When Does Alaska Start to get Cold?

news image
Special Stories
27 Sep 2018 8:17 AM
Think of Alaska and you'll probably picture snow, moose, wilderness and COLD! But that's not the case for our northernmost state all year. The summer brings almost endless daylight during its peak. So when does it really start to get cold in Alaska... and how cold does it actually get?   The change in the weather really takes a dramatic turn in October. Average highs fall from 45 in Fairbanks to just 19 degrees between the 1st and the 31st of the month. Lows dip to the single digits. By January it is bitterly cold...  this month typically holds the coldest temperatures of the year on record. Average highs for the month sit at just over 1 degree for Fairbanks with lows well below zero.  The record low for Fairbanks occurred in January of 1934 at only -66. The lowest temperature on record in Alaska also occurred in January at Prospect Creek in 1971 at 80 below zero. That's 111 degrees BELOW the freezing mark. It's not all cold though. Record highs across the state have reached into the 90s.   For Weather Nation: Meteorologist Emily Roehler
All Weather News
More
Severe Storms Target the Midwest to the Northeast This Week

Severe Storms Target the Midwest to the Northeast This Week

Extreme heat will be a big story this week ac

27 Jul 2026 4:15 PM
Tropics: Fausto Heads towards Hawaii; Genevieve Cat 4 Hurricane

Tropics: Fausto Heads towards Hawaii; Genevieve Cat 4 Hurricane

Atlantic BasinBertha has dissipated after mov

27 Jul 2026 3:00 PM
136 Million Under Heat Alerts

136 Million Under Heat Alerts

Are you over the summer heat yet? The heat al

27 Jul 2026 10:00 AM
Fire Weather Continues This Week

Fire Weather Continues This Week

Conditions have been really dry out west. We'

27 Jul 2026 9:55 AM
Southeast Flood Risk Lingers Near Stalled Front

Southeast Flood Risk Lingers Near Stalled Front

A stalled boundary over the Southeast will ke

25 Jul 2026 10:55 AM
Another Round of Storms Targets the Northeast

Another Round of Storms Targets the Northeast

Tuesday brought severe weather again across p

23 Jul 2026 1:15 AM
Another Round of Severe Weather for the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes

Another Round of Severe Weather for the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes

The upper-level low train continues to keep t

21 Jul 2026 1:45 AM