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Climate and Average Weather Year Round at William R Fairchild International Airport Washington, United States

At William R Fairchild International Airport, the summers are short, comfortable, and partly cloudy and the winters are long, very cold, wet, and mostly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 34°F to 71°F and is rarely below 26°F or above 82°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit William R Fairchild International Airport for warm-weather activities is from mid July to late August.

Climate at William R Fairchild International Airport

coldcoolcomfortablecoolcoldJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNowNow75%75%28%28%overcastprecipitation: 9.2 inprecipitation: 9.2 in0.7 in0.7 inmuggy: 0%muggy: 0%0%0%drydrytourism score: 5.8tourism score: 5.80.00.0
William R Fairchild International Airport weather by month. Click on each chart for more information.

The warm season lasts for 2.9 months, from June 22 to September 19, with an average daily high temperature above 65°F. The hottest month of the year at William R Fairchild International Airport is August, with an average high of 70°F and low of 52°F.

The cool season lasts for 3.8 months, from November 13 to March 6, with an average daily high temperature below 49°F. The coldest month of the year at William R Fairchild International Airport is December, with an average low of 35°F and high of 45°F.

Average High and Low Temperature at William R Fairchild International Airport

Average High and Low Temperature at William R Fairchild International AirportwarmcoolcoolJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F10°F10°F20°F20°F30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°F90°F90°F100°F100°FDec 2944°FDec 2944°FAug 271°FAug 271°F34°F34°F53°F53°FJun 2265°FJun 2265°FSep 1965°FSep 1965°FNov 1349°FNov 1349°FMar 649°FMar 649°F50°F50°F48°F48°F39°F39°F37°F37°FNowNow
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.
AverageJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
High 45°F47°F51°F55°F60°F65°F69°F70°F66°F57°F49°F45°F
Temp. 40°F41°F44°F47°F52°F56°F60°F61°F57°F50°F43°F39°F
Low 35°F36°F38°F41°F45°F50°F52°F52°F49°F44°F38°F35°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.

Average Hourly Temperature at William R Fairchild International Airport

Average Hourly Temperature at William R Fairchild International AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMNowNowvery coldvery coldcoldcoolcoolcomfortable
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Birmingham, United Kingdom (4,691 miles away) is the far-away foreign place with temperatures most similar to William R Fairchild International Airport (view comparison).

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At William R Fairchild International Airport, 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 William R Fairchild International Airport begins around June 11 and lasts for 3.6 months, ending around September 29.

The clearest month of the year at William R Fairchild International Airport is August, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 69% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around September 29 and lasts for 8.4 months, ending around June 11.

The cloudiest month of the year at William R Fairchild International Airport is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 71% of the time.

Cloud Cover Categories at William R Fairchild International Airport

Cloud Cover Categories at William R Fairchild International AirportclearercloudiercloudierJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%Aug 275%Aug 275%Jan 2028%Jan 2028%Jun 1151%Jun 1151%Sep 2951%Sep 2951%NowNowclearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercast
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.
FractionJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Cloudier 71%69%68%62%54%47%31%31%42%59%69%71%
Clearer 29%31%32%38%46%53%69%69%58%41%31%29%

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

The wetter season lasts 6.6 months, from October 9 to April 27, with a greater than 35% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days at William R Fairchild International Airport is November, with an average of 17.9 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 5.5 months, from April 27 to October 9. The month with the fewest wet days at William R Fairchild International Airport is July, with an average of 3.5 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. The month with the most days of rain alone at William R Fairchild International Airport is November, with an average of 17.4 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 61% on November 16.

Daily Chance of Precipitation at William R Fairchild International Airport

Daily Chance of Precipitation at William R Fairchild International AirportwetwetdryJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Nov 1662%Nov 1662%Jul 318%Jul 318%Oct 935%Oct 935%Apr 2735%Apr 2735%NowNowrainmixed
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).
Days ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rain 14.8d13.7d15.2d12.1d8.7d6.5d3.5d3.6d6.4d12.7d17.4d15.8d
Mixed 1.2d0.8d0.2d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.3d1.1d
Snow 0.3d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.2d0.3d
Any 16.2d14.5d15.5d12.2d8.7d6.5d3.5d3.6d6.4d12.7d17.9d17.1d

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. William R Fairchild International Airport experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year at William R Fairchild International Airport. The month with the most rain at William R Fairchild International Airport is November, with an average rainfall of 9.0 inches.

