Fairbanks in Spring

In spring (March, April and May), Fairbanks sees average daytime highs around 43°F and overnight lows near 23°F, with 1.5 in of precipitation over about 11 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.

Over the season highs climb from about 19°F in early March to 66°F by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.

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

Avg daytime high
43°F
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
23°F
Precipitation
1.5 in
11 wet days
Avg wind
5 mph
Travel score
2.2
2nd-best season
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in Fairbanks in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 19°F in early March to 66°F by late May.

A typical spring day in Fairbanks reaches about 43°F and drops to 23°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.

-20°20°40°60°80°MarAprMay

How spring really feels in Fairbanks

Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 66 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
66
41 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Fairbanks weather by month

How the three spring months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

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 Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time across spring.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitationSnow

Fairbanks gets around 1.5 in of rain and snow over 11 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%MarAprMay

Humidity in Spring

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Wind in Spring

Winds average 5 mph across spring.

0246810MarAprMay

Sunrise & sunset in Spring

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 24 min in early March to 19 h 42 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMMarAprMay

Solar energy in Spring

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 4.1 kWh/m².

0246MarAprMay
Planning a trip in spring

Is spring a good time to visit Fairbanks?

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

2.2
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
0.4
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

spring is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Fairbanks.

What to pack for Fairbanks in Spring

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

In spring, Fairbanks sees daytime highs around 43°F and nights near 23°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatsun protection

UV index in Fairbanks in Spring

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 2. 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 Spring

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where spring 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
Spring 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.