Climate and Average Weather Year Round at Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport Alaska, United StatesAt Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport, the summers are cold; the winters are long, frigid, snowy, and windy; and it is overcast year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from -22°F to 55°F and is rarely below -41°F or above 69°F. Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport for warm-weather activities is for the entire month of July. Average Temperature at Ugnu-Kuparuk AirportThe warm season lasts for 3.0 months, from June 7 to September 6, with an average daily high temperature above 42°F. The hottest month of the year at Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport is July, with an average high of 55°F and low of 40°F. The cold season lasts for 4.6 months, from November 19 to April 6, with an average daily high temperature below 4°F. The coldest month of the year at Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport is February, with an average low of -22°F and high of -8°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. Tosontsengel, Mongolia (3,552 miles away) and McMurdo Station, Antarctica (10,402 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport (view comparison). CloudsAt Ugnu-Kuparuk 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 Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport begins around April 27 and lasts for 5.6 months, ending around October 14. The clearest month of the year at Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport is June, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 35% of the time. The cloudier part of the year begins around October 14 and lasts for 6.4 months, ending around April 27. The cloudiest month of the year at Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 90% 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 Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport varies throughout the year. The wetter season lasts 2.7 months, from June 30 to September 20, with a greater than 12% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days at Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport is August, with an average of 6.4 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The drier season lasts 9.3 months, from September 20 to June 30. The month with the fewest wet days at Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport is March, with an average of 0.7 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 Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport changes throughout the year. Snow alone is the most common for 8.0 months, from September 23 to May 23. The month with the most days of snow alone at Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport is October, with an average of 1.4 days. Rain alone is the most common for 4.0 months, from May 23 to September 23. The month with the most days of rain alone at Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport is August, with an average of 6.1 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. Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. The rainy period of the year lasts for 3.0 months, from June 13 to September 15, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain at Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport is August, with an average rainfall of 1.1 inches. The rainless period of the year lasts for 9.0 months, from September 15 to June 13. The month with the least rain at Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport is March, 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. Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport experiences some seasonal variation in monthly snowfall. The snowy period of the year lasts for 9.2 months, from September 2 to June 9, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow at Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport is October, with an average snowfall of 2.1 inches. The snowless period of the year lasts for 2.8 months, from June 9 to September 2. The least snow falls around July 14, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.
SunDue to its extreme latitude, Ugnu-Kuparuk 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 Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport during 2024, the Sun is continuously above the horizon for 2.4 months, rising at 2:06 AM on May 14, and not setting again until 1:58 AM on July 28. In the winter at Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport during 2024, the Sun is continuously below the horizon for 1.9 months, setting at 1:09 PM on November 22, and not rising again until 1:08 PM on January 18.
Daylight saving time (DST) is observed at Ugnu-Kuparuk 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 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 Ugnu-Kuparuk 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.
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 Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 8.0 months, from September 14 to May 12, with average wind speeds of more than 11.3 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year at Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 12.7 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 4.0 months, from May 12 to September 14. The calmest month of the year at Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 9.8 miles per hour.
The predominant average hourly wind direction at Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport is from the east throughout the year. Water TemperatureUgnu-Kuparuk 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 1.7 months, from July 19 to September 10, with an average temperature above 34°F. The month of the year at Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 36°F. The time of year with cooler water lasts for 7.5 months, from October 22 to June 6, with an average temperature below 30°F. The month of the year at Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 29°F.
Best Time of Year to VisitTo characterize how pleasant the weather is at Ugnu-Kuparuk 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 Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport for general outdoor tourist activities is for the entire month of July, with a peak score in the last week of July. Tourism Score at Ugnu-Kuparuk AirportThe 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 Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport for hot-weather activities is from mid to late July, with a peak score in the last week of July. Beach/Pool Score at Ugnu-Kuparuk AirportMethodologyFor 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 Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport typically lasts for 1.6 months (48 days), from around June 27 to around August 14, rarely starting before June 7, or ending after September 5. 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 2.5 months, from May 5 to July 21, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 4.7 kWh. The brightest month of the year at Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport is June, with an average of 5.8 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 5.5 months, from September 27 to March 12, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 1.2 kWh. The darkest month of the year at Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport is December, with an average of 0.0 kWh.
Data SourcesThis report illustrates the typical weather at Ugnu-Kuparuk 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 PointUgnu-Kuparuk 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 are Deadhorse Airport and Nuiqsut Airport. 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. |