Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve - Climate

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve by Connie Peck

Glacier Bay has a maritime climate, heavily influenced by ocean currents. The result is mild winter temperatures and cool summer temperatures near sea level. Summer visitors can expect highs between of 50-to-60 degrees F (10-to-15 degrees C). Winter temperatures rarely drop into the single digits, with average nighttime lows of 25-to-40 degrees F (-2 to 5 degrees C).

Bartlett Cove receives about 70 inches of precipitation annually. You may find yourself thinking it's all coming down during your visit! April, May and June are usually the driest months of the year. September and October tend to be the wettest. All this moisture helps to create the lush temperate rainforests of the lower bay.

Keep in mind, these are weather conditions at sea level. Up in the mountains, conditions are more severe with colder temperatures and more precipitation that takes the form of snow. It's all that snow falling year after year that goes into creating the magnificent glaciers we love to see.