Anchorage vs Fairbanks: Weather & Climate Compared
🇺🇸 Anchorage, United States · 🇺🇸 Fairbanks, United States
Warmer overall
Anchorage
Sunnier
Fairbanks
More rainy days
Anchorage
Anchorage vs Fairbanks weather right now
At this moment, Fairbanks is the warmer of the two by 7°F (4°C).
The short answer
Across the year, Anchorage is the warmer of the two: its annual average of 38°F (3°C) beats Fairbanks's 31°F (0°C) by roughly 6.5°F (3.6°C).
Head to head
- Sunshine: Fairbanks collects 7.5 hours of daily sun across the year; Anchorage manages 7.1.
- Rain: umbrellas get more use in Anchorage - about 148 wet days a year versus 99 in Fairbanks.
- Snow: Anchorage is the snowy one, averaging about 50 snow days a year.
- Peak heat: the hottest stretch lands in July for Anchorage (67°F (20°C)) and July for Fairbanks (71°F (22°C)).
- Coldest nights: January lows of 12°F (-11°C) in Anchorage; January lows of -7°F (-22°C) in Fairbanks.
Anchorage vs Fairbanks month by month
| Month | Anchorage high / low | Fairbanks high / low | Anchorage rain days | Fairbanks rain days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21° / 12° | 5° / -7° | 11 | 5 |
| February | 25° / 15° | 13° / -2° | 12 | 6 |
| March | 33° / 19° | 26° / 7° | 9 | 5 |
| April | 45° / 28° | 43° / 23° | 8 | 5 |
| May | 56° / 40° | 60° / 40° | 12 | 8 |
| June | 65° / 50° | 70° / 52° | 10 | 10 |
| July | 67° / 54° | 71° / 55° | 12 | 12 |
| August | 64° / 52° | 64° / 50° | 16 | 15 |
| September | 55° / 44° | 53° / 40° | 17 | 11 |
| October | 43° / 33° | 36° / 26° | 14 | 7 |
| November | 28° / 19° | 17° / 6° | 12 | 8 |
| December | 24° / 14° | 9° / -3° | 14 | 7 |
Who's warmer, month by month?
The lead changes hands with the seasons: Anchorage is the warmer city for 9 months of the year (January through December broadly), while Fairbanks takes over for the remaining 3. The starkest contrast comes in January, when Anchorage runs about 17°F (9°C) warmer; August is the great equalizer.
Anchorage vs Fairbanks: quick answers
Is Anchorage warmer than Fairbanks?
Yes - Anchorage is warmer on annual average by about 6.5°F (3.6°C). The month-by-month table shows where the gap widens.
Which city is sunnier, Anchorage or Fairbanks?
Fairbanks takes it: 7.5 sun hours a day averaged across the year, versus 7.1 for Anchorage.
Which city gets more rain?
Anchorage is the wetter city, logging about 148 rain days annually to Fairbanks's 99.
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