Anchorage in Fall

In fall (September, October and November), Anchorage sees average daytime highs around 41°F and overnight lows near 34°F, with 10.7 in of precipitation over about 40 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the wettest season of the year.

Over the season highs ease from about 58°F in early September to 25°F by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.

Fall is Anchorage's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Anchorage's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
41°F
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
34°F
Precipitation
10.7 in
40 wet days
Avg wind
5 mph
Travel score
1.1
2nd-best season
Months
Sep · Oct · Nov

Temperature in Anchorage in Fall

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 58°F in early September to 25°F by late November.

A typical fall day in Anchorage reaches about 41°F and drops to 34°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.

20°40°60°SepOctNov

How fall really feels in Anchorage

Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 51 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
51
15 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

The story in fall is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Anchorage weather by month

How the three fall months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan21° / 14°2.010.410.760.0
Feb26° / 18°1.99.69.48.50.0
Mar32° / 21°1.58.58.511.30.0
Apr42° / 30°1.27.3414.30.5
May51° / 39°1.27.10.6172.7
Jun59° / 49°1.69018.84.5
Jul62° / 54°2.912.5018.14.9
Aug61° / 53°4.214.8015.54.4
Sep54° / 46°4.615.30.412.62.8
Oct41° / 33°3.513.24.19.60.4
Nov29° / 22°2.611.79.36.90.0
Dec23° / 16°2.912.8135.20.0

Cloud cover in Fall

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time across fall.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Chance of precipitation in Fall

Any precipitationSnow

Anchorage gets around 10.7 in of rain and snow over 40 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%SepOctNov

Humidity in Fall

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Wind in Fall

Winds average 5 mph across fall.

0246810SepOctNov

Sunrise & sunset in Fall

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 hours in early September to 5 h 48 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMSepOctNov

Solar energy in Fall

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 1.3 kWh/m².

0123SepOctNov
Planning a trip in fall

Hazard calendar for Anchorage

In seasonPeak

In fall, Anchorage overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Anchorage's rainy season runs July–December, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is fall a good time to visit Anchorage?

Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

1.1
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

fall is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Anchorage.

What to pack for Anchorage in Fall

From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In fall, Anchorage sees daytime highs around 41°F and nights near 34°F. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 40 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Anchorage in Fall

The nearest coast averages about 47°F across fall — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 10 mi away) is warmest in August at about 57°F and coldest in February near 31°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

30°40°50°60°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan31Bracing
Feb31Bracing
Mar31Bracing
Apr32Bracing
May36Bracing
Jun48Bracing
Jul55Bracing
Aug57Bracing
Sep54Bracing
Oct47Bracing
Nov40Bracing
Dec32Bracing

UV index in Anchorage in Fall

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Anchorage peaks around June 23 at about 5 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJun 23UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar1Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep2Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Anchorage?

Anchorage sits at 61.2°N, 149.9°W, 102 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Eagle River, 13 mi away.

Dawson CityWhitehorseJuneauTerraceAnadyr

Topography around Anchorage

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Anchorage.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Anchorage has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 194 ft around an average of 56 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,386 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,769 ft.

The land around Anchorage is covered by water (39%) and artificial surfaces (32%) within 2 miles, trees (39%) and water (35%) within 10 miles, and trees (42%) and grassland (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
194 ft
10 miles
3,386 ft
50 miles
7,769 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewaterwetlandmoss and lichen
Fall weather nearby: Eagle River 13 mi · Badger 258 mi · Fairbanks 259 mi · Dawson City 385 mi · Whitehorse 498 mi · Juneau 574 mi · Terrace 903 mi · Anadyr 1,039 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Anchorage (61.2181°, -149.9003°, elevation 102 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.