FORECAST CITY
Sign in
Shaded-relief map of Kotzebue, Alaska: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
ALASKA · NORTHWEST ARCTIC BOROUGH

Kotzebue

2,889 people, 9 ft above sea level in Northwest Arctic Borough.

9 ftElevation, city center
2,889People, 2024 estimate
24 sq miLand area
Sunny 22°
Sunny now Dew point 17° · NNE 3 mph · high 22°
City of Kotzebue River Interstate 1 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Kotzebue 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 Kotzebue

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 12:00 PM AKST
RIGHT NOW Ralph Wien Memorial Airport (PAOT) · 12:53 PM
Sunny
22° Sunny Feels like 17° · high of 22° near 6 PM
WindNNE 3 mphno gusts
Humidity81%falling to 84% this afternoon
Pressure29.46 in →steady
Visibility8 mihazy
CloudsClear
UV index0none after dark
Dew point 17° · Dryabout the same for three days
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Snow
Tonight, about 6 PMin about 5 hours · 65% chance · rain
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 120.05 in · 2 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Northwest Arctic Borough
NWS Fairbanks and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 1:15 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 10:44 AM4:25 PM ↓
5 h 41 m of daylight, 8 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 26% 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
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
overcast
overcast
snow
overcast
overcast
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy day
mostly cloudy day
mostly cloudy night
partly 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
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
TEMPERATURE °F
21°
22°
22°
18°
21°
22°
CHANCE OF RAIN
65% · 0.03 in Saturday evening 50%
WIND, MPH
5
6
8
9
12
13
12
12
9
7
7
8
9
9
9
9
9
10
10
8
7
6
5
5
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 12 to 19°

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 16° / 6°
SAT Nov. 14 Showers likely Showers likely
22° 20°
60% rain — N 4 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
23° 16°
10% rain — ESE 10 A
MON Nov. 16 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
22° 20°
20% rain — NNW 9 B
TUE Nov. 17 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
24° 16°
20% rain — ENE 8 B
WED Nov. 18 Chance of showers Chance of showers
26° 24°
40% rain up to 0.09″ E 33, gusts 46 C
THU Nov. 19 Chance of showers Chance of showers
28° 23°
30% rain up to 0.05″ ESE 23, gusts 32 C
FRI Nov. 20 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
27° 21°
20% rain — ESE 20, gusts 25 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 Kotzebue about 5,000 feet above the ground was over a point about 10,130 miles to the east three days ago, and over the Bering Sea a day ago, about 12,790 miles back along its path. Most of the nine paths traced from around the city agree. It came down from about 13,400 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 340 miles to the northwest. It feels dry all the same. 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 2014 Nov. 13, 2014

The hottest this week has been

39° on Nov. 13, 2014, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1902. Next is 37° in 1965.

37°
39°
19652014
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Kotzebue Area threaded record since 1902.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Kotzebue stands on

Kotzebue’s center stands about 9 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 0 ft to 120 ft, a difference of 120 ft: gently rolling country. Open water lies within three miles. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Napaktuktuk Mountain, about 430 ft, 13 miles north.

Kotzebue, cut in half from northwest to southeast

A section northwest to southeast, 24 miles through the town center
0 ft100 ft200 ft KOTZEBUE9 ftHigh point of the line220 ft ← NWSE →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 64×.

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

Kotzebue’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1902 · Kotzebue Airport

Kotzebue has a subarctic climate. Summer afternoons average 60° in July; winter nights fall to about −8° in January. A normal year brings about 64 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 11 inches of water.

