Anchorage weather in January

In January, Anchorage sees average daytime highs of 21°F and overnight lows near 14°F, with 2.0 in of precipitation across 10.4 wet days and about 6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 5 h 12 min at the start of January to 7 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Anchorage's 8th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Anchorage's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
12th warmest
Overnight low
14°
1st coldest
Precipitation
2.0 in
10.4 wet days
Daylight
6 hours
10:10 AM – 4:08 PM
Cloud cover
70%
8th clearest
Wind
5 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Anchorage is consolidated city-borough and largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska.

Density
57/km²
people per km²
Founded
1914

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°F through the month.

A typical January day in Anchorage reaches about 21°F in the afternoon and slips back to 14°F overnight — a 7°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°F and 35°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°F cooler than December and about 5°F cooler than February.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
12115
22114
32114
42114
52114
62014
72014
82014
92013
102013
112014
122014
132014
142114
152114
162114
172114
182114
192114
202114
212114
222114
232114
242214
252215
262215
272215
282215
292215
302215
312215

How January really feels in Anchorage

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
31
31 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Anchorage weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23070
33169
43268
53268
63367
73367
83565
93565
103565
113565
123565
133565
143565
153565
163664
173565
183466
193466
203466
213367
223367
233367
243268
253268
263367
273268
283268
293268
303268
313169

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Anchorage gets around 2.0 in of rain and snow over 10.4 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 35% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 11 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13636
23536
33435
43435
53334
63334
73334
83334
93335
103435
113435
123536
133536
143637
153737
163737
173737
183737
193736
203736
213636
223535
233535
243435
253434
263334
273334
283334
293334
303334
313334

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 5 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 5 h 12 min at the start of January to 7 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 114 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 10:26 AM to 9:39 AM, and sunset from 3:39 PM to 4:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
15.210:263:39
25.210:263:41
35.310:253:42
45.310:253:44
55.410:243:45
65.410:233:47
75.510:223:49
85.510:213:51
95.610:203:53
105.610:193:55
115.710:173:57
125.710:163:59
135.810:144:01
145.810:134:03
155.910:114:06
166.010:104:08
176.010:084:10
186.110:064:13
196.210:054:15
206.310:034:18
216.310:014:20
226.49:594:23
236.59:574:25
246.69:554:28
256.69:534:31
266.79:504:33
276.89:484:36
286.99:464:39
297.09:444:41
307.09:414:44
317.19:394:47

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.3 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.16 kWh/m² to a high of 5.49 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.3 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.2Dim
20.2Dim
30.2Dim
40.2Dim
50.2Dim
60.2Dim
70.2Dim
80.2Dim
90.2Dim
100.2Dim
110.3Dim
120.3Dim
130.3Dim
140.3Dim
150.3Dim
160.3Dim
170.3Dim
180.3Dim
190.3Dim
200.3Dim
210.4Dim
220.4Dim
230.4Dim
240.4Dim
250.4Dim
260.5Dim
270.5Dim
280.5Dim
290.5Dim
300.5Dim
310.6Dim
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Anchorage

In seasonPeak

None of Anchorage's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

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 January a good time to visit Anchorage?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Anchorage.

What to pack for Anchorage in January

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

In January, Anchorage sees daytime highs around 21°F and nights near 14°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Anchorage in January

The nearest coast averages about 31°F in January — 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 January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 0. 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
January 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).