53 12 69 21 77 25 85 29 90 32 82 28 73 23 64 18 54 12 51 11 90 32 Mean maximum F C 41 8 5 4 42 7 5 9 44 2 6 8 56 3 13 5 69 5 20 8 74 5 23 6 76 0 24 4 73 7 23 2 65 0 18 3 54 8 12 7 42 7 5 9 42 3 5 7 77 7 25 4 Mean daily maximum F C 22 7 5 2 27 3 2 6 33 0 0 6 45 1 7 3 56 3 13 5 63 4 17 4 66 2 19 0 64 0 17 8 55 7 13 2 42 0 5 6 28 9 1 7 25 0 3 9 44 1 6 7 Daily mean F C 16 9 8 4 21 3 5 9 25 8 3 4 37 5 3 1 48 1 8 9 55 9 13 3 59 6 15 3 57 5 14 2 49 3 9 6 36 3 2 4 23 6 4 7 19 4 7 0 37 6 3 1 Mean daily minimum F C 11 0 11 7 15 2 9 3 18 6 7 4 29 9 1 2 40 0 4 4 48 4 9 1 52 9 11 6 50 9 10 5 42 9 6 1 30 7 0 7 18 3 7 6 13 8 10 1 31 0 0 6 Mean minimum F C 9 3 22 9 3 6 19 8 1 2 17 1 17 6 8 0 30 7 0 7 40 5 4 7 46 7 8 2 42 7 5 9 30 9 0 6 16 1 8 8 0 8 17 3 4 9 20 5 13 2 25 1 Record low F C 34 37 28 33 24 31 4 20 17 8 33 1 36 2 31 1 19 7 5 21 21 29 30 34 34 37 Average precipitation inches mm 0 75 19 0 86 22 0 69 18 0 43 11 0 65 17 1 02 26 1 82 46 2 93 74 3 10 79 1 82 46 1 19 30 1 16 29 16 42 417 Average snowfall inches cm 12 4 31 13 4 34 11 0 28 4 0 10 0 3 0 76 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 5 6 14 12 6 32 18 2 46 77 9 198 Average precipitation days 0 01 in 8 1 7 9 6 0 4 9 6 5 8 6 11 7 14 4 14 9 11 5 9 8 10 8 115 1 Average snowy days 0 1 in 8 8 7 8 6 1 2 5 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 2 7 7 10 8 47 5 Average relative humidity 73 4 71 4 66 1 64 3 61 6 65 6 71 4 75 1 75 9 74 5 77 1 77 1 71 1 Average dew point F C 8 1 13 3 11 1 11 6 15 4 9 2 24 1 4 4 33 4 0 8 42 4 5 8 48 6 9 2 47 8 8 8 40 6 4 8 27 0 2 8 15 3 9 3 10 6 11 9 27 0 2 8 Mean monthly sunshine hours 82 9 120 5 195 8 235 3 288 7 274 7 250 1 203 9 159 8 117 1 80 6 51 8 2 061 2 Percent possible sunshine 41 48 53 53 53 48 44 42 41 38 37 30 46 Average ultraviolet index 0 0 1 2 4 5 5 4 2 1 0 0 2 Source 1 NOAA relative humidity and sun 1961 1990 22 23 24 Source 2 Weather Atlas UV 25 Climate data for Anchorage Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Average sea temperature F C 36 9 2 8 35 8 2 1 36 1 2 3 37 5 3 0 42 4 5 8 47 7 8 8 52 4 11 3 53 1 11 7 51 6 10 9 47 5 8 6 43 0 6 1 39 6 4 2 43 6 6 5 Mean daily daylight hours 7 0 9 0 12 0 15 0 18 0 19 0 18 0 16 0 13 0 10 0 7 0 6 0 12 5 Source Weather Atlas 25 Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki org See or edit raw graph data Campbell airstrip edit Climate data for Campbell airstrip Anchorage Alaska Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Mean daily maximum F C 20 7 26 3 35 2 45 7 58 14 66 19 68 20 65 18 55 13 41 5 26 3 22 6 44 7 Mean daily minimum F C 2 17 4 16 9 13 22 6 33 1 41 5 47 8 44 7 35 2 22 6 7 14 5 15 23 5 Average snowfall inches cm 10 25 16 41 18 46 9 23 0 2 0 51 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 23 11 28 2 5 1 75 2 191 61 Source NOAA 4 Merrill Field edit Climate data for Merrill Field 1991 2020 normals c extremes 1914 present Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high F C 56 13 57 14 56 13 71 22 92 33 100 38 93 34 90 32 73 23 67 19 62 17 54 12 100 38 Mean maximum F C 42 5 5 8 44 0 6 7 45 2 7 3 58 4 14 7 71 2 21 8 76 7 24 8 79 0 26 1 76 5 24 7 66 2 19 0 56 3 13 5 43 5 6 4 44 5 6 9 80 5 26 9 Mean daily maximum F C 22 6 5 2 28 0 2 2 34 4 1 3 47 1 8 4 58 4 14 7 65 7 18 7 68 4 20 2 65 7 18 7 56 8 13 8 42 5 5 8 29 0 1 7 24 7 4 1 45 3 7 4 Daily mean F C 15 4 9 2 20 2 6 6 25 6 3 6 38 8 3 8 49 7 9 8 57 7 14 3 61 1 16 2 58 5 14 7 49 8 9 9 36 4 2 4 22 6 5 2 18 0 7 8 37 8 3 2 Mean daily minimum F C 8 2 13 2 12 4 10 9 16 9 8 4 30 4 0 9 41 1 5 1 49 7 9 8 53 9 12 2 51 3 10 7 42 8 6 0 30 3 0 9 16 3 8 7 11 3 11 5 30 4 0 9 Mean minimum F C 10 8 23 8 5 6 20 9 1 5 18 6 16 7 8 5 32 0 0 0 41 9 5 5 47 2 8 4 42 2 5 7 30 3 0 9 