High Wind Watch 4, NWS Fairbanks, AK

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
238 PM AST MON DEC 12 2005

.DISCUSSION...
ALOFT...LOW OVER THE BERING STRAIT WITH TROUGH EXTENDING TO
OFFSHORE SE AK. WEAK RIDGE OVER FAR EASTERN INTERIOR. TROUGH WILL
DRIFT NORTHEAST OVER SE INTERIOR DUE TO STRONGER RIDGE BUILDING OVER
GULF OF ALASKA. LOW OVER BERING STRAIT DRIFTS NW OVER RUSSIA WHILE
LOW JUST SE OF KAMCHATKA MIGRATES NORTHEAST INTO SOUTH CENTRAL
BERING SEA THROUGH WED...PROVIDING MODERATE SOUTHERLY FLOW OVER
FAR WESTERN AK DURING THE MID WEEK. OLD TROUGH EVENTUALLY MOVES
NORTH OF BROOKS RANGE WED WHILE RIDGING STRENGTHENS OVER INTERIOR.

SURFACE...BROAD HIGH PRESSURE COVERING ARCTIC OCEAN WHICH WILL
SLOWLY STRENGTHEN THROUGH WED. WEAK COLD FRONT MOVING ON SHORE
CURRENTLY OVER ZONES 203 AND 204 WHICH WILL DRIFT INLAND
OVERNIGHT. 1008 MB LOW NEAR POINT HOPE WITH ARCTIC COLD FRONT
EXTENDING SE TO DELTA JUNCTION THEN TO A LOW IN PRINCE WILLIAM
SOUND. THE POINT HOPE LOW WILL DRIFT WEST AND DISSIPATE BY 3PM
TUE. 1025 MB HIGH OVER SW ALASKA WITH ARCTIC COLD FRONT FROM
PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND LOW TRAILING SOUTH UNDERNEATH HIGH AND TO A
SMALL LOW...ABOUT 1012 MB SW OF GULF OF ANADYR. THIS LOW WILL MOVE
NNE THROUGH TONIGHT AND REACH THE BERING STRAIT BEFORE DISSIPATING
3PM TUE. AN OLD LOW EXISTS SE OF KAMCHATKA WITH ITS FRONTAL
BOUNDARY SE OVER THE EASTERN ALEUTIANS INTO THE NORTH PACIFIC. A
NEW LOW TREKKING ACROSS THE N PACIFIC WITH CURVE NORTH IN THE
VICINITY OF THE FRONT AND THEN NORTHWEST OVER THE SOUTHERN BERING
SEA WITH YET ANOTHER LOW FORMING ON THE BOUNDARY AND MOVING TO SW
OF SAINT MATTHEW ISLAND WED. THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL MOVE NORTH
TO EXTEND FROM SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND TO NUNIVAK ISLAND 3PM WED.
THE ARCTIC FRONT WILL RETREAT NORTH TO THE SEWARD PENINSULA AND SE
TO DENALI PARK AT THAT TIME.

NORTH SLOPE...STRATUS AND FOG AND FLURRIES OVER COAST AND
SOMEWHAT INLAND THROUGH THE NIGHT AS WEAK FRONT MOVES THROUGH.
LESS CLOUDS TUE BUT PREVAILING FLOW WILL BE NE ENTIRELY SO
COASTAL ZONES MAY NOT BE TOTALLY CLOUD-FREE.

WESTERN AK...FLURRIES OVER ZONES 208 AND 217 INTO TUE AS FRONTAL
BOUNDARY LINGERS. SNOW SHOWERS OVER ZONE 213 AND ZONE 211 TONIGHT
AND TUE WITH WEAK LOW MOVING NNE. WINDS PICKING UP OVER ZONE 213
TUE NIGHT IN ADVANCE OF LOW MOVING INTO SOUTHERN BERING
SEA...EXPECT SPEEDS CLOSE TO HIGH WIND MARK AND SO WILL HAVE
ISSUED WATCH. IF ENOUGH SNOW MAKES IT NORTH COULD HAVE BLIZ
CONDITIONS WED OR WED NIGHT...BUT WILL HOLD OFF FOR NOW. ALL
AREAS..INCLUDING INTERIOR ZONES OF 215 TO 217 WILL SEE INCREASING
E/NE WINDS.

CENTRAL/ERN INTERIOR...SNOW NEAR ARCTIC COLD FRONT WITH AN INCH OR
TWO ACCUMULATION OVERNIGHT...TAPERING TO FLURRIES BEHIND IT AND
PARTIAL CLEARING. PROBABLY MORE CLEARING TUE NIGHT AND WED AS SW
AK HIGH MOVES TO YUKON FLATS WITH A CHUNK OF COLD AIR TOO. BUT
COOLING SHOULDNT BE TOO MUCH...MAYBE TO -15 OR SO AS ARCTIC FRONT
RETURNS NORTHWARD AS A WARM FRONT WED OVER ZONE 221.
&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH WIND WATCH FOR AKZ213.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ210.
&&

JL DEC 05