The location for my blog is Deadhorse, Alaska. It is an unincorporated community of 25-50 permanent residents, servicing the oil drilling operations located nearby in Prudhoe Bay. Founded in 1967, after the discovery of the Prudhoe Bay oil field, it is located 9.5 miles inland from the Arctic Ocean. I would classify the location as maritime, not really on the coast and not really inland but near or by the ocean. At 70.3°N, I wouldn’t expect what we might consider of maritime locations at lower latitudes. The ocean freezes over, the vegetation is grassland, and the wind constantly blows. Temperature differential between summer and winter on average is 51°, with the extremes close to a difference of 140°.
The weather station is located at the Deadhorse Alpine Airstrip. The chart below is a 20 year average of temperature and precipitation, along with the extremes courtsey of Weather.com.
Climate data for Deadhorse, Alaska | |||||||||||||
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 35 (1.7) | 39 (3.9) | 34 (1.1) | 43 (6.1) | 55 (12.8) | 83 (28.3) | 82 (27.8) | 80 (26.7) | 67 (19.4) | 45 (7.2) | 39 (3.9) | 34 (1.1) | 83 (-17.8) |
Average high °F (°C) | -11 (-23.9) | -13 (-25) | -7 (-21.7) | 7 (-13.9) | 27 (-2.8) | 44 (6.7) | 54 (12.2) | 51 (10.6) | 38 (3.3) | 21 (-6.1) | 2 (-16.7) | -7 (-21.7) | 17.2 (-8.24) |
Average low °F (°C) | -23 (-30.6) | -26 (-32.2) | -22 (-30) | -8 (-22.2) | 16 (-8.9) | 31 (-0.6) | 37 (2.8) | 36 (2.2) | 28 (-2.2) | 10 (-12.2) | -10 (-23.3) | -19 (-28.3) | 4.2 (-15.46) |
Record low °F (°C) | -62 (-52.2) | -57 (-49.4) | -54 (-47.8) | -47 (-43.9) | -19 (-28.3) | 18 (-7.8) | 28 (-2.2) | 23 (-5) | 1 (-17.2) | -30 (-34.4) | -45 (-42.8) | -47 (-43.9) | -62 |
Precipitation inches (mm) | 0.15 (3.8) | 0.13 (3.3) | 0.14 (3.6) | 0.10 (2.5) | 0.08 (2) | 0.37 (9.4) | 0.72 (18.3) | 0.95 (24.1) | 0.65 (16.5) | 0.40 (10.2) | 0.14 (3.6) | 0.19 (4.8) | 4.02 (102.1) |
Source: weather.com | |||||||||||||
A few more interesting facts, the land from Deadhorse to the ocean is mostly a marsh and in the summer months can only be navigated by guided tours. The oil rigs are supplied during the frozen months on gravel and ice roads built by the oil companies drilling in Prudhoe Bay. Workers live on the rigs and rotate out in two or three week increments.
Unless one is an employee working there is not much to do in Deadhorse. The north slope of Alaska is alcohol free, mainly for safety reasons, and since 9/11, the whole oil area is a high security zone.
Deadhorse, Alaska Airport
Looking East in summer
A.Jain-Panoramio
Arctic Ocean View
Courtesy of Chris Scott
Grazing Caribou
Grazing Caribou
Courtesy of Bev Bullcook
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