Alaska Southeast Flying Weather
AK · 2006–2025 · 10 eligible airports
A wet maritime rainforest regime with frequent rain, low ceilings, and MVFR/IFR conditions in the fjords and channels year-round. Gulf of Alaska storms parade through from fall into winter with strong winds, heavy precipitation, and widespread in-cloud icing, and terrain-channeled gap winds such as the Taku at Juneau produce severe local turbulence. Thunderstorms are rare, but mountainous terrain plus persistent cloud makes VFR-into-IMC the dominant hazard. The drier late-spring to early-summer window is the best flying; the fall-winter storm season is the worst.
- Daylight VFR
- 71.2%
- VFR days/yr
- 203
- Mean wind
- 5.3 kt
- Most VFR month
- May
- Fewest VFR month
- January
- VFR Score
- 34
Regional standouts
VFR conditions by month
Regional average across eligible airports
| Month | VFR % |
|---|---|
| Jan | 61.7% |
| Feb | 68.4% |
| Mar | 73.2% |
| Apr | 76.1% |
| May | 76.6% |
| Jun | 75.0% |
| Jul | 66.1% |
| Aug | 66.1% |
| Sep | 70.0% |
| Oct | 71.1% |
| Nov | 67.5% |
| Dec | 64.0% |
Average wind by month
Regional average sustained wind
| Month | Mean wind (kt) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 6.3 kt |
| Feb | 5.9 kt |
| Mar | 5.9 kt |
| Apr | 5.5 kt |
| May | 5.2 kt |
| Jun | 4.8 kt |
| Jul | 4.3 kt |
| Aug | 4.2 kt |
| Sep | 4.7 kt |
| Oct | 5.3 kt |
| Nov | 5.9 kt |
| Dec | 6.2 kt |
Every airport in Alaska Southeast, ranked
Sort by any column. Best VFR Score first.
| PAKTKetchikan International Airport | Ketchikan | 58.7 | 7.4 | 184 | 6 kt | 16 |
| PAYAYakutat Airport | Yakutat | 57.7 | 16.6 | 129 | 4 kt | 18 |
| PAKWKlawock Airport | Klawock | 63.4 | 8.6 | 144 | 4 kt | 21 |
| PASISitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport | Sitka | 70.0 | 5.9 | 209 | 6 kt | 25 |
| PAPGPetersburg James A Johnson Airport | Petersburg | 64.4 | 9.0 | 187 | 3 kt | 25 |
| PAGSGustavus Airport | Gustavus | 70.8 | 9.1 | 198 | 4 kt | 36 |
| PAGNAngoon Seaplane Base | Angoon | 73.7 | 9.9 | 201 | 0 kt | 41 |
| PAJNJuneau International Airport | Juneau | 76.8 | 6.7 | 250 | 5 kt | 45 |
| PAWGWrangell Airport | Wrangell | 75.9 | 5.4 | 247 | 5 kt | 48 |
| PAGYSkagway Airport | Skagway | 85.1 | 4.7 | 276 | 8 kt | 63 |
The pattern in Alaska Southeast
Across 2006–2025, the 10 eligible airports in Alaska Southeast reported VFR conditions during about 71.2% of valid daytime observations, with an estimated 203 VFR flying days per year and a mean surface wind of 5.3 kt. PAGY (Skagway Airport) had the most VFR weather at 88.2%. PAYA saw the most instrument conditions, at 16.6% IFR/LIFR. The lowest-ranked eligible field by VFR Score was PAKT (Ketchikan International Airport).
Neighboring regions
How Alaska Southeast is defined
AK boroughs/census areas: Ketchikan Gateway, Prince of Wales-Hyder, Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka, Juneau, Hoonah-Angoon, Haines, Skagway, Yakutat. (The Panhandle; all other AK boroughs/census areas belong to alaska-interior, alaska-arctic, or 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.