Subarctic (dry summer)

Kenai, Alaska

Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska · Population 7.6k · 3 ft elevation

Living in Kenai

Kenai has a subarctic (dry summer) climate: cool summers (July highs around 64°F) and bitterly cold winters (January lows around 8°F).

Precipitation is dry at about 18″ a year, and it gets a fair bit of snow (59″ a season).

Skies are gray (48% of possible sunshine). It never gets truly muggy.

Air quality is excellent: a median AQI of 8 and virtually no unhealthy-air days.

There is plenty to explore outdoors around Kenai: about 62% of the land within 30 miles is public (parks, national forest and the like), and the terrain rises and falls about 800 ft around town.

Kenai at a glance

Population
7.6k
Elevation
3 ft
Average daily high
44°F0th percentile
Average daily low
28°F0th percentile
Annual precipitation
18″12th percentile
Annual snowfall
59″91th percentile
Sunshine hours per year
2,222 hrs0th percentile
Median AQI
80th percentile
Median home value
$249k47th percentile
Median rent
$1,134/mo45th percentile
Median household income
$75k50th percentile
Property tax rate
0.58%15th percentile
Top state income-tax rate
0.0%
Sales tax (state + local)
1.8%
Unemployment rate
8.8%
Homes with broadband
90%43th percentile
Walkability index
6.923th percentile
Average commute
14 min
Math proficiency (8th grade)
35%32th percentile
Reading proficiency (8th grade)
45%
Violent crime rate
344 per 100k76th percentile
Property crime rate
1,095 per 100k
Overall natural-hazard risk
9357th percentile
Outdoor access
8887th percentile
Public land within 10 miles
18%
Public land within 30 miles
62%
Mountain relief within 30 miles
755 ft

Climate by month

Average monthly weather in Kenai, Alaska
MonthHighLowPrecipitationSnowSunshine
Jan23°F8°F0.9″7.9″88 hrs
Feb28°F12°F0.8″6.7″115 hrs
Mar33°F15°F0.6″4.8″205 hrs
Apr45°F28°F0.6″3.6″234 hrs
May55°F37°F0.8″0.4″294 hrs
Jun61°F44°F1.2″—304 hrs
Jul64°F49°F2.0″—283 hrs
Aug63°F47°F2.7″—241 hrs
Sep56°F40°F3.6″0.2″174 hrs
Oct43°F29°F2.6″15.2″128 hrs
Nov31°F16°F1.4″10.6″92 hrs
Dec25°F11°F1.1″9.6″65 hrs

Near Kenai

Largest places in Alaska

Sources: NOAA climate normals, NASA POWER, EPA air quality, U.S. Census Bureau, FEMA, FBI, EPA walkability and EDFacts. Methodology