Strangely, the Arctic is technically a desert. You’ll see snow, but Utqiagvik – Alaska’s northernmost community – gets less than 5 inches of precipitation per year.

Unofficial snow totals since July 1, 2019 have reached 71.1 inches. Normal for this point in the snow season is 60.6 inches. February 2020 saw 19.9 inches of snow in Anchorage (unofficial total).

Most of the towns around Ketchikan have the warmest winters. Metlakatla may be the warmest because it is the farthest south and right on the pacific ocean.

Looking for a sunny climate in Alaska. Already know it’s not in Fairbanks, but what about the rest of the state? Fairbanks gets the most clear weather of any large town in AK.

Updated: Monday, June 21, 2021 8:30 a.m. AST Alaska’s travel mandates and orders are now travel advisories. These processes and best practices, although not required, are still encouraged by the Alaska Travel Industry Association (ATIA) and Governor Dunleavy’s administration.

If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:

• Trouble breathing.
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest.
• New confusion.
• Inability to wake or stay awake.
• Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone.

Despite Alaskans’ confidence in their safety, the state sees the highest levels of violent crime in the nation (with the exception of Washington DC). Experience with property crime is 55% higher in Alaska than the national average.

When you arrive … Arrive with proof of a negative viral COVID-19 test. If you test positive in Alaska, you must isolate at your own expense for 14 days or until a public health official clears you for traveling. Each traveler is responsible for their own expenses while in quarantine or isolation, including lodging.

10 Best Resorts in Alaska

• The Hotel Alyeska, Girdwood.
• Waterfall Resort Alaska, Ketchikan.
• McKinley Chalet Resort, Denali National Park.
• Hotel Captain Cook, Anchorage.
• Chena Hot Springs Resort, Fairbanks.
• Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge, Copper Center.
• Denali Backcountry Lodge, Healy.

Self-Isolation Plan: Every non-resident traveler entering the state of Alaska should complete a Self-Isolation Plan within the Alaska Travel Portal. This allows travelers to consider their plan for what they will do if their test results return positive while in Alaska.

Best Time to See the Northern Lights in Alaska Alaska’s northern lights season is between mid-September and late April, peaking in March, though it’s a season defined more by its long, dark nights than by solar activity. The further north you travel in Alaska, the more likely you are to see the northern lights.

When is Northern Lights season? There is no official season since the Northern Lights are almost always present, day and night. Caused by charged particles from the sun hitting atoms in Earth’s atmosphere and releasing photons, it’s a process that happens constantly.

Fairbanks

The most reliable chances to see Alaska’s northern lights (also known as the Aurora Borealis) are in Fairbanks, and above the Arctic Circle. If you visit Alaska in November, December or January, you will experience a very short period of daylight providing a unique experience in the high northern hemisphere.

What are the best places to see the Northern Lights?

1. Tromso, Norway. Based in the heart of the aurora zone in the Norwegian Arctic, the city is widely regarded as one of the world’s best places to see the Northern Lights.
2. Swedish Lapland.
3. Reykjavik, Iceland.
4. Yukon, Canada.
5. Rovaniemi, Finnish Lapland.
6. Ilulissat, Greenland.