Given the enormous size of Alaska and its location, the weather varies greatly depending on where your Alaska flight takes you. Some places go into the mid-20s (C) and 30s in summer, others make it into the 0s. Along the southern coast winter temperatures are in the -10s, while farther north they drop to -45 and lower. The southern areas have well-defined four seasons and northern areas have winter and summer. The northern coast has the most dramatic change in daylight hours. In Barrow, the sun sets at 12.50pm on November 18 and rises at 11.51am on January 24. By 1.06am on May 10 there is 24-hour daylight. Alaskan weather is famously unpredictable; a snow storm on July 4 followed by a hot July 5 is not out of character.
Getting around Alaska
Alaskan cities are fairly easy to drive in and park; the exception is parking an RV in downtown Anchorage during the week. All sorts of vehicles travel the Alaska Highway, which is open year-round and is paved for all but a few miles.
Other popular ways to get around Alaska are by water and by air; in fact, the only way to many towns, including Juneau, the state’s capital,is via air or water. Many cruise lines offer tours of Alaska, and state-owned ferries can get you from one point to another. Another option is to travel through Alaska by rail, bush plane, air taxi, or helicopter. Taking a commercial flight between Alaska destinations is often the best, and cheapest, mode of transportation. Alaska has several regional airports that make flying around the state straightforward.