Utqiagvik, Alaska

Utqiaġvik (Inupiaq: Utqiaġvik; IPA: [utqe.ɑʁvik], English: /ˌʊtkiˈɑːvɪk/ UUT-kee-AH-vik^[6]), officially the City of Utqiaġvik and known as Barrow (/ˈbæroʊ/) until 2016, is a city in Alaska. It is the northernmost city of the United States of America and one of the northernmost cities in the world. It is located on the north coast of Alaska along the Arctic Ocean and is the administrative capital of the North Slope Borough. It is about 1,300 miles or 2,100 kilometers from the North Pole. Its antipode is located in Antarctica.

Utqiaġvik Barrow
City
Street view of Utqiagvik in July 2008: This street, like all the others in Utqiagvik, has been left unpaved due to the prevalence of permafrost.
Motto:  The Northernmost American City
Utqiagvik Location within Alaska
Coordinates: 71°17′26″N 156°47′19″W[1]
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Borough	North Slope
Incorporated	June 8, 1959[2]
Area [3]
• Total	21.48 sq mi (55.63 km2)
• Land	18.77 sq mi (48.61 km2)
• Water	2.71 sq mi (7.01 km2)
Elevation [1]	10 ft (3 m)
Population  (2020)[4]
• Total	4,927
• Density	262.49/sq mi (101.35/km2)
Time zone	UTC−9 (Alaska (AKST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−8 (AKDT)
ZIP code	99723[5]
Area code	907
FIPS code	02-05200 [1]
GNIS ID	1398635[1]
Website	utqiagvik.us

English (Welcome to Barrow) and Inupiat (Paġlagivsigiñ Utqiaġvigmun)

Climate

Utqiagvik experiences a tundra climate with long, very cold winters and short, cool summers. Temperatures are below freezing from early October until late May. The high temperature is above freezing for only about 138 days per year, and there are temperatures at or below 0 °F (−18 °C) on an average of 145 days per year. Freezing temperatures and snowfall can happen during any month of the year.^[7]

Because Utqiagvik is located above the Arctic Circle, there are some days when the sun never rises and some days when the sun never sets. When the sun sets on November 18 or 19, it will stay below the horizon for about 65 days, until January 22 or 23. This phenomenon is called polar night. The opposite, midnight sun, occurs during the summer. When the sun rises on May 10 or 11, it will remain above the horizon until August 1 or 2.

Winters are extremely cold and dry with temperatures at or below -40°F/C sometimes occurring. Summers in Utqiagvik are cool with temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s. There are on average 26 days per year above 50°F (10°C) and around 5 days above 60°F (18°C). Temperatures above 70°F are rare. The average yearly temperature in Utqiagvik is 14.3 °F (−9.8 °C). The highest temperature recorded in Utqiagvik was 79 °F (26 °C) on July 13, 1993 and the lowest temperature was −56 °F (−49 °C) on February 4, 1924. Utqiagvik is warming quickly due to being in the Arctic. The Arctic region is warming at rate three times the global mean.^[8] Smoothed data from NOAA shows that Utqiagvik has warmed by more than 11°F since 1976 with average autumn temperature warming at a staggering 18°F (10°C).^{[9] [10]}

