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

Sterling

5,918 people, 210 ft above sea level in Kenai Peninsula Borough.

210 ftElevation, city center
5,918People, 2024 estimate
78 sq miLand area
Sunny 27°
Sunny now Dew point 25° · Calm · high 31°
City of Sterling River Interstate 2 miles
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The Sterling 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 Sterling

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 2:00 PM AKST
RIGHT NOW Kenai Municipal Airport (PAEN) · 2:53 PM
Sunny
27° Sunny Feels like 27° · high of 31° near 3 PM
WindCalmno gusts
Humidity92%rising to 84% by morning
Pressure29.31 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index0none after dark
Dew point 25° · Dryabout the same for three days
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Snow
Tomorrow, about 1 PMin about 22 hours · 100% chance · rain
LIKELY AMOUNT0.1–0.3 inmost likely 0.2; 1 in 10 over 0.5
LAST RAINOct. 300.28 in · 15 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
! Winter Weather AdvisoryWinter Weather Advisory issued November 14 at 2:48PM AKST until November 15 at 5:00PM AKST by NWS Anchorage AK
! Winter Weather AdvisoryWinter Weather Advisory issued November 14 at 2:48PM AKST until November 16 at 1:00PM AKST by NWS Anchorage AK
! Winter Weather AdvisoryWinter Weather Advisory issued November 14 at 2:48PM AKST until November 16 at 10:00AM AKST by NWS Anchorage AK
! Winter Weather AdvisoryWinter Weather Advisory issued November 14 at 2:48PM AKST until November 16 at 7:00AM AKST by NWS Anchorage AK
NWS Anchorage and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 3:17 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 9:02 AM4:33 PM ↓
7 h 30 m of daylight, 5 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 27% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
37
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
partly cloudy day
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
overcast
overcast
snow
snow
snow
snow
rain
rain
rain
rain
rain
mostly cloudy day
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
TEMPERATURE °F
31°
22°
30°
26°
35°
26°
CHANCE OF RAIN
100% · 0.10 in Sunday afternoon 50%
WIND, MPH
5
5
3
2
1
2
3
3
4
4
3
3
4
5
7
8
7
5
3
2
0
1
3
4
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 18 to 28°

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 30° / 16°
SAT Nov. 14 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
31° 19°
0% rain — ENE 5 A
SUN Nov. 15 Showers likely Showers likely
31° 21°
100% rain 0.1–0.3″ NE 3 B
MON Nov. 16 Showers likely Showers likely
36° 23°
60% rain up to 0.09″ E 7 B
TUE Nov. 17 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
35° 21°
0% rain — ENE 3 B
WED Nov. 18 Showers likely Showers likely
37° 28°
70% rain 0.01–0.2″ NE 16 B
THU Nov. 19 Showers likely Showers likely
39° 25°
60% rain up to 0.1″ S 14 B
FRI Nov. 20 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
36° 22°
20% rain — NE 6 B
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 Sterling about 5,000 feet above the ground was over a point about 220 miles to the southwest three days ago, and over the Gulf of Alaska a day ago, about 400 miles back along its path. Near the ground the air came from interior Alaska; at 10,000 feet, from southcentral 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. 11, 2014

The hottest this week has been

49° on Nov. 11, 2014, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1899. Next is 48° in 1967.

48°
49°
19672014
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Kenai Airport record since 1899.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Sterling stands on

Sterling’s center stands about 210 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 140 ft to 410 ft, a difference of 270 ft: rolling country.

Sterling, cut in half from south to north

A section south to north, 24 miles through the town center
200 ft400 ft STERLING210 ftHigh point of the line600 ftLow point140 ft ← SN →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 42×.

