Editing Alaska (section)

===Climate===
{{Main|Climate of Alaska}}
[[File:Public Lands Held by the National Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.svg|thumb|Alaska has more acreage of public land owned by the federal government than any other state.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wildlandfire.com/docs/2007/western-states-data-public-land.htm |title=Western States Data Public Land Acreage |publisher=Wildlandfire.com |date=November 13, 2007 |access-date=June 2, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727120656/http://www.wildlandfire.com/docs/2007/western-states-data-public-land.htm |archive-date=July 27, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>]]

Alaska is the coldest state in the United States.<ref>{{cite web | title = These Are the 10 Coldest States in the U.S. | publisher = usnews | url = https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/slideshows/coldest-states-in-the-us?slide=11 | author = Julia Haines | access-date = February 12, 2024 | archive-date = February 12, 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240212173820/https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/slideshows/coldest-states-in-the-us?slide=11 | url-status = live }}</ref> The climate in the south and southeastern Alaska is a mid-latitude [[oceanic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]]: ''Cfb''), and a subarctic oceanic climate (Köppen ''Cfc'') in the northern parts, with cool summers and relatively mild winters. On an annual basis, the southeast is both the wettest and warmest part of Alaska with milder temperatures in the winter and high precipitation throughout the year. Juneau averages over {{convert|50|in|cm|abbr=on}} of precipitation a year, and [[Ketchikan, Alaska|Ketchikan]] averages over {{convert|150|in|cm|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web | title = Monthly Climate Summary, Ketchikan, Alaska | publisher = Western Regional Climate Center | url = http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?akketc | access-date = February 7, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130516005502/http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?akketc | archive-date = May 16, 2013 | url-status = live }}</ref> This is also the only region in Alaska in which the average daytime high temperature is above freezing during the winter months.[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map v2 USA Alaska 1991–2020.svg|thumb|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] of Alaska]]The climate of [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]] and south central Alaska is mild by Alaskan standards due to the region's proximity to the seacoast. While the area gets less rain than southeast Alaska, it gets more snow, and days tend to be clearer. On average, [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]] receives {{convert|16|in|cm|abbr=on}} of precipitation a year, with around {{convert|75|in|cm|abbr=on}} of snow, although there are areas in the south central which receive far more snow. It is a subarctic climate ([[Köppen climate classification#Group D: Continental/microthermal climates|Köppen: ''Dfc'']]) due to its brief, cool summers.

The climate of [[Southwest Alaska|western Alaska]] is determined in large part by the [[Bering Sea]] and the [[Gulf of Alaska]]. It is a subarctic oceanic climate in the southwest and a continental subarctic climate farther north. The temperature is somewhat moderate considering how far north the area is. This region has a tremendous amount of variety in precipitation. An area stretching from the northern side of the Seward Peninsula to the [[Kobuk River]] valley (i.e., the region around [[Kotzebue Sound]]) is technically a [[desert]], with portions receiving less than {{convert|10|in|cm|abbr=on}} of precipitation annually. On the other extreme, some locations between [[Dillingham, Alaska|Dillingham]] and [[Bethel, Alaska|Bethel]] average around {{convert|100|in|cm|abbr=on}} of precipitation.<ref name="AK-YK Precip">{{cite web|title=Mean Annual Precipitation, Alaska-Yukon|url=http://www.pitt.edu/~mabbott1/climate/mark/Images/AK-PPT-mm.gif|website=Spatial Climate Analysis Service|publisher=Oregon State University|access-date=June 5, 2012|date=February 2000|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025125522/http://www.pitt.edu/~mabbott1/climate/mark/Images/AK-PPT-mm.gif|archive-date=October 25, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

The climate of the interior of Alaska is subarctic and is a classic example of a continental subarctic climate, except in a few valleys where the climate approaches [[humid continental climate|humid continental]] (Köppen: ''Dfb''). Some of the highest and lowest temperatures in Alaska occur around the area near [[Fairbanks, Alaska|Fairbanks]]. Summers are warm (albeit generally short) and may have temperatures reaching into the 90s °F (the low-to-mid 30s °C), while in the long and very cold winters, the temperature can fall below {{convert|-60|°F}}. Precipitation is sparse in the Interior, often less than {{convert|10|in|cm|abbr=on}} a year, but what precipitation falls in the winter tends to stay the entire winter.

