Sea · Alaska · United States
Unalaska Island
Kite days peak in August at 35 %. Also windy, but cold (water and air under 12 °C or short days): February to April.
A kite day has at least 3 hours of 12 to 35 knots (gusts up to 45) between 10:00 and 19:00, in daylight. Percentages are the share of such days in each month, counted over 9 years.
- Prime 60 % and more
- Good 40 to 59 %
- Possible 20 to 39 %
- Off under 20 %
- No data hatched
- Ringed: this month
Prime also needs a good month in at least 7 of the 9 years, so one freak year cannot make a month Prime. A month with 60 %+ but fewer good years shows as Good.
Confidence highHourly model data, 2017 to 2025, checked against the season shape of a nearby weather station, a regional model or a documented season.
Month by month
- Kite days
- 48 % coldabout 15 of 31 days
- Too light, kiteable, too strong
- Too light 48 %
- Kiteable 48 %
- Too strong 4 %
- Good years
- 4 of 9 years reached 50 % kite days
- 10 day trip
- 6 in 10 trips got at least 5 kite days, about 4.9 expected
- Best hours
- 11:00 to 18:00when the wind is most often 12 to 35 knots
- Daylight
- 10.6 h
- Air
- 8 °Cdaily maximum, 8 °C during kite hours
- Rain
- 21 of 31with 1 mm or more
- In one sentence
In October, Unalaska Island averaged 15 kite days out of 31 (48 %). 6 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.
| Kite days% of days | 41 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 45 | 34 | 22 | 35 | 43 | 48 | 47 | 45 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verdictshare plus good years | cold | cold | cold | cold | cold | cold | Possible | Possible | cold | cold | cold | cold |
| 10 day tripof 10 trips, 5+ kite days | 4 in 10 | 6 in 10 | 6 in 10 | 6 in 10 | 4 in 10 | 3 in 10 | under 1 in 10 | 3 in 10 | 5 in 10 | 6 in 10 | 5 in 10 | 5 in 10 |
| Good yearsof 9, reached 50 % | 1 of 9 | 5 of 9 | 4 of 9 | 4 of 9 | 3 of 9 | 2 of 9 | 0 of 9 | 0 of 9 | 2 of 9 | 4 of 9 | 5 of 9 | 3 of 9 |
| Best hourshour of day, most often 12 to 35 kn | 10 to 16 | 10 to 18 | 10 to 19 | 11 to 19 | 11 to 19 | 11 to 19 | 13 to 19 | 12 to 19 | 13 to 19 | 11 to 18 | 10 to 17 | 10 to 16 |
| Daylighth | 8.0 | 9.7 | 11.8 | 14.0 | 15.9 | 17.0 | 16.5 | 14.9 | 12.8 | 10.6 | 8.6 | 7.5 |
| Air°C, daily maximum | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 3 |
| Rain days1 mm or more | 19 of 31 | 18 of 28 | 17 of 31 | 17 of 30 | 20 of 31 | 16 of 30 | 13 of 31 | 16 of 31 | 17 of 30 | 21 of 31 | 19 of 30 | 20 of 31 |
- In January, Unalaska Island averaged 13 kite days out of 31 (41 %). 4 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in January got at least 5 kite days.
- In February, Unalaska Island averaged 14 kite days out of 28 (50 %). 6 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in February got at least 5 kite days.
- In March, Unalaska Island averaged 16 kite days out of 31 (50 %). 6 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in March got at least 5 kite days.
- In April, Unalaska Island averaged 15 kite days out of 30 (50 %). 6 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in April got at least 5 kite days.
- In May, Unalaska Island averaged 14 kite days out of 31 (45 %). 4 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in May got at least 5 kite days.
- In June, Unalaska Island averaged 10 kite days out of 30 (34 %). 3 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in June got at least 5 kite days.
- In July, Unalaska Island averaged 7 kite days out of 31 (22 %). under 1 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in July got at least 5 kite days.
- In August, Unalaska Island averaged 11 kite days out of 31 (35 %). 3 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in August got at least 5 kite days.
- In September, Unalaska Island averaged 13 kite days out of 30 (43 %). 5 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in September got at least 5 kite days.
- In October, Unalaska Island averaged 15 kite days out of 31 (48 %). 6 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days.
- In November, Unalaska Island averaged 14 kite days out of 30 (47 %). 5 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in November got at least 5 kite days.
- In December, Unalaska Island averaged 14 kite days out of 31 (45 %). 5 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in December got at least 5 kite days.
Good year: at least half the days of that month were kite days. x in 10 reads: of all 10 day trips that started in that month between 2017 and 2025, x in 10 got at least 5 kite days. We cap the figure at 9 in 10 because wind is never a promise. Best hours: the hours from 10:00 on when the wind most often reaches 12 to 35 knots. Rain day: 1 mm or more of rain.
Source: ECMWF IFS 9 km via Open-Meteo, hourly model wind, 2017 to 2025; water temperature 2023 to 2025. How we count kite days and trip odds
Trip odds at Unalaska Island
How often a trip of your length got at least half its days with kite wind, 2017 to 2025, capped at 9 in 10.
- January4 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.3 expected
- February6 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.0 expected
- March6 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 5.0 expected
- April6 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.9 expected
- May4 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.2 expected
- June3 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 3.4 expected
- Julyunder 1 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 2.2 expected
- August3 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 3.4 expected
- September5 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.5 expected
- October (now)6 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.9 expected
- November5 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.5 expected
- December5 in 10 trips of 10 days got at least 5 kite days, about 4.5 expected
x in 10 reads: of all 10 day trips that started in that month between 2017 and 2025, x in 10 got at least 5 kite days. We cap the figure at 9 in 10 because wind is never a promise.
