Alaska Interior & Southcentral Flying Weather
AK · 2006–2025 · 27 eligible airports
The Interior is a dry continental regime with extreme seasonal swings: long-daylight summers are largely VFR with afternoon convection, isolated thunderstorms, and wildfire smoke that can drop visibility for days, while winters bring extreme cold, short daylight, and dense ice fog at Fairbanks under strong inversions. The Southcentral portion adds maritime moderation with more cloud and precipitation, heavy coastal snow and icing around Prince William Sound, and locally strong gap winds through Turnagain Arm and the Knik and Matanuska valleys. Mountain passes such as Merrill, Lake Clark approaches, and the Alaska Range crossings are frequent VFR-into-IMC hot spots. Late spring through early summer is the best flying; midwinter cold, ice fog, and coastal storm cycles are the worst.
- Daylight VFR
- 82.8%
- VFR days/yr
- 228
- Mean wind
- 4.4 kt
- Most VFR month
- May
- Fewest VFR month
- December
- VFR Score
- 56
Regional standouts
VFR conditions by month
Regional average across eligible airports
| Month | VFR % |
|---|---|
| Jan | 74.3% |
| Feb | 75.6% |
| Mar | 83.6% |
| Apr | 87.0% |
| May | 90.4% |
| Jun | 88.0% |
| Jul | 82.8% |
| Aug | 81.5% |
| Sep | 82.6% |
| Oct | 76.6% |
| Nov | 73.8% |
| Dec | 72.4% |
Average wind by month
Regional average sustained wind
| Month | Mean wind (kt) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 4.3 kt |
| Feb | 4.5 kt |
| Mar | 4.8 kt |
| Apr | 4.9 kt |
| May | 5.1 kt |
| Jun | 4.6 kt |
| Jul | 4.0 kt |
| Aug | 3.8 kt |
| Sep | 3.9 kt |
| Oct | 4.2 kt |
| Nov | 4.4 kt |
| Dec | 4.5 kt |
Every airport in Alaska Interior & Southcentral, ranked
Sort by any column. Best VFR Score first.
| PAMDMiddleton Island Airport | Middleton Island | 46.6 | 21.0 | 91 | 10 kt | 11 |
| PACVMerle K (Mudhole) Smith Airport | Cordova | 69.3 | 7.2 | 190 | 3 kt | 25 |
| PAKPAnaktuvuk Pass Airport | Anaktuvuk Pass | 72.3 | 13.0 | 177 | 8 kt | 32 |
| PATLTatalina LRRS Airport | Takotna | 73.3 | 11.4 | 172 | 3 kt | 37 |
| PAKVKaltag Airport | Kaltag | 74.8 | 8.6 | 198 | 3 kt | 42 |
| PASOSeldovia Airport | Seldovia | 77.8 | 6.5 | 215 | 3 kt | 47 |
| PAWDSeward Airport | Seward | 80.1 | 6.2 | 244 | 6 kt | 51 |
| PAMCMcGrath Airport | McGrath | 79.4 | 6.8 | 211 | 3 kt | 51 |
| PAVDValdez Pioneer Field | Valdez | 77.3 | 9.0 | 241 | 3 kt | 52 |
| PATARalph M Calhoun Memorial Airport | Tanana | 82.7 | 6.1 | 226 | 4 kt | 57 |
| PABTBettles Airport | Bettles | 83.4 | 6.0 | 214 | 4 kt | 58 |
| PAMHMinchumina Airport | Minchumina | 81.5 | 6.8 | 218 | 0 kt | 58 |
| PFYUFort Yukon Airport | Fort Yukon | 81.1 | 8.3 | 209 | 3 kt | 59 |
| PAORNorthway Airport | Northway | 82.5 | 7.6 | 242 | 0 kt | 60 |
| PAENKenai Municipal Airport | Kenai | 84.6 | 7.8 | 258 | 6 kt | 60 |
| PAFAFairbanks International Airport | Fairbanks | 84.7 | 6.0 | 243 | 3 kt | 62 |
| PANNNenana Municipal Airport | Nenana | 85.1 | 6.3 | 233 | 4 kt | 63 |
| PASXSoldotna Airport | Soldotna | 85.1 | 7.0 | 255 | 4 kt | 66 |
| PAEGEagle Airport | Eagle | 85.3 | 5.3 | 235 | 3 kt | 66 |
| PANCTed Stevens Anchorage International Airport | Anchorage | 87.0 | 6.8 | 270 | 5 kt | 66 |
| PALHLake Hood Seaplane Base | Anchorage | 86.1 | 7.4 | 262 | 4 kt | 67 |
| PATKTalkeetna Airport | Talkeetna | 86.3 | 5.5 | 251 | 3 kt | 67 |
| PAHOHomer Airport | Homer | 86.7 | 3.5 | 265 | 4 kt | 67 |
| PAMRMerrill Field | Anchorage | 85.5 | 7.3 | 262 | 3 kt | 67 |
| PAAQWarren "Bud" Woods Palmer Municipal Airport | Palmer | 87.7 | 5.7 | 264 | 4 kt | 68 |
| PABVBirchwood Airport | Birchwood | 85.8 | 7.3 | 253 | 3 kt | 69 |
| PAINDenali National Park Airport | Denali Park | 87.3 | 4.1 | 248 | 3 kt | 71 |
The pattern in Alaska Interior & Southcentral
Across 2006–2025, the 27 eligible airports in Alaska Interior & Southcentral reported VFR conditions during about 82.8% of valid daytime observations, with an estimated 228 VFR flying days per year and a mean surface wind of 4.4 kt. PAIN (Denali National Park Airport) had the most VFR weather at 89.5%. PAMD saw the most instrument conditions, at 21.0% IFR/LIFR. The lowest-ranked eligible field by VFR Score was PAMD (Middleton Island Airport).
Neighboring regions
How Alaska Interior & Southcentral is defined
AK boroughs/census areas: Fairbanks North Star, Southeast Fairbanks, Denali, Yukon-Koyukuk, Matanuska-Susitna, Anchorage, Kenai Peninsula, Chugach, Copper River. (The continental Interior plus the Southcentral railbelt and northern Gulf coast; complementary to alaska-southeast, alaska-arctic, 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.