Small Craft Advisory 317, NWS Anchorage, AK

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA
100 PM ADT MON APR 11 2005

.DISCUSSION...LARGE UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER THE EASTERN GULF OF ALASKA.
NUMEROUS SHORT WAVE TROUGHS TO ROTATE THROUGH AS JET ROUNDS THE
BOTTOM OF THE LOW INTO WEDNESDAY. ONE WAVE CURRENTLY ROTATING
NORTHWEST ALONG THE PANHANDLE THIS MORNING. THIS LOW TO PUSH NEAR
CORDOVA THEN REMAIN IN THE TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN GULF AS THE RIDGE
OVER THE EASTERN BERING IMPEDES WESTWARD PROGRESSION. THE COMBINATION
OF THIS LOW AND THE HIGH PRESSURE INLAND AND OVER THE EASTERN BERING
MAKING FOR A DECENT PRESSURE GRADIENT FROM INLAND LOCATIONS TO THE
GULF COAST. SEEING AS A RESULT...SOME MODERATE TO STRONG WINDS
THROUGH CHANNELED TERRAIN. GALE FORCE WINDS THROUGH THE BARREN
ISLANDS SHOULD DEVELOP LATER TODAY AS A RESULT. STRONG FRONT MOVING
THROUGH THE ALEUTIAN CHAIN TO PUSH THE RIDGE OVER THE EASTERN BERING
INTO SOUTHWEST ALASKA TUESDAY NIGHT/WEDNESDAY. THE LOW IN THE GULF
WEAKENS CONSIDERABLY DURING THIS TIME RELAXING THE GRADIENT ALONG THE
COAST AND THUS THE CHANNELED WINDS. HOWEVER...THE OFFSHORE FLOW ALONG
THE COAST WEAKENS AT THIS TIME AS WELL. THIS WILL ALLOW SOME MOISTURE
TO WORK INTO THE SOUND AND POINTS EAST ALONG THE COAST. THIS IS SHORT
LIVED AS THE RIDGE GETS CUTOFF OVER THE INTERIOR SOUTH OF THE BROOKS
RANGE BY THURSDAY. THERE IS AN UPPER LEVEL LOW ALONG THE NORTH COAST
AT THIS TIME AS WELL. THE LOW THAT IS CURRENTLY NEAR KAMCHATKA AND
PUSHING THE FRONT ACROSS THE ALEUTIAN CHAIN TODAY WILL MOVE ACROSS
THE ALEUTIANS TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. THE LOW BY THAT TIME
WILL MOVE INTO THE NORTH PACIFIC NEAR 50N 160W FRIDAY AFTERNOON. THIS
LOW WILL PUSH ACROSS THE SOUTHERN GULF OF ALASKA AND INTO THE
PANHANDLE FRIDAY NIGHT.

UPPER LEVEL LOW ROTATING NORTH INTO A LOW THAT IS APPROACHING THE
KAMCHATKA PENINSULA THIS AFTERNOON. THE ASSOCIATED LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEM IS PUSHING A FRONT ACROSS THE WESTERN ALEUTIAN CHAIN TODAY
WITH ADVISORY/GALE FORCE WINDS. AS THE LOW MOVING INTO THE KAMCHATKA
PENINSULA IS A PROGRESSIVE LOW...IT WILL PUSH THE FRONT INTO THE
CENTRAL ALEUTIAN CHAIN TONIGHT. HOWEVER...AS IT BUMPS INTO THE RIDGE
OVER THE EASTERN BERING IT WILL WEAKEN. THE LOW WILL SLIDE ACROSS THE
ALEUTIAN CHAIN TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. GALE FORCE WINDS TO
ACCOMPANY THIS LOW AS WELL. THE LOW WILL EVENTUALLY CUT THE RIDGE
ALONG THE EASTERN BERING FROM THE PACIFIC SIDE AND FORCE IT INTO THE
INTERIOR AS WELL THURSDAY NIGHT. ANOTHER LOW TO INTO THE WESTERN
ALEUTIAN CHAIN BY FRIDAY MORNING. THIS LOW IS A BIT STRONGER.

THE LOW OVER THE NORTHERN COAST OF ALASKA TO WORK ITS WAY SOUTH EARLY
IN THE WEEKEND WITH THE RIDGE MOVING SOUTH AS WELL AND SQUEEZED IN
BETWEEN THE TWO UPPER LEVEL LOWS. ONE IN THE PANHANDLE AND THE OTHER
IN THE WESTERN ALEUTIANS.

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...NONE
MARINE...GALE 3A 12B 13A
FIRE WEATHER...NONE

JN APR 05