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

Northway

234 people, 2,210 ft above sea level in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area.

2,210 ftElevation, city center
234People, 2024 estimate
242 sq miLand area
Sunny 19°
Sunny now Dew point 17° · Calm · high 15°
City of Northway River Interstate 5 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Northway 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 Northway

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 2:00 PM AKST
RIGHT NOW Northway Airport (PAOR) · 2:53 PM
Sunny
19° Sunny Feels like 19° · high of 15° near 3 PM
WindCalmno gusts
Humidity92%rising to 96% by morning
Pressure29.30 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index0none after dark
Dew point 17° · Dry8° by Saturday: drier air arrives
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Overcast
Tomorrow, about 4 PMin about 24 hours · 53% chance · rain
LIKELY AMOUNT0–0.05 inmost likely 0; 1 in 10 over 0.1
LAST RAIN—none in 31 days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Southeast Fairbanks Census Area
NWS Fairbanks and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 3:45 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 8:42 AM3:39 PM ↓
6 h 56 m of daylight, 6 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
overcast
mostly cloudy night
overcast
overcast
overcast
overcast
overcast
overcast
rain
rain
overcast
overcast
overcast
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
rain
rain
TEMPERATURE °F
15°
10°
17°
11°
18°
10°
CHANCE OF RAIN
53% · 0.00 in Sunday afternoon 50%
WIND, MPH
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
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0
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 8° / -9°
SAT Nov. 14 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
15° 9°
0% rain — WNW 0 A
SUN Nov. 15 Chance of showers Chance of showers
18° 10°
50% rain up to 0.05″ E 0 B
MON Nov. 16 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
19° 8°
10% rain — ESE 0 B
TUE Nov. 17 Chance of showers Chance of showers
18° 5°
40% rain up to 0.05″ ESE 5 B
WED Nov. 18 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
16° 4°
0% rain — E 2 B
THU Nov. 19 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
16° 4°
10% rain — ESE 5 C
FRI Nov. 20 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
16° 2°
20% rain — S 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 Northway about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the Arctic Ocean three days ago, and over interior Alaska a day ago, about 1,040 miles back along its path. It came down from about 15,200 feet up, warming and drying as it sank. Near the ground the air came from Canada; at 10,000 feet, from a point about 8,990 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 1989 Nov. 12, 1989

The coldest this week has been

−55° on Nov. 12, 1989, the coldest reading for this week of the year since 1942. Next is −50° in 1990.

−50°
−55°
19901989
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Northway Airport record since 1942.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Northway stands on

Northway’s center stands about 2,210 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 2,040 ft to 2,910 ft, a difference of 870 ft: hilly country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Cheneathda Hill, about 3,590 ft, 7 miles west-northwest.

Northway, cut in half from west to east

A section west to east, 24 miles through the town center
2,000 ft2,500 ft3,000 ft NORTHWAY2,210 ftLow point1,700 ftChisana Riverabout 1,700 ftHigh point of the line3,360 ft ← WE →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 12×.

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

Northway’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1942 · Northway Airport, 13 mi west-southwest

Northway has a dry-winter subarctic climate. Summer afternoons average 71° in July; winter nights fall to about −22° in January. A normal year brings about 43 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 11 inches of water.

−5°−22°8°−16°24°−8°45°17°60°34°70°45°71°48°67°43°55°32°32°14°8°−9°−2°−19° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY NORTHWAY 11.3 in rain and snowmelt
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average71° / 48°high / low, the warmest month
January, average−5° / −22°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow11.3 inwettest months: July and June
Snow a year42.9 insnowiest: November
Hottest on record92°FJune 30, 2019
Coldest on record−72°FJanuary 20, 1952
Wettest day on record3.75 inAugust 1, 1944
Snowiest day on record11.2 inJanuary 11, 1949
Nights at or below 32°241and 164 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeDry-winter subarcticKöppen Dwc

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Aug. 30, to the last in spring, about May 23 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingOct. 16 to March 28; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingSept. 15 to May 11; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchJune through August: 7.0 of the year’s 11.3 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Northway normally reaches 8° and falls to −9°. The record high is 31°, in 2013; the record low −46°, in 1989. The most rain on this date, 0.33 in, fell in 2012.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high−5°8°24°45°60°70°71°67°55°32°8°−2°
Normal low−22°−16°−8°17°34°45°48°43°32°14°−9°−19°
Rain and melt, in0.310.240.150.220.982.262.921.791.060.530.510.30
Snow, inches6.35.23.51.21.80.00.00.01.96.19.87.1
Record high43° (2009)48° (1943)56° (2016)74° (2003)88° (1947)92° (2019)88° (2023)89° (2024)80° (2025)68° (2003)42° (1979)51° (1999)
Record low−72° (1952)−71° (1979)−56° (1956)−42° (1944)2° (1964)25° (2006)32° (1981)12° (1987)−6° (1983)−36° (1996)−55° (1989)−64° (1956)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1942 at Northway Airport, 13 miles west-southwest, 490 ft lower. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Northway on the Forecast Network

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FORECASTCITY
Map of Northway, Alaska. Explore the plate
ALASKA · SOUTHEAST FAIRBANKS

Northway

234 people, 2,210 ft above sea level in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area.

2,210 ftElevation
234People
242 sq miLand
Sunny 19°
SunnyDew point 17°
1

Today in Northway

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly cloudy day 15° 0%
6p overcast 12° 0%
9p overcast 10° 0%
12a overcast 11° 0%
3a overcast 10° 0%
6a overcast 12° 0%
Overcast
NEXT RAINTomorrow about 4 PM · 53%
→
Sat0%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
9
15
A
Sun50%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
10
18
B
Mon10%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
8
19
B
Tue40%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
5
18
B
Wed0%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
4
16
B
Thu10%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
4
16
C
Fri20%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
2
16
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK IN 1989 · NOV. 12, 1989

−55°, the coldest this week of the year has been since 1942.

2

What Northway stands on

Northway’s center stands about 2,210 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 2,040 ft to 2,910 ft, a difference of 870 ft: hilly country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Cheneathda Hill, about 3,590 ft, 7 miles west-northwest.

Northway, west to east Northway2,210 ftChisana Riverabout 1,700 ft ← WE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 22×.
Elevation, center2,210 ft
Within 3 miles2,040 to 2,910 ft
Lie of the landHilly (870 ft of relief)
High point nearbyCheneathda Hill, 3,590 ft, 7 mi west-northwest
5

Northway’s year

Northway has a dry-winter subarctic climate. Summer afternoons average 71° in July; winter nights fall to about −22° in January. A normal year brings about 43 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 11 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 11.3 in
July, average71° / 48° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average−5° / −22° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow11.3 in · wettest months: July and June
Snow a year42.9 in · snowiest: November
Hottest on record92°F · June 30, 2019
Coldest on record−72°F · January 20, 1952
Wettest day on record3.75 in · August 1, 1944
Snowiest day on record11.2 in · January 11, 1949
Nights at or below 32°241 · and 164 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeDry-winter subarctic · Köppen Dwc
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Aug. 30, to the last in spring, about May 23 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Oct. 16 to March 28; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Sept. 15 to May 11; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · June through August: 7.0 of the year’s 11.3 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Northway normally reaches 8° and falls to −9°. The record high is 31°, in 2013; the record low −46°, in 1989. The most rain on this date, 0.33 in, fell in 2012.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1942 at Northway Airport, 13 miles west-southwest, 490 ft lower. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.