More about Alaska

	Anchorage weather Cloudy Temp: 52° Humidity: 50% Wind: SSE 12 mph Press: 29.58 in. Vis: 10 mi. Sun: Next sunrise 5:19 a.m. Next sunset 10:33 p.m. Anchorage 5 day forecast Elsewhere in Alaska Adak Ambler Anaktuvuk Pass Anaik Arctic Village Atka Barrow Barter island Beluga Bethel Bettles Big Delta Birchwood Cantwell Chandalar Lake Circle Cold Bay College Cordova Deadhorse Deering Delta Junction Denali Park Dillingham Dutch Harbor Eagle Egegik Eareckson AFS Eielson AFB Elfin Cove Emmonak Eureka Fairbanks Farewell Lake Fort Yukon Galbraith Lk. Galena Glennallen Gulkana Golovin Gustavus Haines Healy Homer Hoonah Hooper Bay Huslia Hydaburg Iliamna Kake Kaltag Kenai Koyuk Juneau Ketchikan Kiana King Salmon Klawock Kodiak Kotzebue Lake Clark NP Manley Hot Springs McCarthy McGrath McKinley Park Mekoryuk Merrill Pass W. Metlakatla Minchumina Nabesna Nenana Noatak Nome Northway Nuiqsut Palmer Paxson Petersburg Point Hope Point Lay Point Alsworth Port Heiden Portage Prospect Creek Prudhoe Bay Puntilla Red Dog Mine Saint Paul Sand Point Savoonga Selawik Seldovia Seward Sheep Mountain Shemya Shishmaref Sitka Skagway Skwentna Slana Sleetmute Soldotna Sparrevohn Talkeetna Tanana Togiak Tok Ugnu Kuparuk Umiat Unalakleet Valdez Wainwright Wasilla Whittier Willow Wrangell Yakutat

Weather & climate

Alaska.com

Many people consider the period between May and early September to be the best time to visit Alaska. And within that period, late May through June usually has the best combination of long days, clear skies and warm afternoons.

	Alaska's long, cool summer days are great for vegetables, such as this 85-pound cabbage being entered in the state fair at Palmer. (It finished in second place.) Marc Lester / Anchorage Daily News

Daylight
The longest days come around the summer solstice, June 21.

In the southernmost Inside Passage, around Ketchikan, the sun is above the horizon for about 18 hours then. In southcentral Alaska, Anchorage gets 19.5 hours of sunlight. Fairbanks in the Interior, gets 21 hours, and Barrow, at the northern edge of the state, has 24 hours of daylight.

Winter brings 24-hour darkness to only the part of Alaska above the Arctic Circle. Anchorage, Juneau, Fairbanks, Nome and the rest of the state all get some sunlight, however pale, for a few hours each day. The longest nights occur around the winter solstice, Dec. 21.

The days and nights are each 12 hours at the spring and fall equinoxes.

Temperatures and climates
The the Inside Passage climate benefits from the temperature-moderating influence of the Gulf of Alaska. The summers aren't too warm (60s and 70s), and the winters aren't as cold, as they are inland or in the rest of Alaska.

The broad Anchorage-area climate, including the Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound, often sees summer temperatures in the mid-70s. Winter temperatures may fall into the -20s and -30s for a short spell.

The Interior climate, including Fairbanks and Denali National Park, may have summer temperatures in the 80s or 90s. Winter temperatures may fall to -40 or -50.

Northern Alaska's arctic climate is a place of enduring cold in the winter and somewhat higher temperatures in the summer.

Western Alaska's climate is influenced by the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean, but the inland sections are warm in the summer and cold in the winter.

Rain and snow
The clearest weather statewide comes in spring and early summer. Late summer and fall are the rainy seasons.