ALaska in July

[Alison12]

Looking at doing the HAL cruise on 2 July . Silly question from someone over in the UK. Will it still be cold and as scenic

[CruiserBruce]

A little reading on the board would reveal July is the best average weather time for Alaska. Tthat being said, weather is always unpredictable, particularly in Alaska. Again, some reading would see that you really need to have layers as the key feature of your wardrobe.

 

The scenery is 365 days per year. Just some of the time, snow is a major feature of the scenery. Not so much in July.

[chipmaster]

On the boat same temperature as sailing in the tropics

 

On deck anywhere from the 70's to 50's. In port ditto, but be ready for daily drizzle/rain so pack layers that you can take off, with the outer one being waterproof/resistant and good shoes for rain.

 

For glacier deck viewing; sunglasses, gloves/mittens, good warm cap/hat

[Keith1010]

Like many places Alaska weather is unpredictable. It could be a sunny day in port, rainy, overcast, windy or it could change throughout the day. You may have some days where it will be on the warmer side and can wear shorts and other days where it is cooler. In some ways it's like some places in the UK where you just never know what the weather will be like.

 

This is why the key is to bring a wide range of clothing.

 

Keith

[Alison12]

Thank you for your replies. Cruiser Bruce I appreciate a little bit of reading may have found the answers however I looked down numerous threads and didn't find the answer I needed nor could I find a place to search for what I wanted. Sorry

[Crew News]

We have been to Alaska in both May and September with another cruise for two weeks in July 2014 (Westerdam 7/5/14 - 7/19/14 back to back)

 

As indicated above the temperature at sea level in Alaska's Glacier Bay averages 62 degrees F in July but then you are surrounded by ice flows. In May all of the peaks north of Juneau are covered with snow and by September, most of them are green which means you will still see snow in July.

 

Since I lived in Germany for so many years, the comparison of the weather is similar in July. Southwest Alaska is in a rain forest which means it is measured in US feet instead of mere inches. The odds are 50-50 on rain on any given day.

 

If you would like a preview, please visit my website:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/?page_id=416

 

If you decide to join us during our two weeks, we will be glad to give you any advice/assistance you may wish.

[AKman2495]

Will it be cold? Well, that's impossible to say. This year July was one of the warmest years I've seen up here-not a lot of records, but well above average. Next year....who knows? Come on up and find out...It will be no worse than the UK, that I can promise you.

[Alison12]

Thanks. I'm not worried about the cold. As the wife of a British Army officer we have lived in the Falklands - so know all about snow and wind. However I did research the temp in July and could see this year that it was not far off what we are used to in the UK. However I didn't want to go all that way to see snow covered mountains etc to find there wasn't any!! Am I right in thinking out of the 5 destinations (Tracy Arm Fjord, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay and Ketchikan we only disembark at 3 (Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan)