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