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Climate
Home » Alaska » Alaska History and Overview » ClimatePosted by Your Guide on April 21, 2006 8:38 PM
Alaska’s climate is incredibly varied. Alaska contains such geographical features as the cold desert tundra in the Arctic, geothermal hot springs, glaciers, fertile river valleys, mountains, forests and the well known Ring of Fire Volcanoes in the Aleutian Islands. The different geographical features throughout Alaska have a significant effect on its climate. In coastal areas summer heating produces average high temperatures in the upper 70’s, Fahrenheit with extreme readings in the 90’s, Fahrenheit. In winter the lack of sunshine leads to lower temperatures, such as minus 50’s, Fahrenheit, and occasionally colder for two or three weeks at a time. Average winter lows in the interior of the state are 20 to 30 degrees below zero, Fahrenheit. Historic temperatures have ranged from 100 degrees Fahrenheit to 80 degrees below zero, Fahrenheit. Precipitation comes in the form of rain in the summer months and snow in the winter months. Accumulations of hundreds of inches of snow in winter are common. Summer sunlight lasts around 20 hours at the June solstice, and at the winter solstice, daylight lasts for around 5 hours.
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