# Chisana, Alaska

Chisana (also Shushanna) (Tsetsaan' Na in Ahtna) is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Copper River Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2010 Census, the population of the CDP was 0. The English name Chisana derives from the Ahtna Athabascan name Tsetsaan' Na, meaning literally 'copper river' (not to be confused with the river known in English as the Copper River). The Chisana River joins the Nabesna River just north of Northway Junction, Alaska, to form the Tanana River, a major tributary of the Yukon River. The Chisana Airport consists of a turf and gravel runway which is largely serviced by flights from Tok, Alaska.
In 1985, the community was listed as Chisana Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district. In 1998 the Chisana Historic Mining Landscape historic district, comprising the community and a wide 27,000 acres (11,000 ha) area located partly in Copper River Census Area and partly in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

## Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 86.7 square miles (225 km$^2$), of which 86.7 square miles (225 km$^2$) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km$^2$) of it is water. The total area is 0.10% water.

## Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Chisana has a subarctic climate, abbreviated "Dfc" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Chisana was 90 °F (32.2 °C) on June 19–20, 2004, while the coldest temperature recorded was −53 °F (−47.2 °C) on January 7, 2013.
Climate data for Chisana, Alaska, 2006–2020 normals, extremes 1992–present :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 53 (12) | 53 (12) | 63 (17) | 68 (20) | 79 (26) | 90 (32) | 87 (31) | 89 (32) | 75 (24) | 74 (23) | 45 (7) | 55 (13) | 90 (32) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 33.9 (1.1) | 41.0 (5.0) | 47.3 (8.5) | 57.4 (14.1) | 70.8 (21.6) | 77.6 (25.3) | 80.1 (26.7) | 78.3 (25.7) | 67.8 (19.9) | 55.7 (13.2) | 31.9 (−0.1) | 31.5 (−0.3) | 81.8 (27.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 2.2 (−16.6) | 17.7 (−7.9) | 28.1 (−2.2) | 44.4 (6.9) | 56.9 (13.8) | 64.8 (18.2) | 68.9 (20.5) | 64.5 (18.1) | 54.0 (12.2) | 35.8 (2.1) | 10.8 (−11.8) | 2.9 (−16.2) | 37.6 (3.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | −8.1 (−22.3) | 1.3 (−17.1) | 8.3 (−13.2) | 27.1 (−2.7) | 41.7 (5.4) | 49.7 (9.8) | 53.4 (11.9) | 48.7 (9.3) | 39.3 (4.1) | 21.9 (−5.6) | −0.2 (−17.9) | −5.9 (−21.1) | 23.1 (−5.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | −18.2 (−27.9) | −15.1 (−26.2) | −11.5 (−24.2) | 9.8 (−12.3) | 26.4 (−3.1) | 34.5 (1.4) | 37.8 (3.2) | 32.9 (0.5) | 24.5 (−4.2) | 7.9 (−13.4) | −11.2 (−24.0) | −14.5 (−25.8) | 8.6 (−13.0) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −40.4 (−40.2) | −36.1 (−37.8) | −32.6 (−35.9) | −11.0 (−23.9) | 15.1 (−9.4) | 24.0 (−4.4) | 27.1 (−2.7) | 22.2 (−5.4) | 9.9 (−12.3) | −15.3 (−26.3) | −32.1 (−35.6) | −33.7 (−36.5) | −46.3 (−43.5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −53 (−47) | −52 (−47) | −49 (−45) | −39 (−39) | 2 (−17) | 19 (−7) | 24 (−4) | 16 (−9) | −5 (−21) | −31 (−35) | −44 (−42) | −49 (−45) | −53 (−47) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.53 (13) | 0.57 (14) | 0.37 (9.4) | 0.25 (6.4) | 1.02 (26) | 3.22 (82) | 2.55 (65) | 1.54 (39) | 1.10 (28) | 0.80 (20) | 0.70 (18) | 0.60 (15) | 13.25 (335.8) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 15.4 (39) | 18.3 (46) | 18.7 (47) | 17.7 (45) | 8.1 (21) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1.1 (2.8) | 4.9 (12) | 12.3 (31) | 15.4 (39) | 20.3 (52) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 3.7 | 4.4 | 3.2 | 1.9 | 5.6 | 12.3 | 9.4 | 9.6 | 5.7 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 69.3 |
| Source 1: NOAA ||||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service ||||||||||||||

## Demographics

Chisana first appeared on the 1920 U.S. Census as an unincorporated community. It appeared twice more in 1930 and 1940. It would not appear again until 2000, when it was made a census-designated place (CDP). However, in both 2000 and 2010, it reported no residents.