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Shaded-relief map of Seward, Alaska: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
ALASKA · KENAI PENINSULA BOROUGH

Seward

2,882 people, 7 ft above sea level in Kenai Peninsula Borough.

7 ftElevation, city center
2,882People, 2024 estimate
14 sq miLand area
Sunny 35°
Sunny now Dew point 22° · Calm · high 34°
City of Seward River Interstate 1 miles
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The Seward 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 Seward

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 12:00 PM AKST
RIGHT NOW Seward (PAWD) · 12:53 PM
Sunny
35° Sunny Feels like 35° · high of 34° near 2 PM
WindCalmno gusts
Humidity58%falling to 69% this afternoon
Pressure29.19 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index0none after dark
Dew point 22° · Dry36° by Monday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Tonight, about 10 PMin about 9 hours · 46% chance · rain
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 101.2 in · 4 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
! Winter Weather AdvisoryWinter Weather Advisory issued November 14 at 5:50AM AKST until November 16 at 10:00AM AKST by NWS Anchorage AK
! Winter Weather AdvisoryWinter Weather Advisory issued November 14 at 5:50AM AKST until November 15 at 5:00PM AKST by NWS Anchorage AK
! Winter Weather AdvisoryWinter Weather Advisory issued November 14 at 5:50AM AKST until November 16 at 7:00AM AKST by NWS Anchorage AK
! Winter Weather AdvisoryWinter Weather Advisory issued November 14 at 5:50AM AKST until November 16 at 1:00PM AKST by NWS Anchorage AK
NWS Anchorage and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 1:15 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 8:54 AM4:30 PM ↓
7 h 36 m of daylight, 5 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
mostly cloudy day
mostly cloudy night
overcast
snow
rain
overcast
snow
snow
snow
rain
rain
rain
rain
rain
rain
rain
rain
rain
rain
rain
rain
mostly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
showers day
TEMPERATURE °F
33°
31°
36°
37°
40°
34°
CHANCE OF RAIN
100% · 1.11 in Sunday afternoon 50%
WIND, MPH
17
17
17
17
16
17
16
15
14
13
12
10
8
7
7
8
7
7
7
8
9
8
7
5
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 25 to 36°

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 36° / 26°
SAT Nov. 14 Chance of showers Chance of showers
34° 29°
30% rain — NNW 17, gusts 33 A
SUN Nov. 15 Showers likely Showers likely
38° 34°
100% rain 0.9–1.5″ NNW 15, gusts 30 C
MON Nov. 16 Showers likely Showers likely
42° 33°
100% rain 0.2–0.6″ NNE 7 B
TUE Nov. 17 Chance of showers Chance of showers
39° 30°
40% rain up to 0.06″ N 1 B
WED Nov. 18 Showers likely Showers likely
42° 35°
100% rain 0.8–2.0″ ESE 15, gusts 25 B
THU Nov. 19 Showers likely Showers likely
42° 30°
90% rain 0.2–1.5″ N 7 B
FRI Nov. 20 Chance of showers Chance of showers
36° 27°
40% rain up to 0.4″ N 8 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 Seward about 5,000 feet above the ground was over a point about 270 miles to the southwest three days ago, and over the Gulf of Alaska a day ago, about 510 miles back along its path. It came down from about 12,500 feet up, warming and drying as it sank. Near the ground the air came from the Gulf of Alaska; at 10,000 feet, from interior Alaska. 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. 12, 2014

The hottest this week has been

51° on Nov. 12, 2014, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1908. Next is 51° in 2018.

51°
51°
20182014
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Seward record since 1908.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Seward stands on

Seward’s center stands about 7 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 0 ft to 2,730 ft, a difference of 2,730 ft: mountain country. Open water lies within three miles. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Paradise Peak, about 6,040 ft, 12 miles northeast.

