Question by Cindy L: what is the weather typically like in alaska in september?
I am planning to cruise to alaska in september and need to know how to prepare. Thank you for your help.
Best answer:
Answer by kevrigger
Full of Horse Flies.
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I used to work for Royal Caribbean’s company Royal Celebrity in Fairbanks, so I think I can help!
The weather depends on where in AK you’re going to be touring and where you are from. If you’re from Florida, you’re going to be cold no matter what!! But if you’re from, say, Colorado, the temperatures won’t be unbearable.
A typical cruise includes some sea time and coastal sightseeing. For those, you’re going to want a few warm layers and a good windbreaking jacket. Even if it’s a sunny day, I promise there will be wind that will be quite chilly. Coastal places like Seward, Anchorage, Juneau, etc will probably be in a 30-50 degree range, although it is windy and usually drizzly in those places. September is somewhat of an unfortunate time to cruise, because it’s the very end of the season and things are starting to get chilly. If it’s at all possible, I would reccomend moving the trip up into August.
If you’re doing a land segment (bus or train tours between Anchorage and Fairbanks, including a stop at Denali National Park, are quite popular), it will probably be about a 30-60 degree range, maybe into the upper 60’s if you’re lucky. The big difference though is that once you leave Anchorage behind it’s very, very, *very* dry, and so cold temperatures aren’t as cold as they seem to be in the coastal areas. There’s also not a very good chance for strong winds, so it feels warmer in the Interior. A few warm layers should suffice! Remember the power in layers: it’s easy to add more if you’re too cold, but if you only bring a single hoody sweatshirt and you’re too cold, you’re just miserable. If it helps as a reference, by early September most high school kids will still be wearing flip flops with jeans, but they’ll have a warm hoody sweatshirt or the fleece liner jacket of a winter coat.
Especially for the sea and coastal areas, you might want to pack a light pair of gloves and a pair of thick socks, like your favorite wintertime Thorlos or other “warmies.”
Hope that helps!! If you have any other questions, you can probably find more information on your cruise provider’s website.