Pack your parkas to visit Alaska, but if you are going during the summer, add some shorts to your suitcase, because in some parts temperatures can soar. In the largest state in the United States temperatures vary widely across the five regions.
In the Far North region the average summer temperatures are highs in the mid-40s and winter averages lows of-20 degrees Fahrenheit. Even though the average high is 40 degrees in the summer in the northern-most city of Barrow, it still has about 324 days a year where the low temperature falls below freezing.
The Southwest region of Alaska includes much of the coastline. This region averages summer temperatures from the high 40s to the low 60s and averages winter temperatures from zero to a high of 20 degrees Fahrenheit. During the summer months, the Southwest city of Bristol Bay Boroughs experiences fog as a common occurrence.
The Interior region, including the city of Fairbanks, experiences some of the most extreme temperature differences. The Interior region averages temperatures from -18 to 20 degrees except for the summer months of June through August, which average 70 degrees.
The South Central region is home to Alaska's most populous city, Anchorage. The average temperature in winter is around 10 degrees Fahrenheit and in summer in the low-to-mid 60s, depending on what city you are talking about.
The Southeast region, known as the Inside Passage, includes the state capital of Juneau. Even during the coldest months, the average temperature remains in the 20s, and in the summer months the average highs are in the 60s, but lows can fall into the 40s.
