Climate and Average Weather Year Round at Thule Air Base GreenlandAt Thule Air Base, the summers are very cold and partly cloudy and the winters are long, frigid, snowy, and mostly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from -19°F to 46°F and is rarely below -32°F or above 54°F. Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Thule Air Base for warm-weather activities is for the entire month of July. Average Temperature at Thule Air BaseThe warm season lasts for 3.2 months, from June 2 to September 8, with an average daily high temperature above 36°F. The hottest month of the year at Thule Air Base is July, with an average high of 46°F and low of 38°F. The cold season lasts for 4.0 months, from December 5 to April 5, with an average daily high temperature below 3°F. The coldest month of the year at Thule Air Base is February, with an average low of -19°F and high of -7°F.
The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day. Kropotkin, Russia (3,108 miles away); Serebryanyy Bor, Russia (3,218 miles); and McMurdo Station, Antarctica (11,628 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Thule Air Base (view comparison). CloudsAt Thule Air Base, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The clearer part of the year at Thule Air Base begins around April 12 and lasts for 5.8 months, ending around October 6. The clearest month of the year at Thule Air Base is June, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 53% of the time. The cloudier part of the year begins around October 6 and lasts for 6.2 months, ending around April 12. The cloudiest month of the year at Thule Air Base is February, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 71% of the time.
PrecipitationA wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days at Thule Air Base varies throughout the year. The wetter season lasts 3.9 months, from June 22 to October 19, with a greater than 13% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days at Thule Air Base is August, with an average of 6.8 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The drier season lasts 8.1 months, from October 19 to June 22. The month with the fewest wet days at Thule Air Base is March, with an average of 0.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation at Thule Air Base changes throughout the year. Snow alone is the most common for 8.0 months, from September 21 to May 22. The month with the most days of snow alone at Thule Air Base is October, with an average of 2.9 days. Rain alone is the most common for 4.0 months, from May 22 to September 21. The month with the most days of rain alone at Thule Air Base is August, with an average of 6.2 days.
RainfallTo show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Thule Air Base experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. The rainy period of the year lasts for 3.3 months, from June 7 to September 18, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain at Thule Air Base is August, with an average rainfall of 1.7 inches. The rainless period of the year lasts for 8.7 months, from September 18 to June 7. The month with the least rain at Thule Air Base is February, with an average rainfall of 0.0 inches.
SnowfallAs with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Thule Air Base experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly snowfall. The snowy period of the year lasts for 9.5 months, from August 20 to June 6, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow at Thule Air Base is October, with an average snowfall of 5.8 inches. The snowless period of the year lasts for 2.5 months, from June 6 to August 20. The least snow falls around July 22, with an average total accumulation of 0.1 inches.
SunDue to its extreme latitude, Thule Air Base experiences polar day (also known as the midnight Sun) during the summer and polar night during the winter. These are periods of time in which the sun is continuously above or below the horizon for more than one day. The precise start and end dates of polar day and night vary from year to year and depend on the precise location and elevation of the observer, and the local topography. In the summer at Thule Air Base during 2024, the Sun is continuously above the horizon for 3.9 months, rising at 2:19 AM on April 22, and not setting again until 1:29 AM on August 19. In the winter at Thule Air Base during 2024, the Sun is continuously below the horizon for 3.4 months, setting at 1:58 PM on October 30, and not rising again until 12:02 PM on February 11.
Daylight saving time (DST) is observed at Thule Air Base during 2024, starting in the spring on March 10, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 3. The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation. MoonThe figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases. HumidityWe base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night. The perceived humidity level at Thule Air Base, as measured by the percentage of time in which the humidity comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable, does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining a virtually constant 0% throughout.
WindThis section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages. The average hourly wind speed at Thule Air Base experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 4.3 months, from July 9 to November 18, with average wind speeds of more than 9.6 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year at Thule Air Base is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 10.4 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 7.7 months, from November 18 to July 9. The calmest month of the year at Thule Air Base is April, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.7 miles per hour.
The predominant average hourly wind direction at Thule Air Base is from the east throughout the year. Water TemperatureThule Air Base is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water. The average water temperature experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year. The time of year with warmer water lasts for 1.6 months, from July 15 to September 2, with an average temperature above 35°F. The month of the year at Thule Air Base with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 36°F. The time of year with cooler water lasts for 7.4 months, from October 20 to June 1, with an average temperature below 31°F. The month of the year at Thule Air Base with the coolest water is March, with an average temperature of 30°F.
Best Time of Year to VisitTo characterize how pleasant the weather is at Thule Air Base throughout the year, we compute two travel scores. The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Thule Air Base for general outdoor tourist activities is for the entire month of July, with a peak score in the second week of July. Tourism Score at Thule Air BaseThe beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Beach/Pool Score at Thule Air BaseMethodologyFor each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed. Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies. Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more. Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter. Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter. Growing SeasonDefinitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere). The growing season at Thule Air Base typically lasts for 1.5 months (44 days), from around June 30 to around August 14, rarely starting before June 12, or ending after September 2. Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F. Solar EnergyThis section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation. The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year. The brighter period of the year lasts for 2.2 months, from May 12 to July 20, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.6 kWh. The brightest month of the year at Thule Air Base is June, with an average of 6.9 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 6.2 months, from September 17 to March 23, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 1.4 kWh. The darkest month of the year at Thule Air Base is December, with an average of 0.0 kWh.
TopographyFor the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Thule Air Base are 76.531 deg latitude, -68.702 deg longitude, and 253 ft elevation. The topography within 2 miles of Thule Air Base contains significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 725 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 396 feet. Within 10 miles contains significant variations in elevation (2,657 feet). Within 50 miles contains large variations in elevation (4,446 feet). The area within 2 miles of Thule Air Base is covered by sparse vegetation (99%), within 10 miles by sparse vegetation (50%) and water (36%), and within 50 miles by snow and glaciers (49%) and water (40%). Data SourcesThis report illustrates the typical weather at Thule Air Base, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016. Temperature and Dew PointThule Air Base has a weather station that reported reliably enough during the analysis period that we have included it in our network. When available, historical temperature and dew point measurements are taken directly from this weather station. These records are obtained from NOAA's Integrated Surface Hourly data set, falling back on ICAO METAR records as required. There are no other weather stations in our network within 200 kilometers of this location. Consequently, in the case of missing or erroneous measurements from this station, we fall back on NASA's MERRA-2 modern-era reanalysis , adjusted according to typical seasonal and diurnal differences between this station and the wide-area MERRA-2 reconstructed values.Other DataAll data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus. All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid. Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database . Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com . Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors. DisclaimerThe information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site. We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands. We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader. Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page. |