Gale Warning 54, NWS Fairbanks, AK

NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
230 PM ADT SAT AUG 6 2005

.DISCUSSION...

UPPER AIR: RIDGE AXIS EXTENDING FROM OVER THE PACIFIC...SOUTHWEST
OF COLD BAY TO PRUDHOE BAY AND NORTH OVER THE ARCTIC WILL DEVELOP
INTO A LARGE CLOSED HIGH COVERING NEARLY ALL OF NORTHERN ALASKA
WITH CENTER OVER ANCHORAGE BY WED AFTERNOON. LOW PRESSURE OVER FAR
EASTERN RUSSIA WILL MOVE NORTHEAST INTO THE HIGH ARCTIC BY MON
AFTERNOON. AN ASSOCIATED TROUGH WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS THE NORTHERN
HALF OF NORTHERN ALASKA AND FLATTEN THE BUILDING RIDGE FROM SUN TO
SUN NIGHT. FROM MON NIGHT TO TUE ANOTHER TROUGH MOVING RAPIDLY
EAST WILL FLATTEN THE RIDGE OVER THE NORTH SLOPE AND BROOKS RANGE.
ON MON...A LOW WILL MOVE NORTH OF THE WESTERN ALEUTIANS THEN
CONTINUE NORTH INTO RUSSIA BY TUE NIGHT.

SURFACE: LOW PRESSURE MOVING NORTHEAST OUT OF FAR EASTERN RUSSIA
AND HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING NORTH OUT OF THE GULF OF ALASKA WILL BE
THE TWO MAIN SURFACE WEATHER MAP FEATURES DURING THE NEXT FEW
DAYS. THE LOW OVER RUSSIA WILL MOVE NORTHEAST TO THE HIGH ARCTIC
BY MON AFTERNOON. A WEATHER FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW WILL
MOVE EAST. ON SUN AFTERNOON...THE FRONT WILL EXTEND FROM THE
BEAUFORT SEA TO NORTON SOUND AND SOUTHWEST ACROSS SAINT MATTHEW
ISLAND. THE FRONT WILL MOVE BACK NORTH ACROSS THE WEST COAST AND
NORTHERN BERING SEA SUN NIGHT THROUGH MON THEN DISSIPATE. ANOTHER
FRONT WILL MOVE EAST TO OVER THE NORTH SLOPE MON NIGHT THROUGH TUE
THEN SLOWLY DISSIPATE ACROSS THE AREA BY WED NIGHT. THE HIGH OVER
THE GULF OF ALASKA WILL COVER NEARLY ALL THE FORECAST AREA BY TUE
AFTERNOON. OVER THE FAR WESTERN ALEUTIANS...LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE
NORTH THEN REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY AND GENERALLY WEAKEN THROUGH
WED.

NORTH SLOPE: CLOUDS...SHOWERS AND FOG WILL PERSIST THROUGH WED AS
FRONT SETTLES ACROSS THE AREA. HIGH WINDS OVER CAPE LISBURNE WILL
DIMINISH BY SUN NIGHT AS WRANGEL ISLAND LOW MOVES OFF TO THE
NORTH. BUILDING HIGH PRESSURE WILL END THE SHOWERS AND CLOUDS ON
WED BUT FOG WILL CONTINUE. ADVISORIES OVER ALL MARINE ZONES SHOULD
END ON TUE.

WEST COAST: SHOWERS AND MODERATE TO STRONG SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL
PERSIST THROUGH SUN. HIGH SURF ADVISORIES WILL END FROM SOUTHWEST
TO NORTHEAST SUN THROUGH SUN NIGHT AS SEAS SLOWLY SUBSIDE. LOW
PRESSURE OVER WESTERN BERING SEA AND BUILDING HIGH OVER NORTHERN
ALASKA WILL PUT THE WEST COAST ZONES UNDER A WARM SOUTHERLY FLOW
MON THROUGH WED.

INTERIOR: A WARM FRONT FROM FAIRBANKS NORTH WILL MOVE EAST
OF THE ALCAN BORDER TONIGHT. A COLD FRONT ALONG THE WEST COAST
WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS THE AREA SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. AN
UPPER LEVEL HIGH WILL BUILD OVER THE AREA THROUGH MONDAY AND THEN
PERSIST THROUGH NEXT WEEK. THIS WILL BRING HOT AND DRY WEATHER
DURING THE UPCOMING WEEK.

.HYDRO...NONE SIGNIFICANT ISSUES.

.FIRE WEATHER...NO WARNINGS...WATCHES OR ADVISORIES IN EFFECT.

.AFG WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...HIGH WIND WARNING ZONE 201 WESTERN ARCTIC COAST
         HIGH SURF ADVISORY:
            ZONE 207 CHUKCHI SEA COAST
            ZONE 211 SOUTHERN SEWARD PENINSULA COAST
            ZONE 212 EASTERN NORTON SOUND
            ZONE 213 ST LAWRENCE ISLAND AND BERING STRAIT COAST
MARINE...GALE WARNING:
            ZONE 210 DALL POINT TO WALES
            ZONE 220 WALES TO CAPE THOMPSON
            ZONE 225 CAPE THOMPSON TO CAPE BEAUFORT
         SMALL CRAFT ADVSORY:
            ZONE 200 NORTON SOUND
            ZONE 215 KOTZEBUE SOUND
            ZONE 230 CAPE BEAUFORT TO POINT FRANKLIN
            ZONE 235 POINT FRANKLIN TO CAPE HALKETT

DA AUG 05