Gale Warning 136, NWS Anchorage, AK

941 
FZAK62 PAFC 060006
OFFALU

OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
400 PM AKST SAT FEB 5 2011

OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR THE BERING SEA

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.

PKZ499-061500-
400 PM AKST SAT FEB 5 2011
.SYNOPSIS FOR CENTRAL BERING SEA...

A 987 MB LOW NEAR 49N 170W WEAKENS AS IT MOVES TO NEAR UNALASKA
TONIGHT. A SECONDARY 990 MB LOW NEAR 53N 174W THIS EVENING MOVES TO
57N 172W AND WEAKENS TO 1006 MB EARLY MONDAY MORNING. 

$$

PKZ411-061500-
BERING SEA OFFSHORE WEST OF 180 AND EAST OF THE INTERNATIONAL
DATELINE
400 PM AKST SAT FEB 5 2011

.TONIGHT...N WIND 30 KT. SEAS 11 FT. SNOW. 
.SUN...NW WIND 30 KT. SEAS 11 FT. 
.SUN NIGHT...NW WIND 25 KT. SEAS 10 FT. 
.MON...W WIND 20 KT. SEAS 8 FT. 
.MON NIGHT...NW WIND 20 KT. SEAS 7 FT. 
.TUE...N WIND 25 KT. SEAS 8 FT. 
.WED...S WIND 20 KT. SEAS 7 FT. 
.THU...S WIND 25 KT. SEAS 8 FT.  

$$

PKZ412-061500-
BERING SEA OFFSHORE 171W TO 180 AND NORTH OF 56N
400 PM AKST SAT FEB 5 2011

.TONIGHT...NE WIND 30 KT. SEAS 12 FT. RAIN AND SNOW. 
.SUN...E WIND 25 KT. SEAS 11 FT. 
.SUN NIGHT...E WIND 20 KT BECOMING W AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS 9 FT. 
.MON...W WIND 20 KT. SEAS 7 FT. 
.MON NIGHT...NW WIND 25 KT. SEAS 8 FT. 
.TUE...N WIND 30 KT. SEAS 11 FT. 
.WED...N WIND 25 KT. SEAS 10 FT. 
.THU...S WIND 25 KT. SEAS 8 FT.  

$$

PKZ413-061500-
BERING SEA OFFSHORE 171W TO 180 AND SOUTH OF 56N
400 PM AKST SAT FEB 5 2011

.TONIGHT...NE WIND 25 KT. SEAS 12 FT. RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS. 
.SUN...NE WIND 30 KT. SEAS 12 FT. 
.SUN NIGHT...NW WIND 25 KT. SEAS 10 FT. 
.MON...NW WIND 25 KT. SEAS 9 FT. 
.MON NIGHT AND TUE...NW WIND 35 KT. SEAS 13 FT. 
.WED...NW WIND 25 KT. SEAS 10 FT. 
.THU...SW WIND 25 KT. SEAS 8 FT.  

$$

PKZ414-061500-
BERING SEA OFFSHORE EAST OF 171W
400 PM AKST SAT FEB 5 2011

...GALE WARNING TONIGHT...

.TONIGHT...E WIND 35 KT. SEAS IN ICE FREE WATERS 13 FT. 
.SUN...SE WIND 25 KT. SEAS IN ICE FREE WATERS 10 FT. 
.SUN NIGHT...S WIND 25 KT. SEAS IN ICE FREE WATERS 8 FT. 
.MON...SE WIND 20 KT. SEAS IN ICE FREE WATERS 7 FT. 
.MON NIGHT...NE WIND 35 KT. SEAS IN ICE FREE WATERS 13 FT. 
.TUE...N WIND 30 KT. SEAS IN ICE FREE WATERS 11 FT. 
.WED...NW WIND 30 KT. SEAS IN ICE FREE WATERS 11 FT. 
.THU...NW WIND 20 KT. SEAS IN ICE FREE WATERS 7 FT.  

$$

SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
430 PM AKST FRI FEB 4 2011

.ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS...
HIGH PRESSURE HAS ARRIVED OVER MOST OF THE STATE TODAY. THE REMNANTS
OF THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS WEEKS SNOW
IS DRIFTING EAST ACROSS THE SOUTHERN GULF. HIGH PRESSURE IS CENTERED
OVER SOUTHWEST ALASKA AND WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH EAST TOWARD
SOUTHCENTRAL OVERNIGHT. A LARGE VERTICALLY STACKED LOW IS IN ITS
MATURE PHASE SOUTH OF THE CENTRAL ALEUTIANS. THIS LOW AND THE
ASSOCIATED GALE FORCE FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL SLOWLY WEAKEN AS IT
DRIFTS NORTH INTO THE CENTRAL BERING SEA.

.MODEL DISCUSSION...MODELS INITIALIZING WELL ON THE FEW FEATURES
ACROSS OUR DOMAIN THIS AFTERNOON. THE DEVELOPING SYSTEM OVER THE
NORTH PACIFIC CONTINUES TO GIVE THE MODELS FITS...AS RUN TO RUN
CONSISTENCY IS VERY POOR. THE TREND HAS BEEN FOR THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY
TO APPROACH FASTER WITH EACH RUN AS WELL AS AN OCCLUDED LOW
DEVELOPING ALONG THE BOUNDARY OVER THE SOUTHERN GULF. THE AFTERNOON
FORECAST PACKAGE WILL REFLECT MINOR CHANGES TO THE MAINLAND...BUT
WILL ADJUST THE COASTAL AND OFFSHORE FORECASTS TOWARD THE 12Z GFS
WHICH DEPICTS THESE TRENDS NICELY.

.SHORT TERM FORECAST...
.SOUTHCENTRAL...HIGH PRESSURE IS BUILDING OVER THE REGION THIS
AFTERNOON. THE VERY PLEASANT WEATHER ACROSS THE AREA WILL CONTINUE
THROUGH SATURDAY ALTHOUGH THE RECENT SNOWFALL AND CALM SURFACE WINDS
COULD LEAD TO SOME PATCHY DENSE FOG DEVELOPING OVERNIGHT. THE SURFACE
HIGH PRESSURE SHIFTS OVER TO THE ALCAN BORDER WHERE IT WILL REMAIN
THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEKEND. THIS FEATURE WILL PREVENT THE
APPROACHING FRONTAL BOUNDARY FROM IMPACTING THE GULF COAST. IT WON'T
BE UNTIL EARLY NEXT WEEK THAT THE NEXT FRONTAL BOUNDARY MAKES MORE
PROGRESS AND PUSHES MOISTURE BACK OVER SOUTHCENTRAL.

.SOUTHWEST ALASKA...WIDESPREAD STRATUS AND FOG HAS DEVELOPED UNDER
THE RIDGE AXIS ACROSS SOUTHWEST ALASKA. CONDITIONS SHOULD IMPROVE
OVERNIGHT AS HIGH PRESSURE SHIFTS TOWARD SOUTHCENTRAL AND OFFSHORE
GRADIENT INCREASES. MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT STALLS ACROSS
THE ALASKA PENINSULA WITH GUSTY WINDS THROUGH CHANNELED TERRAIN AND
ALONG THE WESTERN CAPES EXPECTED THROUGH THE WEEKEND. BY SUNDAY
NIGHT...A SHORTWAVE PUSHES INLAND BRINGING LIGHT SNOW ACROSS THE
REGION. THEN A MUCH STRONGER SYSTEM APPROACHES SOUTHWEST ALASKA
MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY.

.BERING SEA AND ALEUTIANS...A LARGE AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL SLOWLY
CROSS THE CENTRAL ALEUTIANS AND WEAKEN AS IT MOVES INTO THE CENTRAL
BERING SEA. WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND GALE FORCE WINDS WILL DIMINISH BY
THE END OF THE WEEKEND AS WEAK HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS BEFORE THE NEXT
SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE SOUTH EARLY NEXT WEEK.

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...NONE.
MARINE...GALE WARNING...132 150 155 160 165 170 171 172 175 176
FIRE WEATHER...NONE.

AB FEB 11