Page 52 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Alaska

50  INTRODUCING ALASK A

The Climate of Alaska BARROW

Alaska’s wide range of climates can be divided into six major
zones. The Southeast experiences mild winters and cool, ° C/F
rainy summers. Shielded from the Gulf of Alaska by 8/46
mountains, the region around Cook Inlet has longer, colder 1/34
winters and shorter, warmer sum mers than elsewhere around -14/6 -7/20 -13/8
the Gulf. The Aleutians have year-round stormy, blustery -22/-8 24 -12/10 -29/-20
16
9
0
weather. The coldest winter temperatures are found in the hrs hrs hrs hrs
Interior, where -40° C (-40° F) or lower is not uncommon, 0.2 0.9 0.5 0.2
although the summer more than compensates with sunny in in in in
days up to 32° C (90° F). Arctic winters are not as cold as those month Apr Jul Oct Jan
in the Interior, but snow can linger until July. The alpine
climate is dictated by terrain and altitude.
•
Barrow
Ar ctic
Climate Zones
Ocean
Arctic (cold dry): Short, cool
summer and long, cold winter.
Interior (cold to hot): Extremely
cold winters and warm summers.
Southcentral (cold to warm):
Variable winter, warm summer.
Alpine (variable): Weather depends
on terrain and altitude.
Bering Sea (mild and stormy): Chukchi Arctic Circle
Year-round blustery conditions. Sea
Southeast Maritime (cool wet): Cool
rainy summer, mild winter. A L A S K A
Nome
•
St. Lawrence • Fairbanks
Island Norton
Sound
Bering Sea Tok •
Nunivak
DUTCH HARBOR Island
• Valdez
Average daily Anchorage •
13/55 maximum
° C/F 8/46 7/44 temperature
3/38 2/35 1/34 • Homer
-2/28 -4/24 Average daily Cook Gulf of •
minimum Inlet Alaska Juneau
temperature
14 16 11 8 Daily hours of sunshine Bristol Bay
hrs hrs hrs hrs
2.0 2.4 4.2 2.8 mid-month
in in in in Average monthly
month Apr Jul Oct Jan rainfall
Cold Bay
•
•
Dutch Harbor
P acif ic
A l e u t i a n I s l a n d s 0 kilometers 200
Ocean
0 miles 200

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