Weather end of May?

[cruise*enthusiast]

We are sailing on the Encore (on the itinerary that includes Glacier Bay).  What can we expect the weather to be temperature wise in each port?  We chose this time of year because I read that it is the driest time of year.  Does anyone have the Freestyle Dailies for the end of May so that I can see the temperatures at each port?  Thanks!

[ColeThornton]

That's an easy Google search.

 

"Average temperatures (port name) May"

[cruiser2015]

35 minutes ago, cruise*enthusiast said:

We are sailing on the Encore (on the itinerary that includes Glacier Bay).  What can we expect the weather to be temperature wise in each port?  We chose this time of year because I read that it is the driest time of year.  Does anyone have the Freestyle Dailies for the end of May so that I can see the temperatures at each port?  Thanks!

Search the recent threads on this board.

Glacier Bay may have reduced access due to ice.

It will be COLD.

Dry or not, I would give it a hard pass.

[yakcruiser]

Weather in SE Alaska is very unpredictable, but May is probably the most predictable month. Chances are it's going to be in the 50's and sunny but don't be surprised if it's 38 and raining.

[Anoynmous Phoenix]

Try https://wanderlog.com/weather/58264/5/ketchikan-weather-in-may#:~:text=The average temperature in Ketchikan,F (6°C).

 

Then try the other ports too

[ChiefMateJRK]

We had beautiful weather in May of 2018.  April of this year, first week was very nice, second week was rainy.  I don't remember any of them being excessively COLD.  Cool?  Sure. No worries unless you plan to sunbathe by the pool.

[TheDawg79]

May is usually the month with the least rain in SW Alaska

[cruiser2015]

3 hours ago, cruiser2015 said:

Search the recent threads on this board.

Glacier Bay may have reduced access due to ice.

It will be COLD.

Dry or not, I would give it a hard pass.

Apologies for this post - the brain misread the month as being earlier.

Kindly disregard.

[cruise*enthusiast]

42 minutes ago, cruiser2015 said:

Apologies for this post - the brain misread the month as being earlier.

Kindly disregard.

No worries!!

[BirdTravels]

5 hours ago, cruise*enthusiast said:

We are sailing on the Encore (on the itinerary that includes Glacier Bay).  What can we expect the weather to be temperature wise in each port?  We chose this time of year because I read that it is the driest time of year.  Does anyone have the Freestyle Dailies for the end of May so that I can see the temperatures at each port?  Thanks!

Weather dot com. 
 

Glacier watching day with ice in the water will be cold any time of the year. 
 

May is early and the salmon won’t be running and wildlife sightings will be less. 

 

Edited December 16, 2023 by BirdTravels

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

May is early and the salmon won’t be running and wildlife sightings will be less. 

Yes, but won't the views from the train of snow and waterfalls on the mountains be more spectacular?

[yakcruiser]

And the mosquito air force will not have declared their annual war on the human race yet.

[vswan]

Have cruised Alaska in May, July and August. All were great. One advantage of May was the leaves were not full on the trees and being able to actually see the countryside was nice. One of the funnest things was watching the crew members on there day off seeing snow for the first time. They had an entertaining snow ball fight. If I was only going to sail Alaska once, May wouldn't be my choice, I would look at July or August, but the cruise was great.

[BirdTravels]

Juneau May 2023

 

Skagway May 2023

 

Ketchikan May 2023

[BirdTravels]

25 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Yes, but won't the views from the train of snow and waterfalls on the mountains be more spectacular?

We cruise Alaska every year.

 

Last year, we sailed on May 30 and it was too early.

 

This year we sailed on September 3 it was too late.

 

In 2021 we sailed on August 7.

 

We have not booked yet, but will probably sail in early August 2024

[ChiefMateJRK]

42 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Last year, we sailed on May 30 and it was too early.

Why was it too early?

 

I sailed AK three times this year.  Twice in April and once in July/August.  Had a great time every single time.  I live in a place where it is basically always Summer.  I don't want more Summer on every cruise.  IOW, I don't think there is a right universal answer as to when is best for AK.  I had an end-of-October cruise there in 2021, and it was fantastic.  Snowing in Glacier Bay.  Rocky waves heading back to Seattle (arrived a couple hours late).  Very enjoyable and very memorable.

[LatinaInTexas]

7 hours ago, cruise*enthusiast said:

We are sailing on the Encore (on the itinerary that includes Glacier Bay).  What can we expect the weather to be temperature wise in each port?  We chose this time of year because I read that it is the driest time of year.  Does anyone have the Freestyle Dailies for the end of May so that I can see the temperatures at each port?  Thanks!

We will be on the 19th-26th sailing. Will be our first Alaska cruise. We had to sail in April or May due to circumstances. I wanted to sail in August so I'm hoping for decent weather. I won't mind cool after the last few crazy hot summers here in Texas but don't want rain🤞

[vswan]

In Alaska you can get rain any day, everyday, or not at all. Doesn't really matter what month it is.

[Asawi]

Sailed Alaska mid May this year. Great weather! Would not hesitate going in May, or even April again! I care more about the views than the wildlife, but we saw some whales and other sea life from the ship.

[BirdTravels]

19 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Why was it too early?

We're into wildlife and being able to do some walking... remembering that we're old and see snowy mountains most of the winter. 

[BirdTravels]

19 hours ago, vswan said:

In Alaska you can get rain any day, everyday, or not at all. Doesn't really matter what month it is.

It is a rainforest. Juneau has 224 rainy days a year. Ketchikan is one of the wettest cities in the U.S. 

[cruise*enthusiast]

39 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

It is a rainforest. Juneau has 224 rainy days a year. Ketchikan is one of the wettest cities in the U.S. 

Oh well.  We are on a cruise in Alaska, something many people will never have the chance to do.  I think we'll be OK.  😉

[vswan]

Take a poncho. Even though I had a raincoat which did quite well, found that having something that would cover me from over my head to about knee length worked really well. Kept anything I was carrying along dry and could shake out and hang to dry. Also pack a second pair of shoes for walking. If one gets wet it may not dry overnight. No fun putting on wet shoes for a day of touring.

[BirdTravels]

44 minutes ago, cruise*enthusiast said:

Oh well.  We are on a cruise in Alaska, something many people will never have the chance to do.  I think we'll be OK.  😉

You will definitely be o.k. Alaska is our favorite cruise destination and we cruise there every year.