Climate & Weather in Valdez
Valdez has a real, genuine maritime-influenced climate defined above all by its genuinely, currently extreme snowfall.
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Learn moreThe snowiest town in the United States
Valdez is repeatedly cited as the snowiest town in the US, with average annual snowfall running approximately 300-330 inches -- more than three times Buffalo, New York's own total per one direct comparison.
Thompson Pass: even more extreme
Nearby Thompson Pass, along the Richardson Highway, is cited as Alaska's snowiest weather station, averaging approximately 500 inches/year, with a real, documented single-season record of 974.1 inches in the winter of 1952-1953.
A genuine four-season coastal climate
Valdez's Prince William Sound location moderates temperatures somewhat compared to Alaska's Interior, even as its snowfall runs genuinely extreme.
Key takeaways
- Valdez is genuinely, currently cited as the snowiest town in the United States (~300-330 in/year).
- Nearby Thompson Pass runs even more extreme, averaging ~500 inches/year.
- A single-season record of 974.1 inches (1952-53) remains the most ever recorded in one Alaska location.
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