Weather in Alaska in September?

[texasmary]

I'm trying to guess what kind of clothes we will need for our first cruise to Alaska on the Pearl on September 2-9.

 

Weather reports from Alaska in June have shown lots of rain. Should we expect the same for September? I'm wondering if we should plan on rain gear for deck and sightseeing?

 

Also, I seem to be reading comments that they keep it pretty warm indoors on the Pearl. So layering (as many have suggested) seems to be the way to go?

 

Thanks to anyone who can share your experience.

[6rugrats]

Be prepared for any kind of weather. I would bring my rain gear. Layering is always the way to go as you can remove layers if it gets warm. Being cold and wet is no fun.

[Toyz711]

i did the NLC star last sept (17-14) the ship is kept comfortable, like any hotel or building with large amounts of people.

here's how is worked for our cruise:

sept 17...left seattle...great weather, high 60s to low 70s

sept 18...day at sea..sunney, warm. temps in hiw 60s

sept 19..juneau, rain when docked, temps in high 40s, on whale watching temps drops as a sudden small storm blew through..temps fell to high 30s to low 40s, rain and sleet.

sept 20..skagway..temps in low 50s, heavy fog in morning, sun and clear in afternoon. (love the pics of the train in the fog)

sept 21..glacier bay, sunny and warm, temps in high 40s, no wind as cruising through the national park. 1 guy was in shorts for viewing the glaciers from the top deck.

sept 22, ketchikan..heavy rain, temps high 40s

sept 23..cruising to victoria, sunny warming to the 50s

sept 24..seattle, warm..high 60s

layers...layers and more layers, make sure one layer is waterproof!!

even with the rain, we loved it.

[Yukon]

Despite individual experiences, history says that you're much more likely to get rain in September. You can see the historic and current weather for all the ports at http://www.youralaskacruise.com/cruise-weather.html

 

Murray

[texasmary]

Thank you so much! This has been very helpful!

[plenox]

when will be the best time to go Alaska for cruise? My priorities are in this order: wildlife, weather, price. thanks

[Yukon]

when will be the best time to go Alaska for cruise? My priorities are in this order: wildlife, weather, price. thanks

 

Late May and early June offer the best chance of dry weather, which is my number one priority, and probably the best overall experience unless you're after a specific experience such as brown bears fishing.

 

Murray

[plenox]

Late May and early June offer the best chance of dry weather, which is my number one priority, and probably the best overall experience unless you're after a specific experience such as brown bears fishing.

 

Murray

 

Murray, thanks a lot for the concise answer. It will make my planning much easier. Sometimes, too many choices may not be a blessing at all. ;)