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Shaded-relief map of Palmer, Alaska: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
ALASKA · MATANUSKA-SUSITNA BOROUGH

Palmer

6,626 people, 240 ft above sea level in Matanuska-Susitna Borough.

240 ftElevation, city center
6,626People, 2024 estimate
5 sq miLand area
Sunny 20°
Sunny now Dew point 17° · N 5 mph · high 27°
City of Palmer River Interstate 1 miles
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The Palmer 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 Palmer

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 9:00 AM AKST
RIGHT NOW Palmer Municipal Airport (PAAQ) · 9:53 AM
Sunny
20° Sunny Feels like 13° · high of 27° near 5 PM
WindN 5 mphno gusts
Humidity88%falling to 71% this afternoon
Pressure29.25 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index0none after dark
Dew point 17° · Dryabout the same for three days
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Mostly cloudy
Tonight, about 10 PMin about 11 hours · 46% chance · rain
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 100.31 in · 4 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
! Dense Fog AdvisoryDense Fog Advisory issued November 14 at 8:58AM AKST until November 14 at 11:00AM AKST by NWS Anchorage AK
NWS Anchorage and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 10:45 AM
SUN & MOON
↑ 9:02 AM4:19 PM ↓
7 h 16 m of daylight, 5 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 25% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
52
MODERATEAir 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
10a
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
mostly cloudy day
mostly cloudy day
mostly cloudy night
overcast
rain
rain
rain
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy day
mostly cloudy day
rain
rain
mostly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy day
mostly cloudy day
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
TEMPERATURE °F
21°
27°
22°
29°
29°
33°
27°
CHANCE OF RAIN
77% · 0.06 in Sunday overnight 50%
WIND, MPH
0
0
0
2
2
5
5
3
2
4
5
6
8
10
10
8
6
6
6
4
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3
3
1
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 17 to 25°

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 28° / 15°
SAT Nov. 14 Chance of showers Chance of showers
27° 20°
50% rain — NNE 0 A
SUN Nov. 15 Showers likely Showers likely
31° 25°
80% rain — NE 3 C
MON Nov. 16 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
36° 26°
10% rain — ENE 6 C
TUE Nov. 17 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
34° 24°
10% rain — ENE 5 C
WED Nov. 18 Chance of showers Chance of showers
37° 31°
40% rain up to 0.09″ ENE 21, gusts 29 B
THU Nov. 19 Showers likely Showers likely
38° 26°
60% rain up to 0.5″ ENE 13 C
FRI Nov. 20 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
33° 22°
30% rain — ENE 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 Palmer 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 460 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 11,300 feet up, warming and drying as it sank. 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 2014 Nov. 11, 2014

The hottest this week has been

52° on Nov. 11, 2014, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1969. Next is 49° in 1979.

49°
52°
19792014
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Ben'S Farm record since 1969.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Palmer stands on

Palmer’s center stands about 240 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 100 ft to 610 ft, a difference of 510 ft: hilly country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Pioneer Peak, about 6,180 ft, 9 miles south-southeast.

Palmer, cut in half from west to east

A section west to east, 24 miles through the town center
0 ft2,000 ft4,000 ft PALMER240 ftSouth Lakes320 ftMatanuska Riverabout 170 ftMatanuska Peak6,000 ft ← W · WasillaE →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 3×.

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

Palmer’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1969 · Ben'S Farm, 3 mi south-southwest

Palmer has a cold desert climate. Summer afternoons average 70° in July; winter nights fall to about 6° in January. Barely 0.0 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

21°6°28°12°34°17°49°29°61°38°68°46°70°50°66°48°57°41°42°29°28°14°23°9° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 12 TODAY PALMER 0.0 in rain a year
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average70° / 50°high / low, the warmest month
January, average21° / 6°high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year0.0 inspread evenly through the year
Hottest on record90°FJune 15, 1969
Coldest on record−48°FJanuary 4, 1975
Wettest day on record1.97 inSeptember 20, 1995
Snowiest day on record13.0 inFebruary 6, 1993
Climate typeCold desertKöppen BWk

AROUND THE RING

1Highs below freezingNov. 2 to March 11; normal highs stay below 32°
2Lows below freezingOct. 10 to April 22; normal lows fall below 32°
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Palmer normally reaches 28° and falls to 14°. The record high is 43°, in 2016; the record low −18°, in 1973. The most rain on this date, 0.50 in, fell in 1986.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high21°28°34°49°61°68°70°66°57°42°28°23°
Normal low6°12°17°29°38°46°50°48°41°29°14°9°
Rain, inches0.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.00
Record high56° (2014)53° (1982)56° (1981)68° (1995)82° (1969)90° (1969)88° (2019)82° (2021)74° (1974)68° (1986)55° (1986)52° (1999)
Record low−48° (1975)−44° (1999)−33° (1971)−12° (1986)21° (2012)29° (1983)35° (1971)25° (1969)14° (1992)−15° (1982)−31° (1990)−35° (1980)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1969 at Ben'S Farm, 3 miles south-southwest, 110 ft lower. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Palmer on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Knik-Fairview AK · 18 MI 18 miles west Anchorage AK · 30 MI 30 miles south
FORECASTCITY
Map of Palmer, Alaska. Explore the plate
ALASKA · MATANUSKA-SUSITNA

Palmer

6,626 people, 240 ft above sea level in Matanuska-Susitna Borough.

240 ftElevation
6,626People
5 sq miLand
Sunny 20°
SunnyDew point 17°
1

Today in Palmer

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly cloudy day 21° 0%
1p mostly cloudy day 26° 0%
4p mostly cloudy night 26° 0%
7p mostly cloudy night 26° 0%
10p rain 25° 46%
1a mostly cloudy night 24° 29%
Mostly cloudy
NEXT RAINTonight about 10 PM · 46%
→
Sat50%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
20
27
A
Sun80%
Showers likely Showers likely
25
31
C
Mon10%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
26
36
C
Tue10%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
24
34
C
Wed40%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
31
37
B
Thu60%
Showers likely Showers likely
26
38
C
Fri30%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
22
33
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK IN 2014 · NOV. 11, 2014

52°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1969.

2

What Palmer stands on

Palmer’s center stands about 240 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 100 ft to 610 ft, a difference of 510 ft: hilly country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Pioneer Peak, about 6,180 ft, 9 miles south-southeast.

Palmer, west to east Palmer240 ftMatanuska Riverabout 170 ftMatanuska Peak6,000 ft ← WE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 7×.
Elevation, center240 ft
Within 3 miles100 to 610 ft
Lie of the landHilly (510 ft of relief)
High point nearbyPioneer Peak, 6,180 ft, 9 mi south-southeast
5

Palmer’s year

Palmer has a cold desert climate. Summer afternoons average 70° in July; winter nights fall to about 6° in January. Barely 0.0 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 12 0.0 in
July, average70° / 50° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average21° / 6° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year0.0 in · spread evenly through the year
Hottest on record90°F · June 15, 1969
Coldest on record−48°F · January 4, 1975
Wettest day on record1.97 in · September 20, 1995
Snowiest day on record13.0 in · February 6, 1993
Climate typeCold desert · Köppen BWk
1Highs below freezing · Nov. 2 to March 11; normal highs stay below 32°
2Lows below freezing · Oct. 10 to April 22; normal lows fall below 32°
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Palmer normally reaches 28° and falls to 14°. The record high is 43°, in 2016; the record low −18°, in 1973. The most rain on this date, 0.50 in, fell in 1986.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1969 at Ben'S Farm, 3 miles south-southwest, 110 ft lower. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.