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Shaded-relief map of Ester, Alaska: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
ALASKA · FAIRBANKS NORTH STAR BOROUGH

Ester

2,416 people, 710 ft above sea level in Fairbanks North Star Borough.

710 ftElevation, city center
2,416People, 2024 estimate
64 sq miLand area
Sunny 15°
Sunny now Dew point 13° · NE 3 mph · high 18°
City of Ester River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Ester 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 Ester

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 8:00 AM AKST
RIGHT NOW Fairbanks International Airport (PAFA) · 9:41 AM
Sunny
15° Sunny Feels like 9° · high of 18° near 3 PM
WindNE 3 mphno gusts
Humidity91%falling to 96% this afternoon
Pressure29.39 in →steady
Visibility2 mifog or heavy haze
CloudsClear
UV index0none after dark
Dew point 13° · Dryabout the same for three days
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Mostly cloudy
Tuesday, about 4 AMin about 66 hours · 32% chance · rain
LIKELY AMOUNT0–0 inmost likely 0; 1 in 10 over 0.05
LAST RAINNov. 70.01 in · 7 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Fairbanks North Star Borough
NWS Fairbanks and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 9:45 AM
SUN & MOON
↑ 9:24 AM3:48 PM ↓
6 h 24 m of daylight, 7 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 24% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
20
GOODAir quality index · fine particles
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
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
overcast
overcast
overcast
overcast
overcast
overcast
overcast
overcast
overcast
overcast
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy day
mostly cloudy day
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
rain
rain
TEMPERATURE °F
14°
18°
10°
18°
14°
19°
CHANCE OF RAIN
32% · 0.00 in Tuesday overnight 50%
WIND, MPH
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
3
2
0
0
0
1
3
3
3
2
3
2
0
0
0
0
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 10 to 18°

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 12° / -4°
SAT Nov. 14 Cloudy Cloudy
18° 9°
0% rain — S 0 A
SUN Nov. 15 Cloudy Cloudy
19° 11°
20% rain — NNE 2 B
MON Nov. 16 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
20° 11°
20% rain — NNE 2 C
TUE Nov. 17 Chance of showers Chance of showers
19° 9°
30% rain — ENE 5 B
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
24° 17°
0% rain — ENE 9 C
THU Nov. 19 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
28° 15°
0% rain — E 9 C
FRI Nov. 20 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
23° 12°
10% rain — NE 3 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 Ester about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the Arctic Ocean three days ago, and over interior Alaska a day ago, about 890 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 14,100 feet up, warming and drying as it sank. Near the ground the air came from interior Alaska; at 10,000 feet, from a point about 8,670 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 1976 Nov. 13, 1976

The hottest this week has been

45° on Nov. 13, 1976, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1904. Next is 45° in 2013.

45°
45°
20131976
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Fairbanks Area threaded record since 1904.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Ester stands on

Ester’s center stands about 710 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 500 ft to 2,200 ft, a difference of 1,700 ft: steep hill country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Murphy Dome, about 2,910 ft, 12 miles northwest.

Ester, cut in half from northwest to southeast

A section northwest to southeast, 24 miles through the town center
500 ft1,000 ft1,500 ft2,000 ft ESTER710 ftHigh point of the line2,260 ftTanana Riverabout 420 ft ← NWSE →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 10×.

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

Ester’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1904 · Fairbanks International Airport, 5 mi southeast

Ester has a warm-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 73° in July; winter nights fall to about −17° in January. A normal year brings about 65 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 12 inches of water.

