Haines Junction, Yukon, is in for a taste of autumn this week as temperatures drop below seasonal norms, with the first real frost risk of the season expected overnight Monday. According to Environment Canada, the village should see clearing skies after a mix of sun and cloud Monday, though chilly nights will settle in for most of the week.
Monday will bring a mix of sun and cloud with a high of 13°C and south winds gusting to 50 km/h, but the rest of the week looks much drier. Highs are expected to fall to around 11°C by Tuesday and Wednesday, then climb to 13°C Thursday and 14°C Friday. Overnight lows will dip to -1°C Monday and Tuesday nights, then -4°C Wednesday night and -3°C Thursday night. Those sub-zero temperatures mean gardens and outdoor plants could see their first frost of the fall.
Despite the cooler nights, the work week offers plenty of fair conditions for outdoor plans. Forecasters call for mainly sunny skies Tuesday, a mix of sun and cloud Wednesday, sunny skies Thursday, and a mix of sun and cloud Friday, with daytime highs climbing back to 14°C by Friday. Environment Canada has no weather alerts in effect for the area.
September normals for the region show an average high of 10°C and a low of 0°C, but this week’s lows will dip well below that. Haines Junction lies just east of Kluane National Park, where freezing temperatures are possible even in summer, and the area’s frost-free season is famously short, typically limited to July.
Located 158 km west of Whitehorse at the junction of the Alaska and Haines highways, the village is home to roughly 700 to 1,000 people. It sits within the traditional territory of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, whose administrative offices are based in the community. Residents are advised to bring in tender plants or cover them overnight as the village experiences its first cold snap of the season.
