Alaska Climate
Top 5 Cities: Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Wasilla, and Sitka
This month in numbers
Alaska experienced its 4th coldest March on record for average temperatures, and the 3rd coldest for minimum temperatures, with an average temperature of -17.44°C, a significant -5.9°C anomaly compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. This ranked as the 74th coldest March in 77 years of records. Precipitation was also notably low, ranking as the 73rd driest March on record with 29.21 mm, a -25.6 mm anomaly. Globally, March 2026 was the 2nd warmest March on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.2°C.
What changed
Over the past three months (January–March 2026), Alaska recorded an average temperature of -16.76°C, which is -2.2°C below the 1961–1990 baseline, ranking as the 67th coldest such period on record. This contrasts sharply with the contiguous United States, which experienced its warmest March on record. Alaska stands out as the coolest region globally for both the latest month and the three-month period, ranking 234th out of 234 regions for both anomalies. While much of Alaska was drier than normal, Juneau experienced its snowiest March on record, with 76.6 inches of snowfall, more than 600% of its normal.
What’s driving change?
The persistent cold in Alaska this March, particularly in the Interior and Bristol Bay regions, can be attributed to jet stream shifts, which allowed for the advection of cold Arctic air. This is consistent with a Neutral ENSO state, which has a weak correlation with fire season activity, though a shift towards El Niño is forecast for late spring and summer. The current Neutral ENSO state, with a -0.16°C anomaly, is expected to transition to an El Niño phase by May-July, with a 61% probability, increasing to 87% by July-September. The site's ENSO tracker tracker provides more details. Alaska has also seen an unusual concentration of extreme weather events recently, with one drought, one wildfire, and one flood event each representing 100% of the past 12-month total for their respective categories. More information can be found on the Extreme Weather tracker tracker.
Looking ahead
Forecasters suggest that below-normal temperatures are likely to continue into mid-April for much of Alaska, with above-normal warmth expected to expand across northern and western parts of the state by late April into early May.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Alaska
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Alaska changing?
Alaska is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Alaska come from?
Climate data for Alaska comes from NOAA Climate at a Glance (temperature and precipitation), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Alaska climate data cover?
The Alaska climate profile covers Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Wasilla and surrounding areas. Alaska climate data from NOAA Climate at a Glance
How often is the Alaska climate update refreshed?
The Alaska climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.