The highest and lowest recorded temperatures in Alaska are both in the Interior. The highest is {{convert|100|°F}} in [[Fort Yukon, Alaska|Fort Yukon]] (which is just {{convert|8|mi|km|disp=or|abbr=on}} inside the arctic circle) on June 27, 1915,<ref name="NOAA-All Hazards">{{cite web|title=NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards Information—Alaska Weather Interesting Facts and Records |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |url=http://www.arh.noaa.gov/docs/AKWXfacts.pdf |access-date=January 3, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060929022606/http://www.arh.noaa.gov/docs/AKWXfacts.pdf |archive-date=September 29, 2006 }}</ref><ref name=DRI>{{cite web|title=State Extremes |publisher=Western Regional Climate Center, [[Desert Research Institute]] |url=http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/htmlfiles/state.extremes.html |access-date=January 3, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070105015744/http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/htmlfiles/state.extremes.html |archive-date=January 5, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> making Alaska tied with Hawaii as the state with the lowest high temperature in the United States.<ref>{{cite web | title = SD Weather History and Trivia for May: May 1 | publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] | url = http://www.crh.noaa.gov/fsd/?n=fsdtrivia05 | access-date = January 3, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070208132328/http://www.crh.noaa.gov/fsd/?n=fsdtrivia05 | archive-date = February 8, 2007 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=FAQ Alaska—Frequently Asked Questions About Alaska: Weather |publisher=Statewide Library Electronic Doorway, [[University of Alaska Fairbanks]] |date=January 17, 2005 |url=http://sled.alaska.edu/akfaq/aksuper.html#wea |access-date=January 3, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070102180919/http://sled.alaska.edu/akfaq/aksuper.html#wea |archive-date=January 2, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The lowest official Alaska temperature is {{convert|−80|°F}} in [[Prospect Creek, Alaska|Prospect Creek]] on January 23, 1971,<ref name="NOAA-All Hazards" /><ref name=DRI /> one degree above the lowest temperature recorded in continental North America (in [[Snag, Yukon|Snag, Yukon, Canada]]).<ref>{{cite web |first=Ned |last=Rozell |title=The Coldest Place in North America |publisher=Geophysical Institute of the [[University of Alaska Fairbanks]] |date=January 23, 2003 |url=http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF16/1630.html |access-date=January 3, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202040955/http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF16/1630.html |archive-date=February 2, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The climate in the extreme north of Alaska, north of the [[Brooks Range]], is [[polar climate|Arctic]] ([[Köppen climate classification#Group E: Polar climates|Köppen: ''ET'']]) with long, very cold winters and short, cool summers. Even in July, the average low temperature in [[Utqiaġvik, Alaska|Utqiaġvik]] is {{convert|34|°F}}.<ref>[http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/PABR/2006/7/23/MonthlyHistory.html History for Barrow, Alaska. Monthly Summary for July 2006] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703031927/https://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/PABR/2006/7/23/MonthlyHistory.html |date=July 3, 2017 }}. [[Weather Underground (weather service)|Weather Underground]]. Retrieved October 23, 2006.</ref> Precipitation is light in this part of Alaska, with many places averaging less than {{convert|10|in|cm|abbr=on}} per year, mostly as snow which stays on the ground almost the entire year.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto;"
|+Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for selected locations in Alaska<ref name="Alaska climate averages">{{cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/city.php3?c=US&s=AK&statename=Alaska-United-States-of-America|title=Alaska climate averages|publisher=Weatherbase|access-date=November 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151101165515/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/city.php3?c=US&s=AK&statename=Alaska-United-States-of-America|archive-date=November 1, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
!Location
!July ({{not a typo|°F}})
!July (°C)
!January ({{not a typo|°F}})
!January (°C)
|-
|[[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]] || 65/51 || 18/10 || 22/11 || −5/−11
|-
|[[Juneau, Alaska|Juneau]] || 64/50 || 17/11 || 32/23 || 0/−4
|-
|[[Ketchikan, Alaska|Ketchikan]] || 64/51 || 17/11 || 38/28 || 3/−1
|-
|[[Unalaska, Alaska|Unalaska]] || 57/46 || 14/8 || 36/28 || 2/−2
|-
|[[Fairbanks, Alaska|Fairbanks]] || 72/53 || 22/11 || 1/−17 || −17/−27
|-
|[[Fort Yukon, Alaska|Fort Yukon]] || 73/51 || 23/10 || −11/−27 || −23/−33
|-
|[[Nome, Alaska|Nome]] || 58/46 || 14/8 || 13/−2 || −10/−19
|-
|[[Utqiaġvik, Alaska|Utqiaġvik]] || 47/34 || 8/1 || −7/−19 || −21/−28
|}