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Alaska & Scandinavian - Weather & Climate

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Alaska best time to travel

Southeast Alaska is a land of rain forests, salmon streams and glaciers, all made possible by the wealth of precipitation driven in off the Gulf of Alaska. The Inside Passage has the highest annual precipitation averages in the state as well as the highest average temperatures. For anglers, kayakers, hikers and cruise ship passengers, jackets and rain gear are almost always appropriate. Rubber boots are worn so frequently that they're known as "Alaska tennis shoes" and "Sitka slippers."

Rainy towns - Ketchikan averages 150 inches of precipitation a year, almost 3 times Juneau's total and 10 times what Anchorage gets. Yakutat, near enormous Malaspina Glacier, averages 145 inches of precipitation, including the meltwater from 193 inches of snow. Year to year, the wettest place in the state is Little Port Walter, which averages 220 inches. Juneau gets more than 18 hours of sunlight at the summer solstice in June but less than 6.5 hours at the winter solstice. Ketchikan, 250 miles south of Juneau, gets less (17.5 hours) at the summer solstice but more (7 hours) in December.

Ketchikan - Weather Patterns

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Max Temp	38.8	42.2	44.5	50.3	56.7	61.6	65.2	65.4	60.4	52.0	44.9	40.7
Min Temp	27.9	31.4	32.5	36.2	41.4	47.1	51.1	51.6	47.2	40.9	34.7	31.1
Rainfall	12.7	13.0	10.7	11.3	9.2	7.3	7.3	10.6	13.8	22.3	17.1	15.4
Snow-fall	13.3	8.9	3.4	0.3	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	2.3	8.6

High Season: June - August
Temperatures are their warmest (highs: 50's - 70's) at this time of year and the further into the summer you are, the better your chances of seeing wildlife on the various expeditions. However, demand is very strong during this period so you need to book well in advance to get the right cruise and cabin type. Keep in mind, with so many ships sailing Alaska, there can be a tremendous amount of congestion in small town ports. To minimize joining the masses, select a ship that sails an off-schedule (Carnival's Wednesday departures, or Princess' and Holland Americas Monday departures). And, for a pricing advantage, northbound glacier routes tend to be cheaper than southbound.

Low Season: May and September
Shoulder season benefits include smaller crowds and cheaper prices as a result of the weather gamble (highs: 50's - 60's) and the possibility of snow. A few caveats to note: Shore excursions have a greater chance of being cancelled than in high season, especially boat and helicopter tours. In addition, Denali National Park has been known to close in September due to snow.