Utqiaġvik, AK climate
Utqiaġvik has cold, snowy winters and cool summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 48°, a January night drops to -18°, and about 46 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade7° cooler than normal today. The forecast high is 24°, and a typical Oct 1 in Utqiaġvik peaks around 31°.Live forecast: National Weather Service · Normal: NOAA 1991–2020
What a year in Utqiaġvik feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Utqiaġvik weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -5° | -18° | 0.1" | 3.5" | 5 | 31 |
| February | -6° | -18° | 0.2" | 3.5" | 6 | 29 |
| March | -4° | -17° | 0.2" | 2.9" | 5 | 31 |
| April | 11° | -3° | 0.2" | 3.6" | 5 | 30 |
| May | 27° | 19° | 0.3" | 3.4" | 6 | 24 |
| June | 41° | 31° | 0.4" | 0.7" | 6 | 2 |
| July | 48° | 36° | 1.0" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 |
| August | 45° | 35° | 1.1" | 0.8" | 12 | 0 |
| September | 37° | 30° | 0.8" | 4.1" | 14 | 5 |
| October | 26° | 17° | 0.5" | 10.3" | 14 | 26 |
| November | 12° | 0° | 0.4" | 7.8" | 10 | 30 |
| December | 0° | -12° | 0.2" | 5.0" | 7 | 31 |
| Year | 19° | 8° | 5.4" | 45.8" | 98 | 238 |
“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more.
Rain and snow in Utqiaġvik
Utqiaġvik gets 5 inches of rain and melted snow a year. August is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 98 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 238 days of the year.
A year-round growing season
Heating and cooling a home in Utqiaġvik
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Utqiaġvik, 100% of that work is heating and 0% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
How Utqiaġvik compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Common questions about Utqiaġvik’s climate
What is the coldest month in Utqiaġvik?
February, with a typical high of -6° and a low of -18°.
What is the hottest month in Utqiaġvik?
July, with a typical high of 48° and a low of 36°.
How much snow does Utqiaġvik get?
About 46 inches in a normal winter, most of it in October.
When is the first frost in Utqiaġvik?
Frost is uncommon. Only 100% of years see a night at 32° or below.
What is the rainiest month in Utqiaġvik?
August, with 1.1 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 5 inches.
NOAA’s gridded normals don’t cover this state, so temperatures and rainfall come from the nearest weather station. Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Barrow Post Rogers Airport, AK (1 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020.