Rate Climate: Barrow, Alaska (snow, warmest, record, temperature)

[cjg5]

Let's see how many F ratings this will rake in! LOL

month = avg hi / avg lo // record hi / record lo // avg precip

jan = -8 / -20 // 54 / -53 // 0.12 in
feb = -10 / -22 // 38 / -56 // 0.12 in
mar = -7 / -20 // 34 / -52 // 0.09 in
apr = 6 / -7 // 42 / -42 // 0.12 in
may = 25 / 15 // 47 / -19 // 0.12 in
jun = 40 / 30 // 72 / 4 // 0.32 in
jul = 47 / 34 // 79 / 22 // 0.87 in
aug = 44 / 34 // 76 / 20 // 1.04 in
sep = 35 / 28 // 62 / 1 // 0.69 in
oct = 19 / 10 // 43 / -32 // 0.39 in
nov = 5 / -6 // 39 / -38 // 0.16 in
dec = -5 / -16 // 34 / -55 // 0.12 in

(source = Average Weather for Barrow, AK - Temperature and Precipitation )







(The last chart confuses me. Days with precipitation for December goes off the chart, and is still very high for January! I think this was explained once on the Alaska forum of CD. Have to see if I can find that, if it was indeed explained and I'm not just imaging it lol!)

EDIT: found the post I was looking for: //www.city-data.com/forum/19067921-post14.html from thread: Any sunny areas along the coast? (specific post referenced and linked to is on page 2 of thread)

Barrow on Wikipedia: Barrow, Alaska - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And, as this is an actual arctic location, as well as the farthest north city in the United States, I will include this link which includes a graph showing sunrise / sunset and civil twilight data for Barrow. Kinda interesting to look at: Barrow, Alaska - Sunrise, sunset, dawn and dusk times for the whole year - Gaisma

[cjg5]

I give it a D. Lower wind speeds (and maybe some clearer skies during the summer months!) and I would give it a D+. Something really intrigues me about the climate of Barrow. It's almost a year round winter (with a summer resembling something more like early spring), but it's a cold winter, not one that's always in the 30s like some that have been posted before. Snow doesn't fall often but when it does it sticks til summer. I'd spend a year there. Probably wouldn't want to move permanently. (Still thinking about Fairbanks though for a future move possibility!).

[ben86]

Average April high of 6F LMAO! F, of course Some of those record highs don't look right, particularly January/May.

[cjg5]

Originally Posted by ben86

Average April high of 6F LMAO! F, of course Some of those record highs don't look right, particularly January/May.

Wikipedia sites a January record high of 37. The other is likely a typo, then.

But what seems so out of place about May's record high? (Wikipedia sites 50 F for May record high).

[ben86]

If April is 42F and June 72F, and the average Apr/Jun highs are 34F apart, then the May record max should logically, or at least potentially be roughly be halfway between the two, somewhere like 55F I'd say, but I don't know.

[dxnerd86]

C+.

An absolutely fascinating place that I'd dearly love to visit one day, but only visit. The 24 hour darkness in mid winter is the worst aspect of Barrow's climate; more than the cold which is less extreme believe it or not than interior Alaska (the Arctic Ocean provides some weak moderation here). The midnight sun would also be hard to deal with for long periods of time- I'm a lousy sleeper when it's light outside- blame a life spent only 34 degrees from the equator!

Summer temps are also a little too chilly even for me, I'd like at least 68F/20C for an average maximum in the warmest month. Still, much better than roasting in a tropical hothouse like Singapore or Khartoum (which both get F's and Z's from me).

[Asagi]

It's in...Alaska. F.

[Lamplight]

Yes, there are some places that are too cold for me. F!

I am intrigued by the climate of Barrow, though. Often times back in the winter I would check their weather, and it wasn't uncommon for there to be a wind chill of -40 or more. Many days never even reached zero degrees, or anywhere near it. In pictures it looks like a barren wasteland, but at the same time it's fascinating to me. I'd love to go for a visit!

[cjg5]

Originally Posted by dxnerd86

The 24 hour darkness in mid winter is the worst aspect of Barrow's climate

But... They DO get a few hours of civil twilight everyday in the winter, even on the solstice! Did you not see the chart I linked to? j/k I know what you mean!

[deneb78]

F for sure... but would be an interesting place to visit in the "summer" .. or at least their version of it