Because it is located almost directly in the path of easterly moving storms crossing the Gulf of Alaska the islands experience frequent and relatively heavy precipitation with annual amounts higher than that of the immediate coastal regions of Washington and Oregon. October and November are usually the wettest months and the greatest percentage of precipitation, even in the winter months, occurs in the form of rain. Some snow, mixed with rain, may occur as early as October. Accumulated snow depths of a foot or more are rare and, because of moderating temperatures, snow cover seldom persists beyond a week or two. Despite relatively heavy precipitation, flood damage is of no consequence because of the large drainage areas and steep topography which provide rapid escape of surface runoff into the sea and into the muskeg.
Thunderstorms average one or two a year and generally are the result of frontal activity.
The considerable amount of cloudiness prevalent over this area results in a corresponding low percentage of possible sunshine. Unfortunately, visions of the Northern Lights are a rarity in the winter. North lies the North Pole, Greenland, Iceland, Sweden, Siberia and the rest of Alaska. Rainfall averages 110 per year. Rain occurs vertically, horizontally, diagonally, and from the ground up.