Seward, cut in half from south to north

A section south to north, 24 miles through the town center
0 ft500 ft1,000 ft1,500 ft SEWARD7 ftBear Creek780 ftHigh point of the line1,980 ft ← SN →

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

Seward’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1908 · Seward, 2 mi southwest

Seward has a subarctic climate. Summer afternoons average 62° in July; winter nights fall to about 21° in January. About 70 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

31°21°34°23°37°25°45°32°53°39°59°46°62°50°62°50°56°43°46°35°36°27°33°23° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY SEWARD 69.7 in rain a year
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average62° / 50°high / low, the warmest month
January, average31° / 21°high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year69.7 inwettest months: September and October
Hottest on record95°FAugust 12, 1966
Coldest on record−20°FJanuary 29, 1919
Wettest day on record15.1 inOctober 10, 1986
Snowiest day on record36.0 inDecember 13, 1923
Nights at or below 32°146and 49 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeSubarcticKöppen Dfc

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Oct. 2, to the last in spring, about May 8 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingDec. 26 to Feb. 2; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingOct. 24 to April 16; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchSeptember through November: 26.2 of the year’s 69.7 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Seward normally reaches 36° and falls to 26°. The record high is 47°, in 1937; the record low 9°, in 2006. The most rain on this date, 3.83 in, fell in 1908.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high31°34°37°45°53°59°62°62°56°46°36°33°
Normal low21°23°25°32°39°46°50°50°43°35°27°23°
Rain, inches6.476.353.854.293.502.343.115.399.908.697.608.22
Record high61° (2014)56° (1938)67° (1915)74° (2005)80° (2013)88° (2013)88° (1915)95° (1966)84° (1910)65° (1918)58° (1979)53° (1914)
Record low−20° (1919)−17° (1947)−7° (1911)−1° (1944)14° (1945)30° (1922)30° (1917)30° (1922)26° (1946)8° (1975)−4° (1942)−12° (1961)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1908 at Seward, 2 miles southwest, 100 ft higher. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Seward on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Anchorage AK · 73 MI 73 miles north
FORECASTCITY
Map of Seward, Alaska. Explore the plate
ALASKA · KENAI PENINSULA

Seward

2,882 people, 7 ft above sea level in Kenai Peninsula Borough.

7 ftElevation
2,882People
14 sq miLand
Sunny 35°
SunnyDew point 22°
1

Today in Seward

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly cloudy day 33° 0%
4p mostly cloudy day 33° 0%
7p overcast 32° 3%
10p rain 31° 30%
1a rain 32° 39%
4a snow 31° 44%
Rain
NEXT RAINTonight about 10 PM · 46%
→
Sat30%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
29
34
A
Sun100%
Showers likely Showers likely
34
38
C
Mon100%
Showers likely Showers likely
33
42
B
Tue40%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
30
39
B
Wed100%
Showers likely Showers likely
35
42
B
Thu90%
Showers likely Showers likely
30
42
B
Fri40%
Chance of showers Chance of showers
27
36
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK IN 2014 · NOV. 12, 2014

51°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1908.

2

What Seward stands on

Seward’s center stands about 7 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 0 ft to 2,730 ft, a difference of 2,730 ft: mountain country. Open water lies within three miles. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Paradise Peak, about 6,040 ft, 12 miles northeast.

Seward, south to north Seward7 ft ← SN → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 19×.
Elevation, center7 ft
Within 3 miles0 to 2,730 ft
Lie of the landMountainous (2,730 ft of relief)
High point nearbyParadise Peak, 6,040 ft, 12 mi northeast
5

Seward’s year

Seward has a subarctic climate. Summer afternoons average 62° in July; winter nights fall to about 21° in January. About 70 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 69.7 in
July, average62° / 50° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average31° / 21° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year69.7 in · wettest months: September and October
Hottest on record95°F · August 12, 1966
Coldest on record−20°F · January 29, 1919
Wettest day on record15.1 in · October 10, 1986
Snowiest day on record36.0 in · December 13, 1923
Nights at or below 32°146 · and 49 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeSubarctic · Köppen Dfc
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Oct. 2, to the last in spring, about May 8 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Dec. 26 to Feb. 2; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Oct. 24 to April 16; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · September through November: 26.2 of the year’s 69.7 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Seward normally reaches 36° and falls to 26°. The record high is 47°, in 1937; the record low 9°, in 2006. The most rain on this date, 3.83 in, fell in 1908.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1908 at Seward, 2 miles southwest, 100 ft higher. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.