Wind Advisory 1, NWS Fairbanks, AK

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
312 PM AKST SUN JAN 11 2009

.DISCUSSION...GOOD MODEL CONTINUITY FOR THE SHORT TERM. EVERY
MODEL IS POINTING TO A MAJOR PATTERN SHIFT FOR THE STATE. SLOW
TEMPERATURE MODERATION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH TUESDAY
WITH A CHINOOK PATTERN SETTING UP ON WEDNESDAY AND HOLDING INTO
THE WEEKEND. SEVERAL WAVES ARE EXPECTED TO RIPPLE UP THE SIDE OF
THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDING OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE
STATE...EACH WAVE WILL BRING A CHANCE OF SNOW AND VARIOUS OTHER
FORMS OF FREEZING PRECIPITATION TO MOST OF THE STATE AT SOME POINT
THIS WEEK.

INTERIOR...GRADUAL TEMPERATURE MODERATION THROUGH TUESDAY ALONG
WITH AN INCREASE IN THE PRESSURE GRADIENT...AND THEREFORE THE
WIND SPEEDS. LOCAL WIND CHILLS TO 50 BELOW ARE EXPECTED FOR MUCH
OF THE INTERIOR OVERNIGHT BEFORE THE WARMER AIR ARRIVES. THE
LAST OF THE COLD AIR SHOULD BE SCOURED OUT OF THE VALLEYS BY
WEDNESDAY MORNING.

THE CENTRAL INTERIOR SHOULD BE UNDER THE PRECIP SHADOW FOR MOST
OF THE CHINOOK EVENT...BUT SOME RIPPLES IN THE FLOW WILL ALLOW
THE DRYING DOWNSLOPE FLOW TO BREAK AND LET SOME PRECIPITATION
THROUGH TO THE GROUND...MAINLY IN THE FORM OF SNOW...BUT SOME
MIXED PRECIPITATION IS POSSIBLE ON WEDNESDAY. 850MB TEMPERATURES
EXCEED 6 ABOVE IN SOME AREAS NORTH OF THE ALASKA RANGE. CHANCES OF
MIXED PRECIP WORK THEIR WAY AS FAR NORTH AS BETTLES ON WEDNESDAY
AND INTO THURSDAY.

AK RANGE...IN THE SHORT TERM...INTERMITTENT SOUTHERLY WINDS OF 15
TO 20 MPH ARE OCCURRING THROUGH ISABEL AND WINDY PASS AHEAD OF THE
NEXT SYSTEM...CREATING WIND CHILLS TO 50 BELOW. LATER THIS WEEK...
STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS THROUGH THE PASSES ARE EXPECTED WEDNESDAY
THROUGH SATURDAY. WINDS AS HIGH AS 70 KT ARE SHOWING UP AT 700 MB
...EXPECT MAJOR TURBULENCE AND WIND SHEAR TO AFFECT AVIATION AND
TEMPERATURES SOARING AS HIGH AS 40 ABOVE AT THE SURFACE THROUGH
THE ALASKA RANGE PASSES. THE RICHARDSON AND PARKS HIGHWAYS WILL
BE VERY SLICK LATER THIS WEEK.

WEST COAST...A WEAKENING SHORT WAVE IS WORKING ITS WAY UP THE
WEST COAST TONIGHT. SNOW SHOULD BEGIN TO FALL ALONG ZONES 214 AND
215 OVERNIGHT...AND THEN SNOW WILL SPREAD AS FAR NORTH AS AMBLER
AND KIVALINA ON MONDAY. WIND SPEEDS WILL PICK UP AHEAD OF THIS
WAVE AND COMBINE WITH STILL COLD VALLEY TEMPERATURES AROUND 25
BELOW TO PRODUCE LOCAL WIND CHILLS TO 50 BELOW TONIGHT. MOST WIND
CHILL ADVISORIES END ON MONDAY MORNING AS TEMPERATURES BEGIN TO
MODERATE. NOT A LOT OF PRECIPITATION EXPECTED WITH THIS SYSTEM.
ANOTHER SYSTEM ON TUESDAY NIGHT WILL BRING HIGHER WIND SPEEDS AND
MORE PRECIPITATION. THIS SYSTEM WILL PLAGUE THE WEST COAST THROUGH
THE REST OF THE WEEK.

NORTH SLOPE...COLD AIR EXPECTED TO STAY IN PLACE THROUGH THE
NIGHT AND MODERATE SLIGHTLY ON MONDAY. CHINOOK FLOW WILL REACH
THE NORTH SLOPE BY EARLY THURSDAY MORNING...WHICH WILL BRING
TEMPERATURES WELL ABOVE ZERO.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR AKZ207-AKZ209-AKZ210-AKZ215-AKZ216-
AKZ217-AKZ219-AKZ221-AKZ223-AKZ225-AKZ226.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ200-PKZ215-PKZ220.
&&

KA JAN 09