Alaska Arctic Flying Weather
AK · 2006–2025 · 9 eligible airports
A polar regime: winter operations contend with extreme cold, blowing snow, blizzards, flat light and whiteout over featureless snow-covered terrain, and months of polar darkness. Summer brings continuous daylight but persistent low stratus and sea fog rolling off the ice-affected Arctic and Bering coasts, making coastal airports like Utqiagvik and Deadhorse fog-prone precisely when traffic peaks. Precipitation totals are low, but wind-driven snow and rapid visibility drops are the signature hazards; thunderstorms are essentially absent on the coast. Spring, with returning daylight, cold stable air, and pre-breakup surfaces, is generally the most reliable flying window; winter blizzard periods and foggy mid-summer coastal stretches are the worst.
- Daylight VFR
- 60.1%
- VFR days/yr
- 142
- Mean wind
- 9.5 kt
- Most VFR month
- June
- Fewest VFR month
- August
- VFR Score
- 20
Regional standouts
VFR conditions by month
Regional average across eligible airports
| Month | VFR % |
|---|---|
| Jan | 61.1% |
| Feb | 63.2% |
| Mar | 66.7% |
| Apr | 63.4% |
| May | 55.1% |
| Jun | 67.2% |
| Jul | 61.7% |
| Aug | 53.1% |
| Sep | 56.8% |
| Oct | 56.8% |
| Nov | 56.9% |
| Dec | 58.6% |
Average wind by month
Regional average sustained wind
| Month | Mean wind (kt) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 10.4 kt |
| Feb | 10.9 kt |
| Mar | 10.0 kt |
| Apr | 9.7 kt |
| May | 9.0 kt |
| Jun | 8.9 kt |
| Jul | 8.4 kt |
| Aug | 8.5 kt |
| Sep | 8.7 kt |
| Oct | 9.7 kt |
| Nov | 10.0 kt |
| Dec | 10.4 kt |
Every airport in Alaska Arctic, ranked
Sort by any column. Best VFR Score first.
| PABRWiley Post Will Rogers Memorial Airport | Utqiaġvik | 42.5 | 31.9 | 89 | 10 kt | 6 |
| PASCDeadhorse Airport | Deadhorse | 45.3 | 31.7 | 109 | 10 kt | 7 |
| PAQTNuiqsut Airport | Nuiqsut | 45.5 | 30.3 | 96 | 8 kt | 8 |
| PAADPoint Thomson Airstrip | Deadhorse | 41.1 | 38.7 | 98 | 10 kt | 8 |
| PAWMWhite Mountain Airport | White Mountain | 67.4 | 14.8 | 159 | 8 kt | 11 |
| PAUNUnalakleet Airport | Unalakleet | 74.3 | 7.8 | 193 | 9 kt | 33 |
| PAOTRalph Wien Memorial Airport | Kotzebue | 75.1 | 10.0 | 184 | 8 kt | 34 |
| PABLBuckland Airport | Buckland | 72.2 | 10.8 | 168 | 6 kt | 34 |
| PASKSelawik Airport | Selawik | 76.7 | 10.1 | 181 | 8 kt | 39 |
The pattern in Alaska Arctic
Across 2006–2025, the 9 eligible airports in Alaska Arctic reported VFR conditions during about 60.1% of valid daytime observations, with an estimated 142 VFR flying days per year and a mean surface wind of 9.5 kt. PASK (Selawik Airport) had the most VFR weather at 78.1%. PAAD saw the most instrument conditions, at 38.7% IFR/LIFR. The lowest-ranked eligible field by VFR Score was PABR (Wiley Post Will Rogers Memorial Airport).
Neighboring regions
How Alaska Arctic is defined
AK boroughs/census areas: North Slope, Northwest Arctic, Nome. (The Arctic coast and Bering Strait region; complementary to alaska-interior, alaska-southeast, and alaska-southwest-aleutians.)
Educational use only. Historical weather rankings from ATIS Alerts are educational summaries of past observations — not a forecast, flight-planning tool, or safety rating. They do not replace current METARs, TAFs, NOTAMs, ATIS, or a weather briefing, and favorable history does not make any airport safe. Always check current conditions and use your own judgment before flight.