Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Kobuk Valley National Park United StatesIn Kobuk Valley National Park, 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 -11°F to 70°F and is rarely below -41°F or above 80°F. Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Kobuk Valley National Park for warm-weather activities is from late June to late July. Average Temperature in Kobuk Valley National ParkThe warm season lasts for 3.3 months, from May 23 to September 3, with an average daily high temperature above 56°F. The hottest month of the year in Kobuk Valley National Park is July, with an average high of 68°F and low of 52°F. The cold season lasts for 4.4 months, from November 5 to March 19, with an average daily high temperature below 16°F. The coldest month of the year in Kobuk Valley National Park is January, with an average low of -9°F and high of 4°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. CloudsIn Kobuk Valley National Park, 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 in Kobuk Valley National Park begins around January 7 and lasts for 2.9 months, ending around April 4. The clearest month of the year in Kobuk Valley National Park is March, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 47% of the time. The cloudier part of the year begins around April 4 and lasts for 9.1 months, ending around January 7. The cloudiest month of the year in Kobuk Valley National Park is August, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 62% 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 in Kobuk Valley National Park varies significantly throughout the year. The wetter season lasts 3.3 months, from June 17 to September 26, with a greater than 24% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Kobuk Valley National Park is August, with an average of 11.3 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The drier season lasts 8.7 months, from September 26 to June 17. The month with the fewest wet days in Kobuk Valley National Park is March, with an average of 3.1 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 in Kobuk Valley National Park changes throughout the year. Snow alone is the most common for 6.1 months, from October 17 to April 20. The month with the most days of snow alone in Kobuk Valley National Park is December, with an average of 4.0 days. Rain alone is the most common for 5.9 months, from April 20 to October 17. The month with the most days of rain alone in Kobuk Valley National Park is August, with an average of 11.3 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. Kobuk Valley National Park experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. The rainy period of the year lasts for 6.1 months, from April 21 to October 24, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Kobuk Valley National Park is August, with an average rainfall of 3.5 inches. The rainless period of the year lasts for 5.9 months, from October 24 to April 21. The month with the least rain in Kobuk Valley National Park is December, with an average rainfall of 0.1 inches.
SnowfallAs with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Kobuk Valley National Park experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly snowfall. The snowy period of the year lasts for 7.8 months, from September 18 to May 12, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Kobuk Valley National Park is November, with an average snowfall of 8.1 inches. The snowless period of the year lasts for 4.2 months, from May 12 to September 18. The least snow falls around July 18, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.
SunDue to its extreme latitude, Kobuk Valley National Park experiences polar day (also known as the midnight Sun) during the summer. 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 in Kobuk Valley National Park during 2024, the Sun is continuously above the horizon for 1.5 months, rising at 2:52 AM on May 29, and not setting again until 2:22 AM on July 13.
Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Kobuk Valley National Park 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 in Kobuk Valley National Park, 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 in Kobuk Valley National Park experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 5.3 months, from October 23 to April 3, with average wind speeds of more than 8.0 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Kobuk Valley National Park is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 9.6 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 6.6 months, from April 3 to October 23. The calmest month of the year in Kobuk Valley National Park is June, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.2 miles per hour.
The predominant average hourly wind direction in Kobuk Valley National Park varies throughout the year. The wind is most often from the west for 1.8 months, from May 31 to July 26, with a peak percentage of 44% on June 26. The wind is most often from the south for 3.3 weeks, from July 26 to August 18, with a peak percentage of 35% on July 27. The wind is most often from the east for 9.4 months, from August 18 to May 31, with a peak percentage of 77% on January 1. Best Time of Year to VisitTo characterize how pleasant the weather is in Kobuk Valley National Park 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 Kobuk Valley National Park for general outdoor tourist activities is from late June to late July, with a peak score in the second week of July. Tourism Score in Kobuk Valley National ParkThe 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 Kobuk Valley National Park for hot-weather activities is from late June to mid July, with a peak score in the first week of July. Beach/Pool Score in Kobuk Valley National ParkMethodologyFor 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 in Kobuk Valley National Park typically lasts for 3.4 months (105 days), from around May 25 to around September 7, rarely starting before May 9 or after June 10, and rarely ending before August 20 or after September 27. 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 in Kobuk Valley National Park should appear around June 5, only rarely appearing before May 28 or after June 15. 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 2.9 months, from April 27 to July 24, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 4.5 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Kobuk Valley National Park is June, with an average of 5.6 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 4.7 months, from October 8 to February 28, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 1.1 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Kobuk Valley National Park is December, with an average of 0.0 kWh.
TopographyFor the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Kobuk Valley National Park are 67.353 deg latitude, -159.199 deg longitude, and 0 ft elevation. The topography within 2 miles of Kobuk Valley National Park is essentially flat, with a maximum elevation change of 0 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 0 feet. Within 10 miles is also essentially flat (0 feet). Within 50 miles is also essentially flat (0 feet). The area within 2 miles of Kobuk Valley National Park is covered by shrubs (50%) and trees (48%), within 10 miles by shrubs (66%) and trees (22%), and within 50 miles by shrubs (60%) and sparse vegetation (11%). Data SourcesThis report illustrates the typical weather in Kobuk Valley National Park, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016. The details of the data sources used for this report can be found on the Shungnak Airport page. 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. |