page_title: Utqiagvik, Alaska
section_title: Climate
hierarchical_section_title: Utqiagvik, Alaska / Geography / Climate
caption_attribution_description: English: Sea ice forms along the coast in the winter, and generally melts of breaks away by mid July. Observations of sea ice position reveal considerable year-to-year variability. Changes in the timing of coastal sea ice breakup and in the location of offshore sea ice have significant local impacts: ecological, biological, and human. This image series portrays changes in the timing of coastal sea ice breakup, and gives information on smaller scale properties of ice. This information, recorded over long periods, is required to understand and model the dynamics of sea ice and how changes or trends may develop and influence other systems. History of classified status, and FOIA requests of this image: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/26/climate-change-obama-administration https://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE56F6N220090717 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090715112033.htm http://news.slashdot.org/story/09/07/28/0017214/Formerly-Classified-Global-Warming-Spy-Photos-Released
context_page_description: Utqiaġvik officially the City of Utqiaġvik, formerly known as Barrow, is the largest city of the North Slope Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska and is located north of the Arctic Circle. It is one of the northernmost public communities in the world and is the northernmost city in the United States. Nearby Point Barrow is the country's northernmost point. Utqiaġvik's population was 4,581 at the 2000 census and 4,212 at the 2010 census.
context_section_description: Owing to its location 320 mi (515 km) north of the Arctic Circle, Utqiaġvik's climate is cold and dry, classified as a polar climate (Köppen ET). Winter weather can be extremely dangerous because of the combination of cold and wind, while summers are cool even at their warmest. Weather observations are available for Utqiaġvik dating back to the late 19th century. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Monitoring Lab operates in Utqiaġvik. The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has a climate observation site in Utqiaġvik as part of its Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility.
  Despite the extreme northern location, temperatures at Utqiaġvik are moderated by the surrounding topography. The Arctic Ocean is on three sides, and flat tundra stretches some 200 miles (300 km) to the south. There are no wind barriers or protected valleys where dense cold air can settle or form temperature inversions in the lower atmosphere, as commonly happens in the interior between the Brooks and the Alaska ranges.
  Utqiaġvik has the lowest average temperatures of cities in Alaska. Although it is rare for Utqiaġvik to record the lowest temperatures statewide during cold waves, extremely low wind chill and "white out" conditions from blowing snow are very common. Temperatures remain below freezing from early October through late May.
  The high temperature is above freezing on an average of only 120 days per year, and there are 106 days with a maximum at or below 0 °F (−18 °C). Freezing temperatures and snowfall can occur during any month of the year.
  In terms of precipitation, Utqiaġvik has a desert climate, and averages less than 5 inches (127 mm) "rainfall equivalent" per year. One inch of rain possesses approximately equal water content to 12 inches (30 cm) of snow. According to 1971−2000 normals, this includes 29 inches (74 cm) of snow,
   compared to 101 inches (257 cm) for Kuujjuaq in Nunavik, Quebec or 84 inches (213 cm) and 77 inches (196 cm) for much warmer Juneau and Kodiak, Alaska, respectively. Even Sable Island, at around 44 degrees latitude and under the influence of the Gulf Stream, receives 44 inches (112 cm), or 52 percent more snowfall than Utqiaġvik.
  The first snow (defined as snow that will not melt until next spring) generally falls during the first week of October, when temperatures cease to rise above freezing during the day. October is usually the month with the heaviest snowfall, with measurable amounts occurring on nearly half the days and a 1981−2010 normal total accumulation of 9.1 inches (23 cm).
  The sun sets on November 18 or 19, and it remains below the horizon for about 66 days. This creates a polar night that lasts until the Sun returns to lightly touch the horizon (due to the refraction and scattering of the atmosphere) by January 22 or January 23. The sun then rises again completely over the horizon by January 27 or 28. During the first half of the polar night, there is a decreasing amount of twilight each day, and on the winter solstice (around December 21 or December 22), civil twilight in Utqiaġvik lasts for a mere 3 hours.
  In addition to its low temperatures and polar night, Utqiaġvik is one of the cloudiest places on Earth. Owing to the prevailing easterly winds off the Arctic Ocean, Utqiaġvik is completely overcast slightly more than 50% of the year. It is at least 70% overcast some 62% of the time. Cloud types are mainly low stratus and fog; cumuli forms are rare. Peak cloudiness occurs in August and September when the ocean is ice-free. Dense fog occurs an average of 65 days per year, mostly in the summer months. Ice fog is very common during the winter months, especially when the temperature drops below −30 °F (−34 °C).
  Serious cold weather usually begins in January, and February is generally the coldest month, averaging −14.2 °F (−25.7 °C). By March 1, the sun is up for 9 hours, and temperatures begin to warm, though winds are usually higher. April brings less extreme temperatures, with an average of 1.8 °F (−16.8 °C), and on April 1 the sun is up f
caption: Utqiaġvik sea ice, July 2006, 2007
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