Alaska in September

[roxybaby]

Cruising in September, what is the weather like?

[mapleleaves]

Alaska and PNW weather is unpredictable ... might be sunny and 70, might be 45 with heavy rain and winds.

Fall storms can appear starting towards the end of August and they can be brutal.

Plus you're losing so much daylight when you travel at the end of the season.

 

Look at historical data for the past 5 or 6 yrs for Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. Just plug in the date, and the port ... takes less than 5 minutes. It'll give you an idea of what to expect:

https://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/PAKT/2016/9/10/DailyHistory.html?req_city=Ketchikan&req_state=AK&req_statename=Alaska&reqdb.zip=99901&reqdb.magic=1&reqdb.wmo=99999

[holidayhelen]

I am going in late Sept - 25th - and I have put a request in for nice bright dry days - it can rain all it likes at night!!!!! Here's hoping!!!!!

[DaKa2002]

I am going in late Sept - 25th - and I have put a request in for nice bright dry days - it can rain all it likes at night!!!!! Here's hoping!!!!!

 

Good luck with that!

[Beach4me]

We did a 15-day end-of-season cruise a few years ago. Not a drop of rain. Swam in the outdoor pool several times. Wore shorts and t-shirts in 3 of the ports. Maybe not the norm - but it can and DOES happen! We've booked for mid-Sept on our next Alaska voyage.

[xlxo]

Thoughts....

• cheap but lots of statistical wet port days. After my last August trip.... I WILL pay more for dry port weather.
  
• check out this climate chart.... you can see September has twice as much rain than July.
  http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/ketchikan/alaska/united-states/usak0125
  
• Ketchikan welcomes cruisers to watch them fill their rain gauge.
  https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/28/3d/76/283d76cb6d07ffee7740d774610c35f5.jpg
  
• Ports can be skipped if the weather is unsafe to dock.
  
• not all excursions operate in September
  
• On September 1, sun goes down around 10am, by the end of the month.... sun goes down at 8:30pm
  https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/ketchikan?month=9&year=2017
  

[DaKa2002]

We have sailed in Alaska in May, July, August, and September. This year in August again. Some trips were all but rain, others incredibly sunny, and others some of each. We have been lucky in that we never missed a glacier visit. Like the lottery - take your chances.

[saxmangeoff]

• Ketchikan welcomes cruisers to watch them fill their rain gauge.
  https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/28/3d/76/283d76cb6d07ffee7740d774610c35f5.jpg
  

 

Indeed!

 

Joke stolen from Joe Upton's Alaska Cruise Handbook:

 

Tourist in Ketchikan, to a young girl: How long has it been raining?

Girl: I don't know. I'm only five.

[Sea Hag]

We've lucked into some great weather in September. Hope to do so again this year.

[Tricia724]

September is great for touring the interior but iffy for cruising. We've done three September cruises in Alaska. Two of them were memorable cruises with ideal weather. Last year we almost drowned. As the saying goes..."two out of three ain't bad"....but even then we had almost three weeks in the interior that was the main focus of our travel, so the cruise was primarily transportation back to Vancouver. If, however, the cruise IS your whole vacation, it's a different ball game.

[Herfnerd]

We cruise September 2nd - preparing for all kinds of weather

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Casey12]

This would be my last choice to take a cruise month wise. I also agree that it is a great time for land as the colors are gorgeous. For your sake -- I hope the weather cooperates as our September cruises have been dreadful.

[lynncarol]

Did a 7 day Alaskan cruise in Sept. of 2014,then spent an additional week on our own in Alaska. On Sept 7 and 8th we were in Denali and, although chilly, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The mountain was out in full glory. Only rain was at our port stop in Ketchikan, but the salmon were running and we saw lots of bears. In addition, the foliage throughout Alaska was absolutely gorgeous, with wildlife everywhere. Also no mosquitoes to be found. We loved September in Alaska.

[Beach4me]

This would be my last choice to take a cruise month wise. I also agree that it is a great time for land as the colors are gorgeous. For your sake -- I hope the weather cooperates as our September cruises have been dreadful.

 

LOL! And, September is my first choice! :)

[merlot1024]

We cruise September 2nd - preparing for all kinds of weather

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Us too, going to make the most of it no matter what :).

[ckrcjr]

We will be taking our 3rd cruise to Alaska and the 3rd time in September! We have been very lucky previously and have had perfect weather on both cruises and land portion. As the weather can be so unpredictable at any time of year in Alaska, we have been very lucky - but will be prepared for all types of weather. Love the colors of September and to see the "termination" snow on the mountains is awesome! Always a great time!