Anchorage AK Weather in January

Winter weather peaks in January at Anchorage, Alaska. This is the city’s coldest month of the year.

This page gives detailed information on typical January temperature, precipitation, snow, sun, humidity, wind and storms for Anchorage. The numbers here are historical averages based on climate data gathered at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, located a few miles from downtown Anchorage.

Temperature

23 °F January average high
-5 °C

11 °F January average low
-12 °C

January is the coldest month overall for Anchorage, with the 7th to 16th being its chilliest days. They have daily highs averaging 22 degrees Fahrenheit (-6 degrees Celsius) and the lows of 10 °F (-12 °C).

3 days
40 °F max. or more (4 °C)

22 days
20 °F min. or less (-8 °C)

Anchorage averages 24 days in January when the thermometer remains below freezing for the entire day. Temperatures above 50 °F (10 °C) are not expected here this month.

Nearly every night in Anchorage has freezing temperatures during January. The thermometer dips to 0 °F (-18 °C) or below on an average of 7 nights.

Precipitation

0.8 in total precipitation
19 mm

8 days of rain or snowfall

Half the time, Anchorage receives 0.5 to 1.1 inches (12 to 28 mm) of precipitation in January. One in four years has drier weather, while another one in four is wetter.

Snow

12.4 in total snowfall
31 cm

9 days with new snow

January’s snowfall varies a lot from year to year in Anchorage. Between 7 and 14.5 inches (18 to 37 cm) of fresh snow arrives in half the years. Less new snow lands in one out of four Januaries, while another twenty-five percent are snowier.

Anchorage typically has at least 5 inches (13 cm) of snow on the ground for 26 days this month. The snowpack normally builds up to 10 inches (25 cm) or deeper on 18 days.

Sun

34 % sunshine
7 days clear skies

The sun’s rays reach the ground in Anchorage during 34 percent of daylight hours on average in January, for a total of 69 hours in the month. Typically on 7 days this month the sky is mainly clear, with at most 30 percent cloud cover.

Sunlight in January at Anchorage lasts for 6 hours and 34 minutes a day on average. The shortest day of the month is the 1st with 5 hours and 40 minutes of daylight. By the end of the month, the days have lengthened to 7:44 from sunrise to sunset. These durations can vary by a minute or three from year to year.

Humidity

73 % January average humidity

The relative humidity in Anchorage during December remains, on average, fairly steady throughout the day.

Local Time12 am3 am6 am9 am12 pm3 pm6 pm9 pm

Humidity %
74
74
74
74
74
73
74
73

Wind

6.4 mph January wind speed average
10.3 kph

January is less windy than most other months in Anchorage.

Storms

1 day snowfall of 3 inches (8 cm) or more
0 days with thunderstorms in January