Gale Warning 138, NWS Anchorage, AK

000 
FZAK62 PAFC 181252
OFFALU

OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR THE BERING SEA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
400 AM AST MON FEB 18 2008

WIND FORECASTS REFLECT THE PREDOMINANT SPEED AND DIRECTION
EXPECTED. SEA FORECASTS REPRESENT AN AVERAGE OF THE HIGHEST
ONE-THIRD OF THE COMBINED WIND WAVE AND SWELL HEIGHT.

PKZ499-190300-
.SYNOPSIS FOR CENTRAL BERING SEA...
A 966 MB LOW NEAR 53N 173W MOVES TO NEAR 55N 167W AT 979 MB TUESDAY
NIGHT.
$$

PKZ411-190300-
BERING SEA OFFSHORE WEST OF 180 AND EAST OF THE INTERNATIONAL
DATELINE
400 AM AST MON FEB 18 2008

...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING THROUGH TUESDAY...

.TODAY...N WIND 30 KT. SEAS 19 FT. SNOW SHOWERS. HEAVY FREEZING
SPRAY. 
.TONIGHT...N WIND 30 KT. SEAS 17 FT. SNOW SHOWERS. HEAVY FREEZING
SPRAY. 
.TUE...N WIND 30 KT. SEAS 15 FT. HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY. 
.TUE NIGHT AND WED...NW WIND 25 KT. SEAS 12 FT. 
.THU...SW WIND 20 KT. SEAS 8 FT. 
.FRI...S WIND 45 KT. SEAS 16 FT.  

$$

PKZ412-190300-
BERING SEA OFFSHORE 171W TO 180 AND NORTH OF 56N
400 AM AST MON FEB 18 2008

...GALE WARNING TODAY...
...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING THROUGH TUESDAY...

.TODAY...NE WIND 40 KT. SEAS 18 FT. SNOW SHOWERS. HEAVY FREEZING
SPRAY. 
.TONIGHT AND TUE...N WIND 30 KT. SEAS 14 FT. SNOW SHOWERS. HEAVY
FREEZING SPRAY.
.TUE NIGHT...N WIND 30 KT. SEAS 13 FT. 
.WED...NW WIND 30 KT. SEAS 13 FT. 
.THU...NW WIND 25 KT. SEAS 11 FT. 
.FRI...S WIND 30 KT. SEAS 7 FT.  

$$

PKZ413-190300-
BERING SEA OFFSHORE 171W TO 180 AND SOUTH OF 56N
400 AM AST MON FEB 18 2008

.TODAY...N WIND 30 KT. SEAS 10 TO 18 FT HIGHEST WEST OF 175W. SNOW
AND RAIN SHOWERS. FREEZING SPRAY W OF 175W. 
.TONIGHT...N WIND 30 KT. SEAS 16 FT. SNOW SHOWERS. FREEZING SPRAY. 
.TUE...N WIND 30 KT. SEAS 15 FT. FREEZING SPRAY. 
.TUE NIGHT THROUGH THU...NW WIND 30 KT. SEAS 14 FT. 
.FRI...S WIND 35 KT. SEAS 10 FT.  

$$

PKZ414-190300-
BERING SEA OFFSHORE EAST OF 171W
400 AM AST MON FEB 18 2008

.TODAY...SE WIND 25 KT. SEAS 6 FT. SNOW.
.TONIGHT...E WIND 25 KT. SEAS 6 FT. 
.TUE...E WIND 25 KT DIMINISHING TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. SEAS
7 FT. SNOW SHOWERS. 
.TUE NIGHT...NE WIND 25 KT. SEAS 6 FT. 
.WED...N WIND 25 KT. SEAS 8 FT. 
.THU...NW WIND 30 KT. SEAS 11 FT. 
.FRI...N WIND 30 KT. SEAS 10 FT.  

$$

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA
345 PM AST SUN FEB 17 2008

.ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS...
BROAD CYCLONIC FLOW IS PRESENT OVER THE STATE. THE CENTER OF THE
CYCLONIC FLOW IS A VERTICALLY STACKED...SLOW MOVING LOW JUST SOUTH OF
DUTCH HARBOR. HOWEVER...THE BIGGEST WIND AND WEATHER PRODUCER IS A
LOW WHICH IS MOVING NORTHWEST AND INLAND OVER BRISTOL BAY LATE THIS
AFTERNOON...ROTATING AROUND THE MAIN LOW NEAR DUTCH. LOTS OF
WIND...RAIN...SNOW...AND WARM TEMPERATURES ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE
LOW. SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY IS OUT TONIGHT FOR THOMPSON PASS
AND A SNOW ADVISORY FOR WESTERN SUSITNA VALLEY.

NOT MUCH CHANGE IN THE PATTERN FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS WITH A SLOW
MOVING LOW OVER THE SOUTHERN BERING AND WARM...MOIST GULF OF ALASKA
SHORTWAVES AND LOW PRESSURES MOVING SOUTHEAST TO NORTHWEST.

.MODEL DISCUSSION...
MODELS ARE IN GOOD SHAPE THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT BUT THEN ARE HAVING
SOME TROUBLE ON THE NEXT GULF LOW TUESDAY. FAVORING A COMPROMISE
AMONG THE MODELS AS THE TIMING OF SHORTWAVES AND LOWS IN THE GULF
WILL LIKELY REMAIN DIFFICULT.

.SHORT TERM FORECAST...
SOUTHERN MAINLAND...
AS MENTIONED ABOVE...VERY LITTLE CHANGE IN THE PATTERN. OVER THE
MAINLAND...MOIST AND WARM SOUTHEAST ONSHORE FLOW WILL CONTINUE
THROUGH AT LEAST THURSDAY. RAIN WILL BE THE MORE COMMON PRECIPITATION
TYPE AT SEA LEVEL. THE USUAL DOWNSLOPE AREAS WILL REMAIN GENERALLY
DRY. WINDS WILL BE THE STRONGEST FOR THE SOUTHERN MAINLAND AND GULF
OF ALASKA THIS EVENING AND THEN AGAIN TUESDAY WITH THE NEXT LOW
PRESSURE.

BERING/ALEUTIANS...
THE LOW PRESSURE AROUND DUTCH HARBOR WILL SLOWLY WEAKEN AND DRIFT
EAST THROUGH WEDNESDAY. SNOW SHOWERS AND COLD TEMPERATURES WILL
PERSIST OVER THE WESTERN TO CENTRAL BERING AND ALEUTIANS. RAIN AND
SNOW SHOWERS WITH MILDER TEMPERATURES OVER THE EASTERN BERING AND
ALEUTIANS WILL GRADUALLY BE REPLACED BY COLDER TEMPERATURES AND SNOW
SHOWERS AS THE LOW DRIFTS EAST.

.LONG TERM FORECAST...
IT IS STILL LOOKING LIKE HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN THE EASTERN
BERING IN THE LATTER PART OF THE WEEK...RESULTING IN COLDER
TEMPERATURES THE EASTERN BERING INTO THE SOUTHERN MAINLAND

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...NONE.
MARINE...STORM WARNING ZONE 130.
         GALE WARNING ZONES 120 125 132 172 175 185 351 352 411 412
          413.
         HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING ZONES 185 411 412.
FIRE WEATHER...NONE.

FOISY FEB 08