Gale Warning 238, NWS Anchorage, AK

740 
FZAK61 PAFC 050007
OFFAER

OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
400 PM AKST FRI MAR 4 2011

OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR THE GULF OF ALASKA WEST OF 144W

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.

PKZ399-051500-
400 PM AKST FRI MAR 4 2011
.SYNOPSIS FOR THE WESTERN GULF OF ALASKA...

A 984 MB LOW NEAR 54N 139W WILL MOVE NEAR 56N 150W AT 1003 MB SUN
AFTERNOON.

$$

PKZ351-051500-
GULF OF ALASKA OFFSHORE NORTH OF 57N AND WEST OF 144W
400 PM AKST FRI MAR 4 2011

...STORM WARNING SATURDAY...

.TONIGHT...NE WIND 30 KT INCREASING TO 40 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS
BUILDING TO 14 FT. SNOW.
.SAT...NE WIND 40 TO 50 KT. SEAS 19 TO 22 FT. SNOW AND RAIN. 
.SAT NIGHT...E WIND 30 TO 40 KT. SEAS 16 TO 21 FT. RAIN AND SNOW. 
.SUN...E WIND 35 KT. SEAS 19 FT. 
.SUN NIGHT AND MON...E WIND 35 KT. SEAS 16 FT. 
.TUE...E WIND 25 KT. SEAS 13 FT. 
.WED...NE WIND 20 KT. SEAS 8 FT.  

$$

PKZ352-051500-
GULF OF ALASKA OFFSHORE SOUTH OF 57N NORTH OF 55N AND WEST OF
144W
400 PM AKST FRI MAR 4 2011

...GALE WARNING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT...

.TONIGHT...N WIND 30 TO 40 KT. SEAS 10 TO 17 FT. SNOW AND RAIN. 
.SAT...E OF 147W...SE WIND 30 TO 40 KT. W OF 147W...N WIND 30 TO 
40 KT. SEAS 13 TO 19 FT. SNOW AND RAIN. 
.SAT NIGHT...N TO E WIND 25 TO 35 KT. SEAS 10 TO 19 FT. RAIN AND
SNOW. 
.SUN...E WIND 35 KT. SEAS 15 FT. 
.SUN NIGHT...SE WIND 35 KT. SEAS 13 FT. 
.MON...SE WIND 45 KT. SEAS 18 FT. 
.TUE...E WIND 25 KT. SEAS 17 FT. 
.WED...NE WIND 20 KT. SEAS 17 FT.  

$$

735 
FZAK61 PAFC 051237
OFFAER

OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
400 AM AKST SAT MAR 5 2011

OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR THE GULF OF ALASKA WEST OF 144W

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.

PKZ399-060300-
400 AM AKST SAT MAR 5 2011
.SYNOPSIS FOR THE WESTERN GULF OF ALASKA...

A 986 MB LOW NEAR 55N 144W WILL MOVE TO 55N 149W AT 990 MB BY SAT
EVENING. THE LOW WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY AND WEAKEN TO 1001 MB
THROUGH SUN AFTERNOON BEFORE DISSIPATING NEAR 56N 151W SUN EVENING.

$$

PKZ351-060300-
GULF OF ALASKA OFFSHORE NORTH OF 57N AND WEST OF 144W
400 AM AKST SAT MAR 5 2011

...STORM WARNING TODAY...

.TODAY...E WIND 40 TO 50 KT. SEAS 18 TO 22 FT. SNOW AND RAIN. 
.TONIGHT...E WIND 35 TO 45 KT. SEAS 16 TO 20 FT. RAIN AND SNOW. 
.SUN...E WIND 25 TO 35 KT. SEAS 16 TO 20 FT. RAIN AND SNOW. 
.SUN NIGHT...E WIND 25 TO 35 KT. SEAS 14 FT. 
.MON...E WIND 30 KT. SEAS 14 FT. 
.TUE...E WIND 25 KT. SEAS 14 FT. 
.WED...NE WIND 20 KT. SEAS 12 FT.  

$$

PKZ352-060300-
GULF OF ALASKA OFFSHORE SOUTH OF 57N NORTH OF 55N AND WEST OF
144W
400 AM AKST SAT MAR 5 2011

...GALE WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT...

.TODAY...N WIND 35 KT BECOMING E 45 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. SEAS 16 TO
20 FT. SNOW AND RAIN. 
.TONIGHT...E WIND 25 TO 35 KT. SEAS 16 FT. 
.SUN...E WIND 20 TO 30 KT. SEAS 13 FT. 
.SUN NIGHT...SE WIND 30 KT. SEAS 12 FT. 
.MON...E WIND 40 KT. SEAS 18 FT. 
.TUE...E WIND 25 KT. SEAS 15 FT. 
.WED...NE WIND 15 KT. SEAS 13 FT.  

$$

478 
FZAK61 PAFC 060002
OFFAER

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

OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR THE GULF OF ALASKA WEST OF 144W

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.

PKZ399-061500-
400 PM AKST SAT MAR 5 2011
.SYNOPSIS FOR THE WESTERN GULF OF ALASKA...

