Small Craft Advisory 78, NWS Fairbanks, AK

NORTH ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
600 AM ADT MON AUG 22 2005

.DISCUSSION...

UPPER AIR...A TROUGH WILL DEEPEN OVER THE EASTERN BERING SEA AND
CHUKCHI SEA TODAY. A RIDGE AHEAD OF THE TROUGH WILL STRENGTHEN
OVER THE EASTERN INTERIOR TO NORTH OF MACKENZIE BAY. THE RIDGE
WILL MOVE EAST INTO CANADA TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. ON WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON A BROAD TROUGH WILL BE OVER WESTERN ALASKA WITH CENTER
WEAKENING OVER THE SEWARD PENINSULA.

SURFACE...LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE NORTHEAST OF THE PRIBILOFS TODAY
AND THEN STRENGTHEN RAPIDLY AS IT MOVES ONSHORE NEAR KUSKOKWIM BAY
ON TUESDAY. THE LOW WILL GRADUALLY WEAKEN AS IT MOVES NORTH TO THE
NORTHERN NULATO HILLS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THE LOW WILL REMAIN
NEARLY STATIONARY AND SLOWLY WEAKEN THROUGH FRIDAY. A WEAK RIDGE
OVER THE EASTERN INTERIOR WILL DISSIPATE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY AS
THE LOW MOVES TO THE SOUTHWEST COAST.

NORTH SLOPE...MAINLY JUST FOG AND LOW CLOUDS THROUGH TUESDAY THEN
AS THE LOW OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN BERING SEA MOVES NORTH OVER THE
NULATO HILLS EAST WINDS WILL PICK UP. ON TUESDAY WINDS WILL LIKELY
BE AROUND 20 KNOTS. ANY PRECIPITATION WITH THE SYSTEM WILL BE
LIGHT AND LIQUID. A LITTLE COOLER AND DRIER AIR MAY ENTER FROM THE
NORTH ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.

WEST COAST...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES WILL BE RAISED OVER THE
NORTHERN BERING SEA TO CHUKCHI SEA AND NORTON SOUND AS LOW
PRESSURE APPROACHES THE SOUTHWEST COAST. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO
REACH GALE FORCE FROM DALL POINT TO WALES ON TUESDAY. RAINFALL
AMOUNTS OF AROUND ONE-HALF INCH WILL BE COMMON WITH ONE INCH
TOTALS LIKELY IN PLACES AS THE LOW MOVES NORTH OVER SOUTHWEST
ALASKA TO THE NULATO HILLS.

INTERIOR...A DRYING TREND TODAY AND TONIGHT WILL GIVE WAY TO MORE
CLOUDS AND SHOWERS SPREADING OVER THE WESTERN TO CENTRAL INTERIOR
TUESDAY AS LOW MOVES NORTH TOWARD THE NULATO HILLS. MUCH OF THE
EAST INTERIOR WILL REMAIN DRY AS WINDS DOWNSLOPE OFF THE ALASKA
RANGE. SOUTH WINDS WILL BE PICKING UP OVER THE ALASKA RANGE TODAY
AND WILL LIKELY REACH ADVISORY OR WARNING LEVELS THROUGH PASSES
TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY. THE ETA SHOWS 50 TO 60 MPH WINDS AT 850
MB OVER THE ALASKA RANGE.

.HYDRO...THE WEST COAST ZONES WILL HAVE TO BE MONITORED FOR
POSSIBLE RIVER AND STREAM RISES THROUGH TUESDAY.

.FIRE WEATHER...FIRE AREAS OVER WESTERN ALASKA WILL HAVE
WIDESPREAD WETTING RAINS BEGINNING TONIGHT THEN SPREADING TO
CENTRAL INTERIOR FIRES ON TUESDAY. DOWN SLOPE WINDS OVER THE
ALASKA RANGE WILL PREVENT WIDESPREAD WETTING RAINS FOR THE EASTERN
INTERIOR. STRONG SOUTH WINDS FOR THE ALASKA RANGE WILL LIKELY
PROMPT THE ISSUANCE OF FIRE WEATHER WATCHES OR WARNINGS FOR THE
ALASKA RANGE ZONES.

.AFG WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...DENSE SMOKE ADVISORY:
            ZONE 218 SOUTHEASTERN BROOKS RANGE
            ZONE 219 UPPER KOYUKUK VALLEY
            ZONE 220 YUKON FLATS AND SURROUNDING UPLANDS
            ZONE 224 UPPER TANANA VALLEY AND THE FORTYMILE COUNTRY
         DENSE FOG ADVISORY:
            ZONE 202 NORTHERN ARCTIC COAST
            ZONE 203 CENTRAL BEAUFORT SEA COAST
            ZONE 204 EASTERN BEAUFORT SEA COAST
            ZONE 213 ST LAWRENCE ISLAND AND BERING STRAIT COAST
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY:
            ZONE 200 NORTON SOUND
            ZONE 210 DALL POINT TO WALES

DA AUG 05