1°−17°12°−11°25°−3°46°22°62°39°72°50°73°53°66°48°55°36°34°18°12°−4°4°−13° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY ESTER 11.7 in rain and snowmelt
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average73° / 53°high / low, the warmest month
January, average1° / −17°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow11.7 inwettest months: July and August
Snow a year64.6 insnowiest: November
Hottest on record96°FJune 15, 1969
Coldest on record−66°FJanuary 14, 1934
Wettest day on record3.42 inAugust 12, 1967
Snowiest day on record16.0 inFebruary 11, 1966
Nights at or below 32°222and 154 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeWarm-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfb

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Sept. 12, to the last in spring, about May 14 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingOct. 18 to March 29; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingSept. 25 to April 30; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchJune through August: 5.8 of the year’s 11.7 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Ester normally reaches 12° and falls to −4°. The record high is 45°, in 2013; the record low −41°, in 1956. The most rain on this date, 0.44 in, fell in 1936.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high1°12°25°46°62°72°73°66°55°34°12°4°
Normal low−17°−11°−3°22°39°50°53°48°36°18°−4°−13°
Rain and melt, in0.610.520.400.340.541.482.262.101.350.760.740.57
Snow, inches10.210.06.53.10.90.00.00.02.38.212.510.9
Record high52° (2009)50° (1943)56° (1994)76° (2009)90° (1947)96° (1969)94° (1975)93° (1994)84° (1957)72° (2003)54° (1936)58° (1934)
Record low−66° (1934)−58° (1993)−56° (1911)−32° (1944)−1° (1964)28° (1918)30° (1905)21° (1922)3° (1992)−28° (1935)−50° (1927)−62° (1961)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1904 from the Fairbanks Area threaded record (Fairbanks International Airport, 5 miles southeast, 280 ft lower). NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Ester on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Fairbanks AK · 12 MI 12 miles east Badger AK · 20 MI 20 miles east
FORECASTCITY
Map of Ester, Alaska. Explore the plate
ALASKA · FAIRBANKS NORTH STAR

Ester

2,416 people, 710 ft above sea level in Fairbanks North Star Borough.

710 ftElevation
2,416People
64 sq miLand
Sunny 15°
SunnyDew point 13°
1

Today in Ester

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now overcast 14° 1%
12p overcast 16° 0%
3p overcast 18° 0%
6p overcast 16° 0%
9p overcast 15° 0%
12a overcast 14° 0%
Mostly cloudy
NEXT RAINTuesday about 4 AM · 32%
→
Sat0%
Cloudy Cloudy
9
18
A
Sun20%
Cloudy Cloudy
11
19
B
Mon20%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
11
20
C
Tue30%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
9
19
B
Wed0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
17
24
C
Thu0%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
15
28
C
Fri10%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
12
23
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK IN 1976 · NOV. 13, 1976

45°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1904.

2

What Ester stands on

Ester’s center stands about 710 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 500 ft to 2,200 ft, a difference of 1,700 ft: steep hill country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Murphy Dome, about 2,910 ft, 12 miles northwest.

Ester, northwest to southeast Ester710 ftTanana Riverabout 420 ft ← NWSE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 20×.
Elevation, center710 ft
Within 3 miles500 to 2,200 ft
Lie of the landSteep hill country (1,700 ft of relief)
High point nearbyMurphy Dome, 2,910 ft, 12 mi northwest
5

Ester’s year

Ester has a warm-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 73° in July; winter nights fall to about −17° in January. A normal year brings about 65 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 12 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 11.7 in
July, average73° / 53° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average1° / −17° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow11.7 in · wettest months: July and August
Snow a year64.6 in · snowiest: November
Hottest on record96°F · June 15, 1969
Coldest on record−66°F · January 14, 1934
Wettest day on record3.42 in · August 12, 1967
Snowiest day on record16.0 in · February 11, 1966
Nights at or below 32°222 · and 154 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeWarm-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfb
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Sept. 12, to the last in spring, about May 14 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Oct. 18 to March 29; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Sept. 25 to April 30; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · June through August: 5.8 of the year’s 11.7 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Ester normally reaches 12° and falls to −4°. The record high is 45°, in 2013; the record low −41°, in 1956. The most rain on this date, 0.44 in, fell in 1936.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1904 from the Fairbanks Area threaded record (Fairbanks International Airport, 5 miles southeast, 280 ft lower). NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.