Alaska Weather

The climate in Alaska's Western region is influenced by the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska, but more prone to storms rather than the gentle rain of Southeast. Still, some of the world's most famous fishing villages are here, from Dutch Harbor, gateway to the Bering Sea and home base for Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch," to the legendary Bristol Bay, where commercial gillnetters battle against the tides in shallow waters.

If you're heading to the Interior, however, where Denali National Park is located, you'll get sunny summer days in the 80s and 90s - or as low as 35°F. Summer snowfall is not uncommon. Winters are more of what you might expect from Alaska, with temperatures below zero and more than ten feet of snow on the ground a regular feature of life in Fairbanks.

Alaska's northernmost town, Barrow, might be snowy and -20°F in March but clear and 40°F in August. Far north of the Arctic Circle, Barrow was a Native American village whose original name was something like "place for hunting snowy owls." As a bird of prey, however, the snowy owl and all other owls are protected by federal law, which means they are off limits to hunters.

All that blustery cold of Alaska's North Slope is blocked by mountain ranges, so the Southcentral area where Anchorage lies is comparatively milder, with snowy winters and warm summers.

The key for the hunter or sports fisherman is to dress in layers no matter where in Alaska your adventure takes you, and no matter what time of year.

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