Climate data for Utqiagvik, Alaska (Wiley Post–Will Rogers Memorial Airport, 1991-2020 normals,[11] extremes 1901–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	36 (2)	36 (2)	34 (1)	42 (6)	47 (8)	73 (23)	79 (26)	76 (24)	62 (17)	44 (7)	39 (4)	40 (4)	79 (26)
Mean maximum °F (°C)	18.9 (−7.3)	17.2 (−8.2)	17.4 (−8.1)	28.3 (−2.1)	38.2 (3.4)	59.6 (15.3)	65.6 (18.7)	61.4 (16.3)	51.2 (10.7)	39.3 (4.1)	28.6 (−1.9)	20.3 (−6.5)	67.5 (19.7)
Average high °F (°C)	−4.1 (−20.1)	−4.4 (−20.2)	−2.7 (−19.3)	11.7 (−11.3)	28.0 (−2.2)	42.1 (5.6)	48.8 (9.3)	45.6 (7.6)	38.2 (3.4)	26.7 (−2.9)	12.6 (−10.8)	0.6 (−17.4)	20.3 (−6.5)
Daily mean °F (°C)	−10.9 (−23.8)	−11.4 (−24.1)	−9.9 (−23.3)	4.6 (−15.2)	23.2 (−4.9)	36.6 (2.6)	42.2 (5.7)	40.3 (4.6)	34.2 (1.2)	21.8 (−5.7)	6.2 (−14.3)	−5.8 (−21.0)	14.3 (−9.9)
Average low °F (°C)	−17.8 (−27.7)	−18.3 (−27.9)	−17.2 (−27.3)	−2.5 (−19.2)	18.5 (−7.5)	31.1 (−0.5)	35.6 (2.0)	35.1 (1.7)	30.2 (−1.0)	16.8 (−8.4)	−0.1 (−17.8)	−12.2 (−24.6)	8.3 (−13.2)
Mean minimum °F (°C)	−38.3 (−39.1)	−39.2 (−39.6)	−36.1 (−37.8)	−23.3 (−30.7)	0.2 (−17.7)	24.5 (−4.2)	30.0 (−1.1)	28.6 (−1.9)	20.4 (−6.4)	−5.4 (−20.8)	−20.1 (−28.9)	−31.2 (−35.1)	−42.7 (−41.5)
Record low °F (°C)	−53 (−47)	−56 (−49)	−52 (−47)	−42 (−41)	−19 (−28)	4 (−16)	22 (−6)	20 (−7)	1 (−17)	−32 (−36)	−40 (−40)	−55 (−48)	−56 (−49)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	0.14 (3.6)	0.21 (5.3)	0.18 (4.6)	0.18 (4.6)	0.28 (7.1)	0.43 (11)	0.98 (25)	1.09 (28)	0.77 (20)	0.54 (14)	0.37 (9.4)	0.22 (5.6)	5.39 (138.2)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	3.6 (9.1)	3.8 (9.7)	2.8 (7.1)	3.6 (9.1)	3.4 (8.6)	0.7 (1.8)	0.2 (0.51)	0.7 (1.8)	4.3 (11)	10.2 (26)	8.0 (20)	4.9 (12)	46.2 (116.71)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in (0.25 mm))	4.6	4.6	4.1	5.1	5.1	5.8	9.1	11.5	12.7	12.2	7.1	5.7	87.6
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in (0.25 cm))	6.4	6.4	5.7	7.7	6.4	1.7	0.6	2.3	8.9	15.6	10.6	8.2	80.5
Average relative humidity (%)	72.7	70.0	70.9	76.8	87.0	88.5	87.9	91.1	90.6	85.6	79.4	74.0	81.2
Average dew point °F (°C)	−19.5 (−28.6)	−24.5 (−31.4)	−21.8 (−29.9)	−7.2 (−21.8)	16.3 (−8.7)	30.7 (−0.7)	35.6 (2.0)	35.2 (1.8)	27.9 (−2.3)	10.2 (−12.1)	−6.7 (−21.5)	−17.5 (−27.5)	4.9 (−15.1)
Mean monthly sunshine hours	0	84.75	186	270	310	300	310	186	120	62	30	0	1,858.75
Mean daily sunshine hours	0	3	6	9	10	10	10	6	4	2	1	0	5
Percent possible sunshine	0	33	51	54	43	42	42	32	30	23	13	0	30
Average ultraviolet index	0	0	1	1	2	3	3	2	1	0	0	0	1
Source 1: NOAA (relative humidity and dew point 1961–1990)[10][12][13][14]
Source 2: Weather Atlas (sun and uv)[15]

Transportation

Although Utqiagvik is in North America, it is isolated from any other city. There is no road connecting Utqiagvik and other places in Alaska, which makes it impossible to drive into or out of the city. Therefore, the only way to get there is by plane. It is also possible to get there by boat, but only during a few months in the summer as the ocean is frozen for most of the year.