Arctic Ocean cloud cover, precipitation frequency and temperature are examined using COADS records for the period 1980--1993. Principal component analysis reveals two climatic regions, the 'Northern Atlantic' and 'Central Arctic', as well as a cold (November--April) and warm (June--September) season. For the Central Arctic, precipitation frequency and cloud cover peak during the warm season, with liquid precipitation comprising about 50% of all precipitation reports during July. For the Northern Atlantic, precipitation frequency and the frequency of moderate/heavy precipitation peak during the cold season, but with relatively constant cloud cover throughout the year. Liquid precipitation is common in all months, comprising the bulk of reports from June through September. Based on our analysis, the proposed location for the 1997--1998 Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA) field experiment cannot be considered Central Arctic in character. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1996