This Town in Alaska Just Entered a 60-Day Period of Total Darkness
A town in Alaska has just entered the part of winter when the sun stops rising. For the next 60 days, residents will go without direct daylight because the region has officially begun its Polar Night period. It’s a normal seasonal shift for the area and follows the same pattern every year.
The Town That Just Went Dark
The town is Utqiagvik, Alaska, previously known as Barrow until its official name change in 2016. It’s located far above the Arctic Circle and roughly 500 miles northwest of Fairbanks, thus it’s the northernmost town in the United States.
As of mid-to-late November 2025, the sun dipped below the horizon and won’t show its face again for around 64 days. Most estimates place the next sunrise between January 22 and January 26, 2026, depending on the exact viewing point in town.
Utqiagvik is home to roughly 4,400 to 4,600 people. For more than two months, they will live without direct sunlight. This phase is called the polar night. It doesn’t mean the town sinks into pitch-black chaos all day long. A few hours of dim, bluish civil twilight can still appear around midday. Even so, the sun itself stays hidden below the horizon the entire time.
Why It Happens Every Year
This extended darkness comes down to Earth’s 23.5-degree axial tilt. As the Northern Hemisphere leans away from the sun between September and March, areas above the Arctic Circle stop receiving direct sunlight. In places this far north, the sun simply cannot climb over the horizon once winter approaches. Around the December solstice, the darkness reaches its most intense point.
Temperatures often drop below 0°F during this period. The absence of solar heating allows cold air to strengthen in the upper atmosphere. The deep chill contributes to the formation of the polar vortex, a massive circulation of frigid air in the stratosphere. At times, parts of that cold push southward into the lower 48 states, delivering the brutal winter snaps many people experience thousands of miles away.
This same tilt creates the opposite effect in summer. Utqiagvik also experiences nearly three months of continuous daylight, commonly known as the Midnight Sun, when the sun barely seems to dip before rising right back up again.
Life Under a Sunless Sky
Image via Pexels/eberhard
Daily life in Utqiagvik adjusts to match the conditions. Schools and businesses keep regular hours, but the atmosphere is different when noon resembles dusk. Residents rely heavily on artificial lighting and routines that help maintain stable circadian rhythms.
The community is well-practiced at managing this stretch. Generations have grown up with it, and modern homes, snow-covered roads, and local traditions all adapt to the reality that winter comes with extended darkness.
A Global Light Contrast
While Utqiagvik settles into its dark season, the South Pole experiences the opposite extreme. During the Arctic’s sunless period, parts of Antarctica enjoy continuous daylight that can last for a few months.