The month with the least rain at William R Fairchild International Airport is July, with an average rainfall of 0.8 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall at William R Fairchild International Airport

Average Monthly Rainfall at William R Fairchild International AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in5 in5 in10 in10 in15 in15 inNov 219.1 inNov 219.1 inJul 290.7 inJul 290.7 inNowNow
The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rainfall 7.2″6.5″5.6″3.6″2.2″1.5″0.8″1.0″2.1″5.6″9.0″7.8″

Snowfall

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

The snowy period of the year lasts for 2.0 months, from December 2 to February 1, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow at William R Fairchild International Airport is December, with an average snowfall of 2.0 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 10 months, from February 1 to December 2. The least snow falls around July 22, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

Average Monthly Snowfall at William R Fairchild International Airport

Average Monthly Snowfall at William R Fairchild International AirportsnowsnowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in2 in2 in4 in4 in6 in6 in8 in8 in10 in10 inDec 292.7 inDec 292.7 inJul 220.0 inJul 220.0 inFeb 11.0 inFeb 11.0 inNowNow
The average snowfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average rainfall.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Snowfall 1.9″0.7″0.2″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.0″0.4″2.0″

The length of the day at William R Fairchild International Airport varies extremely over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 8 hours, 21 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 16 hours, 4 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight at William R Fairchild International Airport

Hours of Daylight and Twilight at William R Fairchild International AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24 hr0 hr12 hr, 9 minMar 1912 hr, 9 minMar 1916 hr, 4 minJun 2016 hr, 4 minJun 2012 hr, 12 minSep 2212 hr, 12 minSep 228 hr, 21 minDec 218 hr, 21 minDec 21nightnightdayNowNow
The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.
Hours ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight 8.9h10.3h12.0h13.7h15.2h16.0h15.6h14.2h12.5h10.8h9.2h8.4h

The earliest sunrise is at 5:13 AM on June 16, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 51 minutes later at 8:04 AM on December 31. The earliest sunset is at 4:20 PM on December 10, and the latest sunset is 4 hours, 58 minutes later at 9:18 PM on June 25.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed at William R Fairchild International Airport during 2024, starting in the spring on March 10, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 3.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time at William R Fairchild International Airport

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time at William R Fairchild International AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMJun 165:13 AMJun 165:13 AM9:18 PMJun 259:18 PMJun 25Dec 104:20 PMDec 104:20 PM8:04 AMDec 318:04 AMDec 31Mar 10DSTMar 10DSTDSTNov 3DSTNov 3daynightnightnightnightSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunsetNowNow
The solar day over the course of the year 2024. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray. The transitions to and from daylight saving time are indicated by the 'DST' labels.

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.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth at William R Fairchild International Airport

Solar Elevation and Azimuth at William R Fairchild International AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AM00010101010202030304040506000010101020202020303040405050601865NowNow
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of the year 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

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.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases at William R Fairchild International Airport

The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

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 William R Fairchild International 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.

Humidity Comfort Levels at William R Fairchild International Airport

Humidity Comfort Levels at William R Fairchild International AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Jan 310%Jan 310%Aug 10%Aug 10%NowNowdrydrycomfortablecomfortable
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Muggy days 0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d

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 William R Fairchild International Airport experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 5.8 months, from October 20 to April 14, with average wind speeds of more than 4.9 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year at William R Fairchild International Airport is December, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.2 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 6.2 months, from April 14 to October 20. The calmest month of the year at William R Fairchild International Airport is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 3.6 miles per hour.

Average Wind Speed at William R Fairchild International Airport

Average Wind Speed at William R Fairchild International AirportwindywindyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 mph0 mph1 mph1 mph2 mph2 mph3 mph3 mph4 mph4 mph5 mph5 mph6 mph6 mph7 mph7 mph8 mph8 mph9 mph9 mph10 mph10 mphDec 36.3 mphDec 36.3 mphAug 103.5 mphAug 103.5 mphOct 204.9 mphOct 204.9 mphApr 144.9 mphApr 144.9 mphNowNow
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Wind Speed (mph) 5.95.75.54.94.34.13.83.63.84.86.06.2

The predominant average hourly wind direction at William R Fairchild International Airport varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the west for 6.1 months, from April 4 to October 7, with a peak percentage of 71% on July 17. The wind is most often from the south for 5.9 months, from October 7 to April 4, with a peak percentage of 40% on January 1.

