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
Significant Moisture Increases Flooding Threat for the Southwest This Week

Significant Moisture Increases Flooding Threat for the Southwest This Week

An area of low pressure in the Gulf of Califo

17 Sep 2026 2:10 AM
Rounds of Storms Increase the Flood Threat in the Midwest

Rounds of Storms Increase the Flood Threat in the Midwest

It's no secret that the Midwest has been the

17 Sep 2026 2:05 AM
Summer Heat Holds it's Grip on the South

Summer Heat Holds it's Grip on the South

No surprise here: More records were broken ac

17 Sep 2026 2:00 AM
No Hurricanes Yet in the Atlantic, A New Record

No Hurricanes Yet in the Atlantic, A New Record

For the first time in the satellite era (sinc

17 Sep 2026 1:30 AM
Tropics: LOW Chance of Development in Atlantic

Tropics: LOW Chance of Development in Atlantic

The Pacific Ocean has been incredibly active

16 Sep 2026 1:30 PM
Active Pattern Takes Shape Across the Plains

Active Pattern Takes Shape Across the Plains

Monday proved to be an active severe weather

15 Sep 2026 10:00 AM
Storms Winding Down Across Northeast

Storms Winding Down Across Northeast

WHAT TO EXPECT Record rainfall has fallen acr

14 Sep 2026 1:10 AM