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

Fairbanks

31,732 people, 450 ft above sea level in Fairbanks North Star Borough.

450 ftElevation, city center
31,732People, 2024 estimate
32 sq miLand area
Sunny 18°
Sunny now Dew point 16° · Calm · high 18°
City of Fairbanks River Interstate 1 miles
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The Fairbanks 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 Fairbanks

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 2:00 PM AKST
RIGHT NOW Fairbanks International Airport (PAFA) · 2:53 PM
Sunny
18° Sunny Feels like 18° · high of 18° near 3 PM
WindCalmno gusts
Humidity92%rising to 100% by morning
Pressure29.46 in →steady
Visibility2 mifog or heavy haze
CloudsClear
UV index0none after dark
Dew point 16° · Dryabout the same for three days
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Tomorrow, about 4 PMin about 25 hours · 32% chance · rain
LIKELY AMOUNT0–0 inmost likely 0; 1 in 10 over 0.03
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 3:17 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 9:22 AM3:47 PM ↓
6 h 25 m of daylight, 7 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 27% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
14
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
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
overcast
overcast
overcast
overcast
overcast
overcast
overcast
mostly cloudy day
rain
rain
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
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy day
mostly cloudy day
TEMPERATURE °F
18°
10°
18°
13°
19°
14°
CHANCE OF RAIN
32% · 0.00 in Sunday afternoon 50%
WIND, MPH
0
0
0
0
0
2
3
0
0
0
0
1
3
3
3
2
3
2
0
0
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0
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 8 to 16°

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° 10°
0% rain — NE 0 A
SUN Nov. 15 Chance of showers Chance of showers
19° 11°
30% rain — NNE 1 B
MON Nov. 16 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
20° 11°
20% rain — N 2 C
TUE Nov. 17 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
19° 9°
20% rain — ENE 5 B
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
24° 18°
0% rain — ENE 9 C
THU Nov. 19 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
28° 15°
0% rain — S 8 C
FRI Nov. 20 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
23° 12°
10% rain — NE 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 Fairbanks about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the Arctic Ocean three days ago, and over interior Alaska a day ago, about 950 miles back along its path. It came down from about 14,900 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 8,610 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 Fairbanks stands on

Fairbanks’s center stands about 450 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 420 ft to 890 ft, a difference of 470 ft: hilly country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Pedro Dome, about 2,600 ft, 15 miles north-northeast.

Fairbanks, cut in half from southwest to northeast

A section southwest to northeast, 24 miles through the town center
500 ft1,000 ft1,500 ft FAIRBANKS450 ftLow point410 ftSouth Van Horn430 ftBirch Hill1,100 ftHigh point of the line1,860 ft ← SWSteele Creek · NE →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 13×.

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

Fairbanks’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1904 · Fairbanks International Airport, 5 mi west-southwest

Fairbanks 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 FAIRBANKS 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 Fairbanks 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 west-southwest). NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Fairbanks on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Badger AK · 8 MI 8 miles east
FORECASTCITY
Map of Fairbanks, Alaska. Explore the plate
ALASKA · FAIRBANKS NORTH STAR

Fairbanks

31,732 people, 450 ft above sea level in Fairbanks North Star Borough.

450 ftElevation
31,732People
32 sq miLand
Sunny 18°
SunnyDew point 16°
1

Today in Fairbanks

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now overcast 18° 0%
6p overcast 16° 0%
9p overcast 16° 0%
12a overcast 14° 0%
3a overcast 14° 0%
6a overcast 12° 0%
Rain
NEXT RAINTomorrow about 4 PM · 32%
→
Sat0%
Cloudy Cloudy
10
18
A
Sun30%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
11
19
B
Mon20%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
11
20
C
Tue20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
9
19
B
Wed0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
18
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 Fairbanks stands on

Fairbanks’s center stands about 450 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 420 ft to 890 ft, a difference of 470 ft: hilly country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Pedro Dome, about 2,600 ft, 15 miles north-northeast.

Fairbanks, southwest to northeast Fairbanks450 ftBirch Hill1,100 ft ← SWNE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 25×.
Elevation, center450 ft
Within 3 miles420 to 890 ft
Lie of the landHilly (470 ft of relief)
High point nearbyPedro Dome, 2,600 ft, 15 mi north-northeast
5

Fairbanks’s year

Fairbanks 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 Fairbanks 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 west-southwest). NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.