Deadhorse, Alaska vs. Valdez Alaska, 500 miles apart sharing the same climate classification according to Koppen-Geiger, and yet different climates.

                                 akhistory.org

 

The climatic regions over the 10 degrees of latitude in Alaska very greatly and are not discernable in the classification of the area by Koppen Geiger. 

Influencing the dramatic range of climate classifications is the location of the two cities and their relationship to two different oceans, the polar jet consistently over the northern part of the state and the persistent Aleutian low across the southwestern section of the state. Yet with these two distinct masses the precipitation and temperatures are relatively consistent, below zero temperatures in winter and summer temperatures that can reach into the 80's. Precipitation between the two cities is also relatively consistent with the exception of an occasional anomoly in the Aleutian low that will bring a blizzard into the Gulf of Alaska region.

In all even though the sites are 500 miles apart in the same state and share some common attributes, temperature ranges and annual precipitation, the are in totally different climatic regions.