15 7 9 1 1 1 18 4 7 3 21 8 15 0 26 1 Record low F C 35 37 38 39 20 29 21 29 1 17 29 2 34 1 31 1 19 7 6 21 22 30 36 38 38 39 Average precipitation inches mm 0 46 12 0 71 18 0 54 14 0 30 7 6 0 62 16 0 99 25 1 70 43 2 48 63 3 02 77 1 57 40 0 88 22 0 89 23 14 16 360 Average precipitation days 0 01 in 6 0 6 4 6 0 4 5 6 5 9 9 12 4 15 6 15 0 11 4 7 4 8 1 109 2 Source NOAA 26 27 Notes edit Or only subarctic climate Mid latitude temperate interior climate Mean monthly maxima and minima i e the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020 References edit Alsworth Mailing Address PO Box 227 Port Us AK 99653 Phone 907 644 3626 Contact Dena ina Athabascan Culture Lake Clark National Park amp Preserve U S National Park Service www nps gov Retrieved 2022 04 06 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link Society National Geographic 2019 10 24 Koppen Climate Classification System National Geographic Society Retrieved 2022 04 07 Shortest Day In Alaska Hours of Daylight amp Winter Darkness Fun Facts ALASKA ORG Retrieved 2022 04 07 a b c d NOWData NOAA Online Weather Data NOAA 2023 06 26 a b xmACIS2 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Retrieved June 26 2023 US Department of Commerce NOAA Climate www weather gov Retrieved 2022 04 05 US Department of Commerce NOAA Climate www weather gov Retrieved 2022 04 06 ERA5 Climate Change Data Oikolab Retrieved 2023 07 23 Municipality of Anchorage Municipality of Anchorage Retrieved 2022 04 06 Mt Spurr s 1992 Eruptions 2008 12 09 Archived from the original on 9 December 2008 Retrieved 2022 04 06 Anchorage Receives Record Snowfall www earthobservatory nasa gov 2002 03 19 Retrieved 2022 04 07 National Weather Service Anchorage Forecast Office Climate 2011 07 28 Archived from the original on 28 July 2011 Retrieved 2022 04 06 Anchorage University of Alaska Alaska Koppen Climate Classification Weatherbase Weatherbase Retrieved 2019 07 03 GLOBAL ECOLOGICAL ZONING FOR THE GLOBAL FOREST RESOURCES ASSESSMENT 2000 www fao org Retrieved 2019 07 01 Trewartha maps kkh ltrr arizona edu Retrieved 2019 07 03 Cmapm Kliimavootmed svg Urmasderivative work 2011 06 16 Russkij Klimaticheskie poyasa Zemli po B P Alisovu retrieved 2019 07 01 World Strahler Climate Map Feddema Johannes J January 2005 A Revised Thornthwaite Type Global Climate Classification Physical Geography 26 6 442 466 doi 10 2747 0272 3646 26 6 442 ISSN 0272 3646 S2CID 128745497 Klimaklassifikation www spektrum de in German Retrieved 2019 07 01 Klimazonen nach E Neef 1989 Klett Perthes Mean monthly maxima and minima i e the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020 NowData NOAA Online Weather Data National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Retrieved May 29 2021 Station Anchorage INTL AP AK U S Climate Normals 2020 U S Monthly Climate Normals 1991 2020 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Archived from the original on 2023 07 14 Retrieved May 29 2021 WMO climate normals for Anchorage INTL AK 1961 1990 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Archived from the original on 2023 07 14 Retrieved August 30 2020 a b Anchorage Alaska USA Monthly weather forecast and Climate data Weather Atlas Retrieved July 4 2019 Station ANCHORAGE MERRILL FLD AK U S Climate Normals 2020 U S Monthly Climate Normals 1991 2020 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Archived from the original on 2023 08 30 Retrieved August 30 2023 xmACIS2 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Retrieved August 30 2023 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Climate of Anchorage amp oldid 1214389034, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
