Anchorage, Alaska

:Note: an anchorage is a place where a ship lies at anchor. An Anchorage is also the residence of an Anchoret, a hermit sometimes called an anchorite. Anchorage redirects here. See also: Anchorage, Kentucky.

Geography and Climate

Geography

Anchorage is located in South Central Alaska, at 61 °13'06"North latitude (about the same as Stockholm and St. Petersburg), -149 °53'57"West longitude (about the same as Hawaii), northeast of the Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak Island, and Cook Inlet, due north of the Kenai Peninsula, northwest of Prince William Sound and Alaska Panhandle, and nearly due south of Mount McKinley/Denali. The city is situated on a triangular peninsula bordered on the east by the rugged, scenic, and eminently hike-worthy Chugach Mountains, on the northwest by the Knik Arm, and on the southwest by the Turnagain Arm, upper branches of the Cook Inlet, which itself is the northernmost reach of the Pacific Ocean. Despite this, the city lacks coastal beaches, instead having wide, treacherous mudflats. Adjacent to the north is Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska. To the south is Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, and to the east is Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska.

Related Topics:
South Central Alaska - Latitude - Stockholm - St. Petersburg - Longitude - Hawaii - Alaska Peninsula - Kodiak Island - Cook Inlet - Kenai Peninsula - Prince William Sound - Alaska Panhandle - Mount McKinley - Denali - Peninsula - Chugach Mountains - Knik Arm - Turnagain Arm - Mudflats - Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska - Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska - Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska

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Anchorage is a major port, receiving over 95% of all freight entering Alaska passes, as well as a major hub of the famous Alaska Railroad. Major industries include government and military, Petroleum, and tourism. There are two strategically important U.S. military bases bordering Anchorage on the north: Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort Richardson. Nearly all Alaska Interior-bound tourists pass through Anchorage at some stage of their journeys in Alaska. Not surprisingly, summer is tourist season, and downtown Anchorage, as well as the highways leading north and south of town, are typically teeming with tourists.

Related Topics:
Alaska Railroad - Petroleum - Tourism - U.S. military - Elmendorf Air Force Base - Fort Richardson - Alaska Interior - Alaska - Tourist season - Downtown Anchorage

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Climate

Average daytime summer temperatures are approximately 55 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (13 to 23 degrees Celsius); average daytime winter temperatures are about 5 to 20 degrees (-15 to -7 degrees Celsius) (warmer than many places in "The Lower 48"). Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport average January low and high temperatures are 9 °F/ 22 °F with an average winter snowfall of 70.60 inches. The weather on any given day and indeed for entire seasons can be very unpredictable. Some winters feature several feet of snow and bitterly cold temperatures, while others, just a foot or two of snow and constant, annoying thaws, which puts dangerous ice on the streets. On March 17, 2002, a record 24 hour (St. Patrick's Day) snow storm dumping 25.7 inches of snow on the Anchorage area causing the airport and schools to close on that day. The coldest temperature ever recorded at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport was -38 °F (-38.8 °C) on February 3, 1948. Summers are typically very mild and pleasant, though it can rain frequently. There isn't any beach-bathing in Anchorage, except at a few local lakes on the warmest summer days, when those lakeside beaches can be extremely popular. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport average July low and high temperatures are 52 °F/ 66 °F and the hotest reading ever recorded was 86 °F (30 °C) on June 25, 1953. The average annually precipitation at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is 16.07 inches. Aside from the winter cold, which most Alaskans don't mind, there are two primary nuisances associated with the seasons: in the summer, mosquitoes (which are much worse out in the Bush than in the city itself); in the winter, long nights and very short days. Since Anchorage is at such a high latitude, for months in mid-winter, residents go to work in the dark and return home in the dark. Those who don't study or work next to a window can go all week long without seeing the sun. Consequently, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is an acknowledged problem in Anchorage and in Alaska generally.

Related Topics:
Fahrenheit - Celsius - The Lower 48 - March 17 - 2002 - St. Patrick's Day - Snow - Temperature - Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport - February 3 - 1948 - June 25 - 1953 - The Bush - Seasonal Affective Disorder - Alaska

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