Listicle: How did Anchorage’s cold spell measure up?

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Sure, it’s been cold in Anchorage in 2024. In fact, Anchorage last week set a new record for a low temperature for Jan. 31, when the thermometer dropped to -18 degrees Fahrenheit.

It was then -17 on Feb. 2, with a high of -6 in the afternoon, which turned out to be the lowest high temperature since January of 2009.

But have we hit truly cold temperatures, compared to the ups and downs in recent years? Let’s take a look at the coldest dates each year for Anchorage for the past 70, according to the website CurrentReport.com, which reports that these measurements are from the Ted Stevens International Airport and go as far back as 1954.

The lowest temperature in those years was -34 degrees Fahrenheit on Jan. 05, 1975. Here’s the list of annual record cold days:

-12December 20, 2022  
-9December 15, 2021
-11January 08, 2020
-7January 07, 2019
-2February 05, 2018
-15January 19, 2017
-8December 05, 2016
-8November 18, 2015
0February 11, 2014
-11December 17, 2013
-15January 28, 2012
-12January 16, 2011
-8December 25, 2010
-24January 07, 2009
-15December 31, 2008
-17January 08, 2007
-11January 26, 2006
-8February 05, 2005
-18January 17, 2004
-14December 02, 2003
-11January 26, 2002
-15December 17, 2001
-10January 16, 2000
-28February 04, 1999
-11January 05, 1998
-21January 07, 1997
-14December 31, 1996
-15January 13, 1995
-15November 25, 1994
-22February 02, 1993
-16March 05, 1992
-14February 07, 1991
-24December 01, 1990
-30January 29, 1989
-9January 28, 1988
-12January 12, 1987
-8March 01, 1986
-10February 22, 1985
-18January 24, 1984
-17January 09, 1983
-20January 07, 1982
-16December 30, 1981
-23December 17, 1980
-16December 31, 1979
-11December 16, 1978
-16December 09, 1977
-13February 10, 1976
-34January 05, 1975
-18January 20, 1974
-27January 26, 1973
-28January 11, 1972
-24March 07, 1971
-14December 31, 1970
-16January 05, 1969
-18February 03, 1968
-18February 14, 1967
-21December 10, 1966
-21February 19, 1965
-30December 14, 1964
-22January 09, 1963
-22January 27, 1962
-30December 28, 1961
-23January 13, 1960 +
-17January 01, 1959
-18December 31, 1958
-20December 26, 1957
-26February 12, 1956
-27December 10, 1955
-29December 28, 1954

26 COMMENTS

  1. -18 is the official cold temp but I have seen colder than that in recent years. 5 years ago we had -23 while driving my wife to work at Fred Meyer on Diamond. And I have seen colder than -19 several times at my house off Lake Otis.
    So it makes me think are these honest readings? As you probably know the temperature is taken at Ted Stevens International Airport. But it used to be taken at Merrill Field I think the actual spot was Pegy’s cafe. It’s colder there. I don’t remember the official reason for moving it, but they preferred the warmer location.
    So I guess im asking, what was the temp at Peggys?

    • It’s cold over by you.
      My kids went to NL ABC school on LK. Otis & Dowling.
      We would leave our place by Fireweed at -5 and the temp at the school would be -15
      It was always 5 to 10 degrees colder @ Lake Otis & Dowling.

    • The NWS moved the “official” recording station to Sand Lake back in the 1990s where it is normally warmer and sunnier. This was publicly stated at the time to improve Anchorage weather statistics to make Anchorage seem more desirable to live in. It was hitting -25 at Merrill Field on Saturday, which would align to the former official weather reporting station.

      Lies, damned lies, and statistics.

  2. Yes, that darn climate change made it cold, but not as cold as other years. So, now the globalists will be working hard to make sure we have flash freezer temps of -100 F when they do it again to us AND this time, they’ll make sure we run out of gas and oil. I wonder if Dunleavy, McCabe, Sullivan, Murcowski, Peltola and all the other traitors and demonrats will be vacationing in warm areas when we get the flash freeze temperatures?

    • Is your thought process: “I think I will be more persuasive if I spell ‘Democrats’ as ‘demonrats’?” If so, may I suggest fewer intentional misspellings? This kind of comment is not as helpful as you might think.

      • It was intentional. They are demons posing as democrats. I don’t care if this comment is helpful to you or not. We’ll all freeze the same, unless we can stop them.

          • The dictionary can be your friend:
            “an evil spirit or devil, especially one thought to possess a person or act as a tormentor in hell.”

    • You GO Ginny. Global warmins is a cult. It’s all feelings and accusations. And if the facts were on their side – why do they get caught cheating so much? Al Gore and John Kerry are the pied pipers of this madness and are encouraging our country to commit ‘economic suicide’ while China and Russia continue to drill, drill, drill.

  3. So what I’m hearing is that Anchorage’s coldest day is nothing compared to other parts of Alaska, to include locations within a 2 hour drive of Anchorage. Pretty sure it was at least -45° a couple times this winter out on the Sustina.

    • Yup. And the lower hillside is much warmer than Muldoon. The Gateway area of Mat-Su is always significantly warmer and gets less snow than Pittman.

  4. I distinctly remember how cold 1989 was as my kitched sink drain on an exterior wall froze twice, I had to tell my roommate, no more potato peels, or leftover rice down the garbage disposal.

    • The vast majority of kitchen sinks are against exterior walls. democrats delay/stop construction projects and take more taxes out of worker’s checks.

    • No thanks, John, been there, done that.
      It is greatly irritating when the NWS reports the balmy Sand Lake temperatures as “official”. It was -32F on the Eagle River during the annual Eagle River Nature Center Fat Tire Bike race last Saturday.
      Now THOSE are Fairbanks temperatures, John!

  5. Not only was the coldest temp (-34) recorded in Anchorage occur in January of 1975, but there were not one but two significant earthquakes that month (both over 7.0), and the accumulated snow was eyeball deep to a tall moose.

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