A 989 MB LOW NEAR 55N 147W WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY AND
DISSIPATE SUN EVENING.

$$

PKZ351-061500-
GULF OF ALASKA OFFSHORE NORTH OF 57N AND WEST OF 144W
400 PM AKST SAT MAR 5 2011

...GALE WARNING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT...

.TONIGHT...E WIND 20 TO 40 KT. SEAS 13 TO 18 FT. RAIN AND SNOW. 
.SUN AND SUN NIGHT...E WIND 25 TO 35 KT. SEAS 10 TO 16 FT. RAIN AND
SNOW. 
.MON AND MON NIGHT...E WIND 30 KT. SEAS 12 FT. 
.TUE...NE WIND 25 KT. SEAS 12 FT. 
.WED...NE WIND 20 KT. SEAS 11 FT. 
.THU...NE WIND 20 KT. SEAS 8 FT.  

$$

PKZ352-061500-
GULF OF ALASKA OFFSHORE SOUTH OF 57N NORTH OF 55N AND WEST OF
144W
400 PM AKST SAT MAR 5 2011

.TONIGHT...N TO E WIND 20 TO 30 KT. SEAS 13 TO 16 FT. 
.SUN AND SUN NIGHT...E WIND 25 KT. SEAS 12 FT. 
.MON...E WIND 35 KT. SEAS 14 FT. 
.MON NIGHT...E WIND 35 KT. SEAS 17 FT. 
.TUE...NE WIND 30 KT. SEAS 14 FT. 
.WED...NE WIND 15 KT. SEAS 12 FT. 
.THU...NE WIND 25 KT. SEAS 8 FT.  

$$

SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
400 PM AKST THU MAR 3 2011

.MODEL DISCUSSION...MODELS ARE IN RELATIVELY GOOD AGREEMENT ACROSS
THE FORECAST AREA. CONCERNING THE BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE THAT IS
IN AND SOUTH OF THE GULF OF ALASKA THE GFS HAS THE LOW MOVING FASTER
AND BEING WEAKER THAN THE OTHER MODELS. THE NAM SEEMS TO BE HANDLING
THE EMBEDDED LOWS BETTER THAN THE OTHER MODELS SO TRENDING TOWARDS
THE NAM IN THE SHORT TERM.

.ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS...HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS THE DOMINANT
FEATURE IN THE BERING SEA AND HAS STARTED TO TRACK TO THE NORTH. THIS
HIGH CONTINUES TO CREATE A TIGHTER PRESSURE GRADIENT WITH THE BROAD
AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IN THE GULF OF ALASKA. WINDS CONTINUE TO BE FROM
THE NORTH IN THE PRESSURE GRADIENT AT THE MID AND UPPER LEVELS.
SHORTWAVES MOVING AROUND THE GULF LOW CONTINUE TO CAUSE STRONG WINDS
AT THE SURFACE FOR THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE STATE. BOTH THE UPPER
LEVEL JET AND MID LEVEL MOISTURE ARE MINIMAL THROUGHOUT MOST OF THE
FORECAST AREA. THE LOW LEVEL JET MOVES THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF ALASKA
FROM EAST TO WEST AND THEN CURVES TO THE SOUTH AS IT TRAVELS OVER THE
EASTERN ALEUTIANS.
THE LARGE COMPLEX LOW IN THE GULF HAS A FAIRLY STRONG EMBEDDED LOW
BETWEEN MIDDLETON ISLAND AND KODIAK ISLAND THAT IS MOVING TOWARD
KODIAK. THIS WILL BE A KEY FEATURE FOR THE NORTHWEST GULF AND KODIAK
TONIGHT.

.SHORT TERM FORECAST...THE LOW MOVING TOWARD KODIAK SHOULD BRING SNOW
TO THE ISLAND. AMOUNTS ARE A BIT TRICKY WITH AROUND 2 INCHES EXPECTED
FROM THE MORNING PACKAGE...BUT SOME CONCERN THAT THEY COULD BE MORE
IF A NUMBER OF SNOW BANDS MOVE THROUGH AFTER THE MAIN LOW TONIGHT.
THIS PATTERN WILL KEEP KODIAK IN SNOW SHOWERS ON AND OFF OVER THE
NEXT FEW DAYS. THERE IS AN INCREASED CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS ALONG THE
NORTH GULF COAST AND EASTERN PARTS OF THE ALASKA PENINSULA WITH THESE
LOWS. THE ONLY OTHER PART OF THE FORECAST AREA AT RISK OF
PRECIPITATION IS IN THE WESTERN ALEUTIANS WHERE THERE WILL BE SOME
RAIN IN CONJUNCTION WITH A FRONT OUT THERE.
WINDS SHOULD COME DOWN SOME OVER SOUTH CENTRAL ALASKA AND THE GULF
COAST TONIGHT AS THE LOW MOVES TO KODIAK ISLAND BUT IT WILL REMAIN
BREEZY FROM NORTHERLY DIRECTIONS INTO THE WEEKEND.

.LONG TERM FORECAST...THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL MOVE NORTHEAST OVER
THE WEEKEND AND AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL BEGIN TO DOMINATE THE
BERING BY THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR A MORE
UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA NEXT WEEK.

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...NONE.
MARINE...GALE 138 176.
         HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY 165.
FIRE WEATHER...NONE.

DK/EZ MAR 11