Climate
Saint Paul's climate is strongly influenced by the cold waters of the surrounding Bering Sea, and is classified as polar (Köppen ET) due to the raw chilliness of the summers. It experiences a relatively narrow range of temperatures, high wind, humidity and cloudiness levels, and persistent summer fog. There is high seasonal lag: February is the island's coldest month, while August is its warmest; the difference between the average low temperature in February and the average high temperature in August is only 31.8 °F (17.7 °C). Although the mean average temperature for the year is above freezing, at 35.33 °F (1.85 °C), the monthly daily average temperature remains below freezing from December to April. Low temperatures at or below 0 °F (−18 °C) occur an average of 4.7 nights per year (mostly from January to March), and the island is part of USDA Hardiness Zone 6. Extreme temperatures have ranged from −19 °F (−28 °C) on March 14, 1971 up to 66 °F (19 °C) on August 25, 1987. Winds are strong and persistent year-round, averaging around 15 mph (24 km/h). They are strongest from late autumn through winter, when they increase to an average of nearly 20 mph (32 km/h), blowing mostly from the north. In the summer, they become weaker and blow primarily from the south.
The island's humidity level, which averages more than 80 percent year round, is highest during the summer. Cloud cover levels peak during the summer as well. Although high year-round, with an average of 88 percent, cloud cover levels rise to 95 percent in the summer. Fog too is more common in the summer, occurring on roughly one-third of the days. The island receives about 23.8 in (605 mm) of precipitation per year, with the highest monthly totals occurring between late summer and early winter, when Bering Sea storms batter the island. Snowfall levels are highest between December and March, averaging 61.7 in (157 cm) per year. Other than trace amounts, the period from June to September is generally snow-free. High winds and relatively warm temperatures combine to keep snow levels low, resulting in monthly mean snow depths of less than 6 in (15 cm). Hours of daylight range from a low of 6.5 hours in midwinter to a high of 18 hours in midsummer.
| Climate data for St Paul Island, Alaska (1981–2010 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 44 (7) |
42 (6) |
50 (10) |
49 (9) |
59 (15) |
62 (17) |
65 (18) |
66 (19) |
61 (16) |
53 (12) |
48 (9) |
44 (7) |
66 (19) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 29.1 (−1.6) |
28.5 (−1.9) |
29.3 (−1.5) |
33.4 (0.8) |
40.4 (4.7) |
46.8 (8.2) |
50.8 (10.4) |
52.1 (11.2) |
49.6 (9.8) |
42.8 (6) |
36.9 (2.7) |
33.0 (0.6) |
39.39 (4.12) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 21.1 (−6.1) |
20.3 (−6.5) |
20.4 (−6.4) |
25.1 (−3.8) |
31.9 (−0.1) |
38.0 (3.3) |
43.6 (6.4) |
45.6 (7.6) |
41.1 (5.1) |
34.4 (1.3) |
29.1 (−1.6) |
24.7 (−4.1) |
31.28 (−0.41) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −14 (−26) |
−16 (−27) |
−19 (−28) |
−8 (−22) |
8 (−13) |
16 (−9) |
28 (−2) |
29 (−2) |
22 (−6) |
12 (−11) |
4 (−16) |
−3 (−19) |
−19 (−28) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 1.80 (45.7) |
1.29 (32.8) |
1.06 (26.9) |
1.08 (27.4) |
1.12 (28.4) |
1.34 (34) |
1.84 (46.7) |
3.07 (78) |
2.99 (75.9) |
3.11 (79) |
2.88 (73.2) |
2.24 (56.9) |
23.82 (604.9) |
| Snowfall inches (cm) | 13.4 (34) |
11.2 (28.4) |
8.8 (22.4) |
6.3 (16) |
1.1 (2.8) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1.9 (4.8) |
8.2 (20.8) |
10.7 (27.2) |
61.7 (156.7) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 17.4 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 13.2 | 12.9 | 12.0 | 13.8 | 17.8 | 19.6 | 22.0 | 23.4 | 21.5 | 203.3 |
| Avg. snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 14.8 | 13.0 | 12.9 | 11.2 | 2.7 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 4.3 | 12.8 | 14.7 | 86.6 |
| Source: NOAA (extremes 1892–present) | |||||||||||||
Read more about this topic: Saint Paul Island (Alaska)
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