Fairbanks in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Fairbanks sees average daytime highs around 7°F and overnight lows near -6°F, with 1.2 in of precipitation over about 10 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 8°F in early December to 17°F by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Fairbanks's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Fairbanks's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 7°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- -6°F
- Precipitation
- 1.2 in
- 10 wet days
- Avg wind
- 5 mph
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Fairbanks in Winter
Over the season highs climb from about 8°F in early December to 17°F by late February.
A typical winter day in Fairbanks reaches about 7°F and drops to -6°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Fairbanks
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 90 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Fairbanks weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3° / -9° | 0.4 | 3.5 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 12° / -3° | 0.4 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 7.8 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 25° / 5° | 0.3 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 11.2 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 44° / 24° | 0.4 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 14.7 | 1.3 |
| May | 60° / 41° | 0.8 | 5.3 | 0.5 | 18.1 | 5.3 |
| Jun | 70° / 53° | 2.0 | 10.2 | 0 | 20.6 | 6.3 |
| Jul | 71° / 55° | 2.4 | 11 | 0 | 19.6 | 6.3 |
| Aug | 65° / 50° | 2.4 | 10.9 | 0 | 16.2 | 5.6 |
| Sep | 54° / 39° | 1.6 | 7.9 | 1 | 12.7 | 3.4 |
| Oct | 33° / 22° | 0.8 | 5.4 | 4.2 | 9.2 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 14° / 3° | 0.6 | 4.4 | 5.5 | 5.8 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 6° / -6° | 0.4 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 3.3 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Fairbanks gets around 1.2 in of rain and snow over 10 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 5 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 4 h 06 min in early December to 9 h 18 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 0.3 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Fairbanks?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Fairbanks.
What to pack for Fairbanks in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Fairbanks sees daytime highs around 7°F and nights near -6°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 10 days see rain.
UV index in Fairbanks in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 0. 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Level | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Low | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | Low |
| Feb | 0 | Low |
| Mar | 1 | Low |
| Apr | 2 | Moderate |
| May | 3 | Moderate |
| Jun | 5 | Moderate |
| Jul | 4 | Moderate |
| Aug | 3 | Moderate |
| Sep | 2 | Low |
| Oct | 1 | Low |
| Nov | 0 | Low |
| Dec | 0 | Low |
Air quality in Fairbanks in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 1 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 34 | 29 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Good |
| Feb | 3 | Good |
| Mar | 5 | Good |
| Apr | 8 | Good |
| May | 10 | Good |
| Jun | 34 | Moderate |
| Jul | 29 | Moderate |
| Aug | 19 | Moderate |
| Sep | 3 | Good |
| Oct | 2 | Good |
| Nov | 1 | Good |
| Dec | 1 | Good |
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.
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.
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
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.