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

Sterling’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1899 · Kenai Airport, 17 mi west

Sterling has a dry-summer subarctic climate. Summer afternoons average 63° in July; winter nights fall to about 7° in January. About 18 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

22°7°28°12°33°14°44°28°55°36°60°44°63°49°63°47°56°40°43°29°30°16°25°11° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 TODAY STERLING 18.3 in rain a year
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average63° / 49°high / low, the warmest month
January, average22° / 7°high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year18.3 inwettest months: September and August
Hottest on record89°FJuly 4, 2019
Coldest on record−48°FFebruary 4, 1947
Wettest day on record4.28 inOctober 10, 1986
Snowiest day on record13.3 inJanuary 2, 1960
Nights at or below 32°197and 97 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeDry-summer subarcticKöppen Dsc

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Sept. 15, to the last in spring, about May 25 (median dates)
2Highs below freezingNov. 7 to March 17; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezingOct. 9 to April 26; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretchAugust through October: 8.8 of the year’s 18.3 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Sterling normally reaches 30° and falls to 16°. The record high is 42°, in 1986; the record low −18°, in 1903. The most rain on this date, 0.62 in, fell in 1961.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high22°28°33°44°55°60°63°63°56°43°30°25°
Normal low7°12°14°28°36°44°49°47°40°29°16°11°
Rain, inches0.890.830.640.580.791.201.982.683.572.561.411.14
Record high49° (2014)52° (2007)59° (1905)69° (2005)82° (1969)87° (1953)89° (2019)86° (1977)75° (1904)63° (2006)59° (1905)56° (1906)
Record low−47° (1975)−48° (1947)−41° (1971)−22° (1944)12° (1945)26° (1901)27° (1904)24° (1984)11° (1904)−12° (1996)−27° (1994)−43° (1902)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1899 at Kenai Airport, 16 miles west, 110 ft lower. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Sterling on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Anchorage AK · 67 MI 67 miles northeast
FORECASTCITY
Map of Sterling, Alaska. Explore the plate
ALASKA · KENAI PENINSULA

Sterling

5,918 people, 210 ft above sea level in Kenai Peninsula Borough.

210 ftElevation
5,918People
78 sq miLand
Sunny 27°
SunnyDew point 25°
1

Today in Sterling

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly cloudy day 31° 0%
6p mostly cloudy night 26° 0%
9p mostly cloudy night 24° 0%
12a mostly cloudy night 24° 0%
3a mostly cloudy night 23° 0%
6a mostly cloudy night 23° 0%
Snow
NEXT RAINTomorrow about 1 PM · 100%
→
Sat0%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
19
31
A
Sun100%
Showers likely Showers likely
21
31
B
Mon60%
Showers likely Showers likely
23
36
B
Tue0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
21
35
B
Wed70%
Showers likely Showers likely
28
37
B
Thu60%
Showers likely Showers likely
25
39
B
Fri20%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
22
36
B
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

49°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1899.

2

What Sterling stands on

Sterling’s center stands about 210 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 140 ft to 410 ft, a difference of 270 ft: rolling country.

Sterling, south to north Sterling210 ft ← SN → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 80×.
Elevation, center210 ft
Within 3 miles140 to 410 ft
Lie of the landRolling (270 ft of relief)
5

Sterling’s year

Sterling has a dry-summer subarctic climate. Summer afternoons average 63° in July; winter nights fall to about 7° in January. About 18 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 1234 18.3 in
July, average63° / 49° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average22° / 7° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year18.3 in · wettest months: September and August
Hottest on record89°F · July 4, 2019
Coldest on record−48°F · February 4, 1947
Wettest day on record4.28 in · October 10, 1986
Snowiest day on record13.3 in · January 2, 1960
Nights at or below 32°197 · and 97 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeDry-summer subarctic · Köppen Dsc
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Sept. 15, to the last in spring, about May 25 (median dates)
2Highs below freezing · Nov. 7 to March 17; normal highs stay below 32°
3Lows below freezing · Oct. 9 to April 26; normal lows fall below 32°
4Wettest stretch · August through October: 8.8 of the year’s 18.3 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Sterling normally reaches 30° and falls to 16°. The record high is 42°, in 1986; the record low −18°, in 1903. The most rain on this date, 0.62 in, fell in 1961.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1899 at Kenai Airport, 16 miles west, 110 ft lower. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.