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Shaded-relief map of Cordova, Alaska: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
ALASKA · CHUGACH CENSUS AREA

Cordova

2,413 people, 60 ft above sea level in Chugach Census Area.

60 ftElevation, city center
2,413People, 2024 estimate
61 sq miLand area
Sunny 35°
Sunny now Dew point 34° · Calm · high 39°
City of Cordova River Interstate 2 miles
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The Cordova plate. Relief from Copernicus GLO-30; rivers and lakes from USGS NHD; watersheds from the USGS Watershed Boundary Dataset; roads and city limits from Census TIGER 2024.

MILE1
TODAY

Today in Cordova

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 2:00 PM AKST
RIGHT NOW Merle K (Mudhole) Smith Airport (PACV) · 2:53 PM
Sunny
35° Sunny Feels like 35° · high of 39° near 3 PM
WindCalmno gusts
Humidity96%rising to 96% by morning
Pressure29.10 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index0none after dark
Dew point 34° · Dryabout the same for three days
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Today, about 4 PMin about 1 hours · 36% chance · rain
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 120.42 in · 2 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
! Winter Weather AdvisoryWinter Weather Advisory issued November 14 at 2:48PM AKST until November 15 at 9:00PM AKST by NWS Anchorage AK
NWS Anchorage and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 3:16 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 8:41 AM4:12 PM ↓
7 h 31 m of daylight, 5 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 27% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
—
Air quality index ·
No pollen source yet.

The next three days, hour by hour

Sky: clear, cloudy, night Rain likely National Blend of Models
SATURDAY, NOV. 14
SUNDAY, NOV. 15
MONDAY, NOV. 16
TUESDAY, NOV. 17
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
rain
overcast
rain
overcast
overcast
rain
rain
rain
rain
rain
rain
rain
rain
rain
rain
rain
rain
rain
rain
rain
rain
showers night
rain
rain
TEMPERATURE °F
39°
35°
43°
39°
41°
34°
CHANCE OF RAIN
74% · 0.30 in Monday morning 50%
WIND, MPH
8
8
9
7
3
0
6
9
9
8
7
7
6
7
8
9
8
7
7
5
5
4
4
4
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 32 to 39°

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 38° / 24°
SAT Nov. 14 Chance of showers Chance of showers
39° 34°
50% rain — NNE 8 A
SUN Nov. 15 Chance of showers Chance of showers
46° 38°
60% rain 0.08–0.3″ E 8 B
MON Nov. 16 Showers likely Showers likely
44° 32°
70% rain 0.2–0.7″ E 8 B
TUE Nov. 17 Chance of showers Chance of showers
42° 27°
60% rain up to 0.1″ ENE 3 B
WED Nov. 18 Showers likely Showers likely
41° 33°
80% rain 0.02–1.4″ E 8 B
THU Nov. 19 Showers likely Showers likely
43° 31°
90% rain 0.7–2.0″ E 9 B
FRI Nov. 20 Showers likely Showers likely
41° 28°
70% rain up to 0.9″ ENE 5 C
How sure are we? AModels agree: highs within 4° BSome spread: within 8° CWide spread: check back
Range from the National Blend of Models percentiles · graded on Forecast Scores
AIR MAIL

Where today’s air came from

The air arriving over Cordova about 5,000 feet above the ground was over a point about 330 miles to the west three days ago, and over southcentral Alaska a day ago, about 570 miles back along its path. The nine paths traced from around the city fan out, so treat that as a best guess. It came down from about 10,900 feet up, warming and drying as it sank. Near the ground the air came from the Gulf of Alaska; at 10,000 feet, from a point about 9,520 miles to the east. It has stayed over land, which is why it feels dry. Traced back 72 hours through NOAA’s hourly RAP analyses and the GFS beyond them, nine paths at each of three heights.

THIS WEEK IN 1985 Nov. 16, 1985

The coldest this week has been

−10° on Nov. 16, 1985, the coldest reading for this week of the year since 1909. Next is −7° in 1973.

−7°
−10°
19731985
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Cordova Airport record since 1909.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Cordova stands on

Cordova’s center stands about 60 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 0 ft to 2,420 ft, a difference of 2,420 ft: mountain country. Open water lies within three miles. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Kelly Mountain, about 3,760 ft, 12 miles northeast.

Cordova, cut in half from southwest to northeast

A section southwest to northeast, 24 miles through the town center
0 ft1,000 ft2,000 ft3,000 ft CORDOVA60 ftMount Eyak2,420 ftHigh point of the line3,770 ft ← SWNE →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 5×.

