Fairbanks weather in August

In August, Fairbanks sees average daytime highs of 65°F and overnight lows near 50°F, with 2.4 in of rain across 10.9 wet days and about 16.2 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 69°F in the first days to 62°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 17 h 54 min at the start of August to 14 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Fairbanks's 12th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fairbanks's year-round climate.

Daytime high
65°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
50°
10th coldest
Rainfall
2.4 in
10.9 wet days
Daylight
16 h 12 min
4:48 AM – 9:02 PM
Cloud cover
72%
12th clearest
Wind
5 mph
10th windiest
Solar energy
3.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Fairbanks is city in Alaska, USA.

Density
384/km²
people per km²
Founded
1901

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

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 69°F in the first days to 62°F by the end.

A typical August day in Fairbanks reaches about 65°F in the afternoon and slips back to 50°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 56°F and 75°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 6°F cooler than July and about 11°F warmer than September.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16954
26954
36953
46953
56953
66953
76853
86853
96852
106752
116752
126751
136751
146651
156650
166650
176550
186549
196549
206449
216448
226448
236347
246347
256347
266246
276246
286246
296246
306145
316145

How August really feels in Fairbanks

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 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
0
wind chill below the day's low

August sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Fairbanks weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -9°0.43.54.64.60.0
Feb12° / -3°0.43.13.97.80.0
Mar25° / 0.32.43.111.20.0
Apr44° / 24°0.42.82.214.71.3
May60° / 41°0.85.30.518.15.3
Jun70° / 53°2.010.2020.66.3
Jul71° / 55°2.411019.66.3
Aug65° / 50°2.410.9016.25.6
Sep54° / 39°1.67.9112.73.4
Oct33° / 22°0.85.44.29.20.1
Nov14° / 0.64.45.55.80.0
Dec / -6°0.43.74.73.30.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in August, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12773
22773
32773
42773
52674
62674
72674
82674
92674
102674
112773
122674
132674
142674
152773
162773
172872
182872
192971
202971
212971
223070
233169
243268
253268
263268
273268
283268
293268
303268
313367

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Fairbanks gets around 2.4 in of rain over 10.9 wet days in August, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 35% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
336
436
536
636
737
837
937
1037
1137
1237
1337
1436
1536
1636
1736
1836
1935
2035
2134
2234
2333
2433
2532
2632
2731
2831
2931
3030
3130

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the dry band about 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1928
2928
3928
4928
5928
6928
7937
8937
9937
10946
11946
12946
13955
14964
15964
16973
17973
18973
19973
20982
21982
22982
23982
24982
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
311000

Wind in August

Winds average 5 mph in August.

Across August, 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 August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 17 h 54 min at the start of August to 14 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 204 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 3:59 AM to 5:36 AM, and sunset from 9:55 PM to 8:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
117.93:599:55
217.84:029:52
317.74:069:48
417.64:099:45
517.54:129:41
617.44:159:38
717.34:199:34
817.14:229:31
917.04:259:27
1016.94:299:23
1116.84:329:20
1216.74:359:16
1316.64:389:13
1416.54:429:09
1516.34:459:05
1616.24:489:02
1716.14:518:58
1816.04:558:54
1915.94:588:51
2015.85:018:47
2115.65:048:43
2215.55:088:40
2315.45:118:36
2415.35:148:32
2515.25:178:28
2615.15:208:25
2715.05:238:21
2814.85:278:17
2914.75:308:13
3014.65:338:10
3114.55:368:06

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 3.61 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.05 kWh/m² to a high of 5.88 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 3.61 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.2Bright
34.1Bright
44.1Bright
54.0Bright
64.0Bright
74.0Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.8Moderate
123.8Moderate
133.7Moderate
143.7Moderate
153.6Moderate
163.6Moderate
173.6Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.4Moderate
233.4Moderate
243.4Moderate
253.3Moderate
263.3Moderate
273.2Moderate
283.2Moderate
293.2Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Fairbanks?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
2.2
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Fairbanks for sightseeing.

What to pack for Fairbanks in August

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

In August, Fairbanks sees daytime highs around 65°F and nights near 50°F. Worth packing: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

rain gear

UV index in Fairbanks in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Fairbanks peaks around June 20 at about 4 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 17 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 20UV 4Dec 17UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Moderate
May3Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low

Air quality in Fairbanks in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Fairbanks is worst in June — around 34 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 33.8× the cleanest month (December, 1 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 2133 µg/m³Dec 191 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan1Good
Feb3Good
Mar5Good
Apr8Good
May10Good
Jun34Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep3Good
Oct2Good
Nov1Good
Dec1Good
Location & terrain

Where is Fairbanks?

Fairbanks sits at 64.8°N, 147.7°W, 446 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Badger, 6.2 mi away.

Dawson CityWhitehorseJuneauTerraceAnadyr

Topography around Fairbanks

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Fairbanks has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 102 ft around an average of 443 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,801 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,350 ft.

The land around Fairbanks is covered by trees (34%), artificial surfaces (31%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, trees (69%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (66%) and grassland (29%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
102 ft
10 miles
1,801 ft
50 miles
4,350 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmoss and lichen
August weather nearby: Badger 6.2 mi · Eagle River 250 mi · Dawson City 252 mi · Anchorage 259 mi · Whitehorse 490 mi · Juneau 626 mi · Terrace 969 mi · Anadyr 1,010 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 Fairbanks (64.8378°, -147.7164°, elevation 446 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).