Trip odds by start week
Pick your start week and trip length. Each cell: of all trips of that length that started in that week between 2017 and 2025, how many in 10 got at least half their days with kite wind.
Trip odds by start week, 10 day trips, 2017 to 2025
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Colours as in the kite year: 6 in 10 and more like Prime · 4 to 5 in 10 like Good · 2 to 3 in 10 like Possible · under 2 in 10 like Off · No data hatched (fewer than 30 trips) · Ringed: this week · Raised: your start week
x in 10 reads: of all 10 day trips that started in that week between 2017 and 2025, x in 10 got at least 5 kite days. We cap the figure at 9 in 10 because wind is never a promise.
Source: hourly wind from the ECMWF IFS model via Open-Meteo, 2017 to 2025, kiteCOMPASS method v1. How we count
6 in 10
trips of 10 days starting in week 45 (e.g. 5 to 11 November) got at least 5 kite days in 2017 to 2025 (63 trips).
Zero wind trips: fewer than 1 in 20
about 4.8 kite days expected out of 10
Kite days per trip, 63 trips
Bars right of the line are good trips (5 kite days or more).
How the wind behaves
In March, the windiest month
- Too light 46 %
- Kiteable 50 %
- Too strong 4 %
Too light on 46 %, kiteable on 50 %, too strong on 4 % of days.
Best hours: all day, 10:00 to 19:00, when the wind is most often 12 to 35 knots.
Share of kite days by wind direction, 16 sectors
Wind direction varies, most often NNW (338°).
Kitesurfing at Unalaska Island: quick answers
When is the best time to kitesurf at Unalaska Island?
No month reaches 50 % kite days. The windiest month is March, when 50 % of days were kite days from 2017 to 2025.
Is Unalaska Island windy in October?
Yes, often. 48 % of days in October were kite days from 2017 to 2025, about 15 days in a typical October. 6 in 10 trips of 10 days starting in October got at least 5 kite days, 2017 to 2025.
How many kite days does Unalaska Island get in a year?
About 154 days a year were kite days from 2017 to 2025, out of 365. A kite day has at least 3 hours of 12 to 35 kn model wind between 10:00 and 19:00 in daylight, with gusts up to 45 kn.
Live forecast
The numbers above are long term averages. The forecast shows the next days.
Live forecast from Windy
The forecast map for Unalaska Island comes from windy.com (Windyty SE, Prague, Czech Republic) and opens right here on this page. Once you load it, your browser contacts Windy, which receives your IP address and may set its own cookies. Nothing is loaded before you click.
Spot facts
- Region
- Alaska
- Country
- United States
- Water body
- Sea, from Natural Earth map data
- Nearest airport
- Tom Madsen (Dutch Harbor) Airport (DUT), 4 km straight line. Flights are not sold here; this is for planning only.
- Time zone
- UTC-09:00 in October
- Coordinates
- 53.8669, -166.5246
- Model
- ECMWF IFS 9 km via Open-Meteo, hourly
Conditions, checked against kite guides
Water state, flat areas, waves and whether schools teach here, from kite sources, not from satellite images.
Not yet checked against kite guides. We research spot conditions one by one and show only what a kite source says.
Nearby kite spots in Alaska
Kite days in October, % of days
- Monashka Bay
United States · 8 points more kite days than Unalaska Island in October
56 %Kite days by month at Monashka Bay: Jan 45 %, Feb 47 %, Mar 48 %, Apr 50 %, May 50 %, Jun 38 %, Jul 24 %, Aug 34 %, Sep 42 %, Oct 56 %, Nov 57 %, Dec 45 % - Homer Spit
United States · 27 points fewer kite days than Unalaska Island in October
21 %Kite days by month at Homer Spit: Jan 25 %, Feb 32 %, Mar 23 %, Apr 13 %, May 12 %, Jun 6 %, Jul 4 %, Aug 12 %, Sep 17 %, Oct 21 %, Nov 21 %, Dec 27 % - 20 Mile
United States · 48 points fewer kite days than Unalaska Island in October
0 %Kite days by month at 20 Mile: Jan 0 %, Feb 0 %, Mar 0 %, Apr 1 %, May 0 %, Jun 0 %, Jul 0 %, Aug 0 %, Sep 0 %, Oct 0 %, Nov 0 %, Dec 0 % - Mineral Creek Spit
United States · 48 points fewer kite days than Unalaska Island in October
0 %Kite days by month at Mineral Creek Spit: Jan 1 %, Feb 1 %, Mar 0 %, Apr 0 %, May 0 %, Jun 0 %, Jul 0 %, Aug 0 %, Sep 0 %, Oct 0 %, Nov 0 %, Dec 1 % - Haines
United States · 45 points fewer kite days than Unalaska Island in October
3 %Kite days by month at Haines: Jan 5 %, Feb 2 %, Mar 5 %, Apr 0 %, May 0 %, Jun 0 %, Jul 0 %, Aug 1 %, Sep 2 %, Oct 3 %, Nov 3 %, Dec 2 %
Plan your trip
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kiteCOMPASS · method k3h-10to19-v1 · 2017 to 2025
Model wind: ECMWF IFS 9 km via Open-Meteo, hourly, 2017 to 2025. Water temperature: 2023 to 2025. Kite day: at least 3 hours of 12 to 35 kn model wind between 10:00 and 19:00 in daylight, with gusts up to 45 kn. Confidence: high.
Cite this
In October, 48 % of days at Unalaska Island met the kiteCOMPASS kite day rule: at least 3 hours of 12 to 35 kn model wind between 10:00 and 19:00 in daylight, with gusts up to 45 kn (ECMWF IFS 9 km via Open-Meteo, hourly, 2017 to 2025). https://kitecompass.app/spot/unalaska-island
Numbers on this page are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: name kiteCOMPASS and link to this page.