Wind Direction at William R Fairchild International Airport

Wind Direction at William R Fairchild International AirportSWSJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%NowNowwestsoutheastnorth
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

William R Fairchild International 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 some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 3.0 months, from June 19 to September 19, with an average temperature above 52°F. The month of the year at William R Fairchild International Airport with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 54°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.9 months, from December 8 to April 3, with an average temperature below 48°F. The month of the year at William R Fairchild International Airport with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 46°F.

Average Water Temperature at William R Fairchild International Airport

Average Water Temperature at William R Fairchild International AirportwarmcoolcoolJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec44°F44°F46°F46°F48°F48°F50°F50°F52°F52°F54°F54°F56°F56°F58°F58°FAug 754°FAug 754°F46°FJan 2946°FJan 29Jun 1952°FJun 1952°FSep 1952°FSep 1952°FDec 848°FDec 848°FApr 348°FApr 348°FNowNow
The daily average water temperature (purple line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
WaterJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Temperature 46°F46°F47°F48°F50°F52°F54°F54°F53°F50°F49°F47°F

To characterize how pleasant the weather is at William R Fairchild International 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 William R Fairchild International Airport for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid July to late August, with a peak score in the last week of July.

Tourism Score at William R Fairchild International Airport

Tourism Score at William R Fairchild International Airportbest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810105.85.80.00.0NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationtourism score
The tourism score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

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 William R Fairchild International Airport for hot-weather activities is from late July to mid August, with a peak score in the first week of August.

Beach/Pool Score at William R Fairchild International Airport

Beach/Pool Score at William R Fairchild International AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810101.11.10.00.0NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitation
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

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 William R Fairchild International Airport typically lasts for 7.7 months (234 days), from around March 22 to around November 11, rarely starting before February 23 or after April 18, and rarely ending before October 21 or after December 3.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season at William R Fairchild International Airport

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season at William R Fairchild International Airportgrowing seasonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%50%Mar 2250%Mar 2250%Nov 1150%Nov 1190%Apr 1890%Apr 1890%Oct 2190%Oct 2110%Feb 2310%Feb 2310%Dec 310%Dec 3Jul 21100%Jul 21100%freezingvery coldcoldcoolwarm
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

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 William R Fairchild International Airport should appear around May 10, only rarely appearing before April 25 or after June 2.

Growing Degree Days at William R Fairchild International Airport

Growing Degree Days at William R Fairchild International AirportJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F200°F200°F400°F400°F600°F600°F800°F800°F1,000°F1,000°F1,200°F1,200°F1,400°F1,400°FMay 1090°FMay 1090°FAug 20900°FAug 20900°FDec 311,325°FDec 311,325°F
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of the year, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

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 3.3 months, from May 12 to August 20, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.7 kWh. The brightest month of the year at William R Fairchild International Airport is July, with an average of 6.9 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.9 months, from October 22 to February 19, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 2.1 kWh. The darkest month of the year at William R Fairchild International Airport is December, with an average of 0.9 kWh.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy at William R Fairchild International Airport

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy at William R Fairchild International AirportbrightdarkdarkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWh8 kWh8 kWh9 kWh9 kWhJul 167.0 kWhJul 167.0 kWhDec 250.9 kWhDec 250.9 kWhMay 125.7 kWhMay 125.7 kWhOct 222.1 kWhOct 222.1 kWhFeb 192.1 kWhFeb 192.1 kWhNowNow
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Solar Energy (kWh) 1.11.93.14.55.86.56.96.04.32.51.20.9

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of William R Fairchild International Airport are 48.120 deg latitude, -123.500 deg longitude, and 259 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of William R Fairchild International Airport contains very significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 820 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 249 feet. Within 10 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (6,342 feet). Within 50 miles also contains extreme variations in elevation (7,874 feet).

The area within 2 miles of William R Fairchild International Airport is covered by artificial surfaces (36%), water (31%), and cropland (21%), within 10 miles by water (46%) and trees (41%), and within 50 miles by trees (55%) and water (31%).

This report illustrates the typical weather at William R Fairchild International Airport, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

William R Fairchild International Airport 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.

In the case of missing or erroneous measurements from this station, we fall back on records from nearby stations, adjusted according to typical seasonal and diurnal intra-station differences. For a given day of the year and hour of the day, the fallback station is selected to minimize the prediction error over the years for which there are measurements for both stations.

The stations on which we may fall back include but are not limited to Esquimalt Harbour, B. C.; Victoria Automatic Weather Reporting System; Victoria Harbour; Victoria University; Discovery Island; Malahat Automatic Weather Reporting System; Sheringham Automatic Weather Reporting System; and Victoria International Airport.

Other Data

All 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.

Disclaimer

The 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.