5°−8°8°−6°9°−6°24°9°39°27°53°42°60°51°57°48°48°39°31°23°16°6°9°−4° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY KOTZEBUE 11.4 in rain and snowmelt
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average60° / 51°high / low, the warmest month
January, average5° / −8°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow11.4 inwettest months: August and July
Snow a year64.2 insnowiest: February
Hottest on record85°FJune 19, 2013
Coldest on record−58°FMarch 16, 1930
Wettest day on record1.73 inJuly 28, 1946
Snowiest day on record19.0 inMarch 31, 1938
Nights at or below 32°236and 192 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeSubarcticKöppen Dfc

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Sept. 23, to the last in spring, about June 8 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingOct. 13 to April 28; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingSept. 29 to May 28; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchJuly through September: 5.2 of the year’s 11.4 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Kotzebue normally reaches 16° and falls to 6°. The record high is 37°, in 1965; the record low −32°, in 1956. The most rain on this date, 1.00 in, fell in 2008.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high5°8°9°24°39°53°60°57°48°31°16°9°
Normal low−8°−6°−6°9°27°42°51°48°39°23°6°−4°
Rain and melt, in0.620.850.520.560.440.601.602.131.421.070.820.73
Snow, inches9.413.16.44.71.20.00.00.00.65.911.011.9
Record high40° (2014)40° (1989)42° (2019)49° (2017)74° (1947)85° (2013)85° (1958)80° (2021)69° (1978)57° (1904)40° (2003)39° (2024)
Record low−55° (1934)−52° (1968)−58° (1930)−44° (1943)−18° (1945)20° (1948)30° (1976)26° (1902)13° (1992)−19° (1975)−37° (1935)−49° (1935)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1902 from the Kotzebue Area threaded record (Kotzebue Airport, here). NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Kotzebue on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

FORECASTCITY
Map of Kotzebue, Alaska. Explore the plate
ALASKA · NORTHWEST ARCTIC

Kotzebue

2,889 people, 9 ft above sea level in Northwest Arctic Borough.

9 ftElevation
2,889People
24 sq miLand
Sunny 22°
SunnyDew point 17°
1

Today in Kotzebue

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now overcast 21° 9%
4p overcast 21° 12%
7p snow 22° 41%
10p overcast 21° 17%
1a overcast 21° 1%
4a mostly cloudy night 22° 0%
Snow
NEXT RAINTonight about 6 PM · 65%
→
Sat60%
Showers likely Showers likely
20
22
A
Sun10%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
16
23
A
Mon20%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
20
22
B
Tue20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
16
24
B
Wed40%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
24
26
C
Thu30%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
23
28
C
Fri20%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
21
27
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK IN 2014 · NOV. 13, 2014

39°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1902.

2

What Kotzebue stands on

Kotzebue’s center stands about 9 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 0 ft to 120 ft, a difference of 120 ft: gently rolling country. Open water lies within three miles. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Napaktuktuk Mountain, about 430 ft, 13 miles north.

Kotzebue, northwest to southeast Kotzebue9 ftHigh point220 ft ← NWSE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×.
Elevation, center9 ft
Within 3 miles0 to 120 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (120 ft of relief)
High point nearbyNapaktuktuk Mountain, 430 ft, 13 mi north
5

Kotzebue’s year

Kotzebue has a subarctic climate. Summer afternoons average 60° in July; winter nights fall to about −8° in January. A normal year brings about 64 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 11 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 11.4 in
July, average60° / 51° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average5° / −8° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow11.4 in · wettest months: August and July
Snow a year64.2 in · snowiest: February
Hottest on record85°F · June 19, 2013
Coldest on record−58°F · March 16, 1930
Wettest day on record1.73 in · July 28, 1946
Snowiest day on record19.0 in · March 31, 1938
Nights at or below 32°236 · and 192 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeSubarctic · Köppen Dfc
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Sept. 23, to the last in spring, about June 8 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Oct. 13 to April 28; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Sept. 29 to May 28; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · July through September: 5.2 of the year’s 11.4 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Kotzebue normally reaches 16° and falls to 6°. The record high is 37°, in 1965; the record low −32°, in 1956. The most rain on this date, 1.00 in, fell in 2008.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1902 from the Kotzebue Area threaded record (Kotzebue Airport, here). NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.