Heights from Copernicus GLO-90 (a surface model: it includes buildings and tree canopy); summits from USGS GNIS; rivers from USGS NHDPlus HR.
MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Cordova’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1909 · Cordova Airport, 11 mi east-southeast

Cordova has a subarctic climate. Summer afternoons average 62° in July; winter nights fall to about 19° in January. About 86 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

34°19°37°22°39°23°47°30°54°37°59°44°62°48°62°46°56°40°48°33°38°25°35°22° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 123 TODAY CORDOVA 86.2 in rain a year
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average62° / 48°high / low, the warmest month
January, average34° / 19°high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year86.2 inwettest months: September and October
Hottest on record90°FJune 17, 2013
Coldest on record−33°FFebruary 3, 1947
Wettest day on record10.1 inFebruary 16, 1928
Snowiest day on record40.0 inFebruary 15, 1953
Nights at or below 32°165and 38 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeSubarcticKöppen Dfc

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Sept. 18, to the last in spring, about May 21 (median dates)
2Lows below freezingOct. 17 to April 24; normal lows fall below 32°
3Wettest stretchAugust through October: 34.0 of the year’s 86.2 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Cordova normally reaches 38° and falls to 24°. The record high is 53°, in 1976; the record low −7°, in 1973. The most rain on this date, 2.40 in, fell in 1961.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high34°37°39°47°54°59°62°62°56°48°38°35°
Normal low19°22°23°30°37°44°48°46°40°33°25°22°
Rain, inches6.225.954.694.485.414.585.709.9313.2110.887.167.97
Record high59° (1931)58° (1995)68° (2016)74° (2005)82° (1969)90° (2013)89° (1995)86° (1977)78° (1913)72° (1913)60° (1913)58° (1930)
Record low−30° (1972)−33° (1947)−24° (1956)−9° (1944)19° (1972)23° (1971)33° (1976)23° (1971)20° (1972)−1° (1975)−17° (1948)−23° (1964)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1909 at Cordova Airport, 11 miles east-southeast. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Cordova on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Anchorage AK · 131 MI 131 miles west
FORECASTCITY
Map of Cordova, Alaska. Explore the plate
ALASKA · CHUGACH

Cordova

2,413 people, 60 ft above sea level in Chugach Census Area.

60 ftElevation
2,413People
61 sq miLand
Sunny 35°
SunnyDew point 34°
1

Today in Cordova

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now overcast 39° 18%
6p rain 38° 42%
9p rain 38° 40%
12a mostly cloudy night 38° 7%
3a overcast 37° 2%
6a overcast 36° 23%
Rain
NEXT RAINToday about 4 PM · 36%
→
Sat50%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
34
39
A
Sun60%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
38
46
B
Mon70%
Showers likely Showers likely
32
44
B
Tue60%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
27
42
B
Wed80%
Showers likely Showers likely
33
41
B
Thu90%
Showers likely Showers likely
31
43
B
Fri70%
Showers likely Showers likely
28
41
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK IN 1985 · NOV. 16, 1985

−10°, the coldest this week of the year has been since 1909.

2

What Cordova stands on

Cordova’s center stands about 60 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 0 ft to 2,420 ft, a difference of 2,420 ft: mountain country. Open water lies within three miles. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Kelly Mountain, about 3,760 ft, 12 miles northeast.

Cordova, southwest to northeast Cordova60 ftMount Eyak2,420 ft ← SWNE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 10×.
Elevation, center60 ft
Within 3 miles0 to 2,420 ft
Lie of the landMountainous (2,420 ft of relief)
High point nearbyKelly Mountain, 3,760 ft, 12 mi northeast
5

Cordova’s year

Cordova has a subarctic climate. Summer afternoons average 62° in July; winter nights fall to about 19° in January. About 86 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 123 86.2 in
July, average62° / 48° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average34° / 19° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year86.2 in · wettest months: September and October
Hottest on record90°F · June 17, 2013
Coldest on record−33°F · February 3, 1947
Wettest day on record10.1 in · February 16, 1928
Snowiest day on record40.0 in · February 15, 1953
Nights at or below 32°165 · and 38 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeSubarctic · Köppen Dfc
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Sept. 18, to the last in spring, about May 21 (median dates)
2Lows below freezing · Oct. 17 to April 24; normal lows fall below 32°
3Wettest stretch · August through October: 34.0 of the year’s 86.2 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Cordova normally reaches 38° and falls to 24°. The record high is 53°, in 1976; the record low −7°, in 1973. The most rain on this date, 2.40 in, fell in 1961.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1909 at Cordova Airport, 11 miles east-southeast. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.