Alaska, United States · Winter 2026–27
Northern Lights in Fairbanks
Fairbanks sits at 64.8° north, inside the band between about 60° and 75° where NOAA says the aurora can be seen on more than half of the nights in a year. What decides your chances is darkness and cloud, so this guide shows both month by month, with flights and places to stay.
- Darkness on 15 Dec
- 15 h
- Cloud cover Dec–Feb
- 57.7%
- Avg January temp
- -19.9°C
- Nearest airport
- FAI 7 km
When is it dark enough in Fairbanks?
NOAA notes that the aurora can only be seen when the sky is dark and clear, and that the midnight sun rules out summer viewing at auroral latitudes. In Fairbanks the sun sinks more than 12° below the horizon on the 15th of the month from September to April. From May to August it never does, so the sky stays too light.
Darkness peaks around the December solstice at about 15 hours. September and March still give 6.9 and 8.9 hours of darkness on the 15th, with milder temperatures than midwinter.
Hours with the sun more than 12° below the horizon on the 15th of each month (2026), calculated with the NOAA solar position equations for 64.84°, -147.72°. Aurora background: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center.
Cloud cover and temperature by month
Across the dark season the least cloudy month is March (51%), then January (55%). December to February averages 57.7% cloud cover, number 2 of the 9 destinations in this guide.
| Month | Darkness (15th) | Cloud cover | Avg temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14.4 h | 55% | -19.9°C / -4°F |
| Feb | 11.9 h | 59% | -16.1°C / 3°F |
| Mar | 8.9 h | 51% | -14.0°C / 7°F |
| Apr | 4.2 h | 59% | -2.8°C / 27°F |
| May | 0 h | 70% | 8.1°C / 47°F |
| Jun | 0 h | 73% | 14.1°C / 57°F |
| Jul | 0 h | 77% | 15.0°C / 59°F |
| Aug | 0 h | 75% | 12.0°C / 54°F |
| Sep | 6.9 h | 72% | 5.7°C / 42°F |
| Oct | 10.5 h | 77% | -3.8°C / 25°F |
| Nov | 13.4 h | 67% | -15.1°C / 5°F |
| Dec | 15 h | 59% | -17.8°C / 0°F |
Cloud cover and temperature: NASA Langley Research Center POWER Project, Climatology API, 2001–2020 averages over a grid cell of roughly 50 km. Cloud cover is a day-and-night average, not a forecast.
Things to see and do in Fairbanks
To see (8)
- Creamer's Field
- University of Alaska Museum of the North
- Georgeson Botanical Garden
- Fairbanks Community and Dog Mushing Museum
- Fairbanks Ice Museum
- Golden Heart Plaza
- Immaculate Conception Church
- Pioneer Air Museum
To do (4)
- Riverboat Discovery
- Gold Dredge 8
- Pioneer Park
- Chena Hot Springs Resort
Places from the English Wikivoyage article on Fairbanks (names and locations, CC BY-SA 4.0), read 2026-09-17.
Where to stay in Fairbanks
Staying a few nights gives more chances of a clear, dark sky. Compare hotels and cabins in Fairbanks for the dark-season months.
Fairbanks hotels on Expedia
Search rooms in Fairbanks. Prices and availability are on Expedia.
Search Fairbanks on Expedia
US defaultExpedia bundles the flight + hotel discount in-cart (5-30% off the combined book). Price-match guarantee means you can rebook if the rate drops before check-in.
See Fairbanks ratesFairbanks hotels on Trip.com
Compare rooms in Fairbanks on Trip.com.
AirConnect earns a commission if you book through these links.
Flying to Fairbanks
The nearest airports on our route maps, plus the nearest airport that at least five of those airlines fly to. Distances are straight-line.
Fairbanks (FAI) · 7 km
3 airlines fly here on our route maps:
Anchorage (ANC) · 423 km
15 airlines fly here on our route maps:
Northern lights in Fairbanks: questions
When can you see the northern lights in Fairbanks?
The aurora needs a dark, clear sky. In Fairbanks the sun goes more than 12° below the horizon on the 15th of each month from September to April; from May to August it does not, so the sky never gets properly dark.
How dark is Fairbanks in winter?
On 15 December there are about 15 hours with the sun more than 12° below the horizon.
Which month has the clearest skies in Fairbanks?
In NASA's 2001–2020 averages for the area, the least cloudy dark-season month is March (51% cloud cover). December to February averages 57.7%, which ranks 2 of 9 on this guide's list of northern lights destinations.
How cold is Fairbanks in January?
The average January temperature in NASA's 2001–2020 data for the area is -19.9°C (-4°F). This is a regional average, so towns can be warmer or colder.
What is the nearest airport to Fairbanks?
Fairbanks (FAI) is 7 km away in a straight line, with 3 airlines on AirConnect's route maps.
Compare darkness and clear skies across all northern lights destinations →