Climate and Average Weather Year Round at Noatak Airport Alaska, United States

At Noatak Airport, the summers are cool and mostly cloudy and the winters are long, frigid, snowy, windy, and partly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from -12°F to 65°F and is rarely below -38°F or above 76°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Noatak Airport for warm-weather activities is from late June to mid July.

The warm season lasts for 3.3 months, from May 26 to September 5, with an average daily high temperature above 52°F. The hottest month of the year at Noatak Airport is July, with an average high of 64°F and low of 46°F.

The cold season lasts for 4.5 months, from November 10 to March 24, with an average daily high temperature below 15°F. The coldest month of the year at Noatak Airport is January, with an average low of -11°F and high of 3°F.

At Noatak Airport, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year at Noatak Airport begins around February 26 and lasts for 1.3 months, ending around April 5.

The clearest month of the year at Noatak Airport is March, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 46% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around April 5 and lasts for 11 months, ending around February 26.

The cloudiest month of the year at Noatak Airport is August, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 62% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days at Noatak Airport varies significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 3.0 months, from June 29 to September 28, with a greater than 21% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days at Noatak Airport is August, with an average of 10.3 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 9.0 months, from September 28 to June 29. The month with the fewest wet days at Noatak Airport is March, with an average of 2.4 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 Noatak Airport changes throughout the year.

Snow alone is the most common for 6.2 months, from October 16 to April 22. The month with the most days of snow alone at Noatak Airport is December, with an average of 3.8 days.

Rain alone is the most common for 5.8 months, from April 22 to October 16. The month with the most days of rain alone at Noatak Airport is August, with an average of 10.2 days.

Rainfall

To 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. Noatak Airport experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 5.4 months, from May 4 to October 16, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain at Noatak Airport is August, with an average rainfall of 2.6 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 6.6 months, from October 16 to May 4. The month with the least rain at Noatak Airport is January, with an average rainfall of 0.0 inches.

Snowfall

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Noatak Airport experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly snowfall.

The snowy period of the year lasts for 8.2 months, from September 12 to May 19, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow at Noatak Airport is December, with an average snowfall of 6.0 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 3.8 months, from May 19 to September 12. The least snow falls around July 28, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

Due to its extreme latitude, Noatak Airport 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 Noatak Airport during 2024, the Sun is continuously above the horizon for 1.5 months, rising at 2:56 AM on May 28, and not setting again until 2:47 AM on July 14.

In the winter at Noatak Airport during 2024, the Sun is continuously below the horizon for 2.1 weeks, setting at 1:58 PM on December 13, and not rising again until 1:40 PM on December 28.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed at Noatak Airport 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 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.

We 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 Noatak Airport, 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.

This 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 Noatak Airport experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 6.1 months, from October 11 to April 15, with average wind speeds of more than 10.9 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year at Noatak Airport is December, with an average hourly wind speed of 14.0 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 5.9 months, from April 15 to October 11. The calmest month of the year at Noatak Airport is June, with an average hourly wind speed of 7.6 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction at Noatak Airport varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the south for 2.6 months, from May 31 to August 18, with a peak percentage of 37% on July 29. The wind is most often from the east for 9.4 months, from August 18 to May 31, with a peak percentage of 69% on January 1.

Noatak Airport 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 significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 1.9 months, from July 20 to September 15, with an average temperature above 46°F. The month of the year at Noatak Airport with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 49°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 7.3 months, from November 1 to June 10, with an average temperature below 33°F. The month of the year at Noatak Airport with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 29°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is at Noatak Airport 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 Noatak Airport for general outdoor tourist activities is from late June to mid July, with a peak score in the first week of July.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Noatak Airport for hot-weather activities is from late June to mid July, with a peak score in the first week of July.

Methodology

For 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.

Definitions 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 Noatak Airport typically lasts for 2.5 months (79 days), from around June 7 to around August 24, rarely starting before May 19 or after June 29, and rarely ending before July 25 or after September 14.

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.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms at Noatak Airport should appear around June 15, only rarely appearing before June 6 or after June 30.

This 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 2.6 months, from May 1 to July 21, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 4.7 kWh. The brightest month of the year at Noatak Airport is June, with an average of 5.8 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 4.9 months, from October 5 to March 2, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 1.2 kWh. The darkest month of the year at Noatak Airport is December, with an average of 0.0 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Noatak Airport are 67.565 deg latitude, -162.974 deg longitude, and 52 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Noatak Airport is essentially flat, with a maximum elevation change of 49 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 55 feet. Within 10 miles is essentially flat (1,129 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (4,462 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Noatak Airport is covered by sparse vegetation (42%), herbaceous vegetation (19%), water (17%), and shrubs (12%), within 10 miles by shrubs (47%) and herbaceous vegetation (24%), and within 50 miles by shrubs (46%) and water (22%).