Small Craft Advisory 297, NWS Anchorage, AK

SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
500 PM AKDT SAT APR 21 2012

....ONLY MINOR AND TEMPORARY CHANGES TO THE OVERALL PATTERN AS THE
JET HOLDS THE MAIN STORM TRACK NEAR 50N TO 55N WEST OF 145W THROUGH
NEXT WEEK...

GOES IR SERIES SHOWS SEVERAL WEAK BANDS OF CLOUDS/SCATTERED SHOWERS
ACROSS SOUTHERN ALASKA SATURDAY MORNING. MOISTURE BANDS EAST OF 151W
MOVING EAST. MOISTURE BANDS WEST OF 152W ARE PUSHING EAST. THE NARROW
CLOUD BAND LYING FROM SELDOVIA NNW INTO THE WESTERN SUSITNA VALLEY
NOT
MOVING AT ALL AND IS BEING STRETCHED APART BY NORTH NORTHWEST FLOW
SOUTH OF SELDOVIA WHILE THE PORTION NORTH OF THERE IS PULLED NNW

RADAR SHOWS QUITE AN AREA OF LIGHT-MODERATE SHOWERS, ASSOCIATED WITH
WEAK UPPER GULF LOW, HEADING WEST ONTO THE EAST SIDE OF THE KENAI
PENINSULA. THESE SHOWERS ARE MAINLY OFFSHORE BUT OCCASIONALLY SOME
CATCH AREAS LIKE CORDOVA. NORTH GULF COAST JUST BRUSHING CORDOVA.

ISOLATED TO SCATTERED "LIGHT" SHOWER ACTION SUSITNA VALLEY EAST
ACROSS
THE COPPER RIVER BASIN TO CONTINUE TONIGHT THEN DEVELOP MAINLY NEAR
THE ALASKA RANGE ON SUNDAY AS WEAK UPPER TROUGH MOVES OFF TO THE
NORTH. SCATTERED SHOWERS ACROSS PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND AND THE GULF
COAST TONIGHT POSSIBLY ENDING SUNDAY MORNING FOR A PARTLY TO SUNNY
AFTERNOON FOR CORDOVA, VALDEZ AND SEWARD.

WESTERN ALEUTIAN STORM TO TRACK EASTWARD JUST NORTH OF THE CHAIN AND
SLOWLY WEAKEN WITH A 990 MB CENTER ARRIVING AT NIKOLSKI LATE SUNDAY
NIGHT. SNOW AND WIND INCREASE (MINIMUM GALES) THIS EVENING PRIBILOFS
AND EASTERN ALEUTIANS, AND THE ALASKA PENINSULA LATE TONIGHT. STRONG
NORTHERLY GALES BLOW OVER THE WESTERN BERING TONIGHT AND SWEEP
SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE WESTERN ALEUTIANS WITH SNOW SHOWERS AND GUSTS TO
55 OR 60 MPH. THESE WINDS DIMINISH SUNDAY NIGHT AS HIGH PRESSURE
BUILDS IN FROM THE WEST. THIS STORM FOLLOWS THE PERSISTENT TRACK OF
THE PAST WINTER AND SPRING AND DROPS SOUTHEAST OF THE ALASKA
PENINSULA
INTO THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC WITH A 995 MB CENTER NEAR 52N 143W. IT HAS
BEEN THIS STORM TRACK WHICH ALLOWED BERING SEA ICE TO REACH RECORD
LEVELS IN EXTENT AND THICKNESS.

A WEAKER SYSTEM TO EXIT THE RUSSIAN FAR EAST MONDAY NIGHT AND DRIFT
INTO THE NORTHWESTERN BERING AND WEAKEN WEDNESDAY. ANOTHER MODERATELY
STRONG STORM MOVES FROM THE NORTHWEST PACIFIC TOWARD THE GREATER
DUTCH
HARBOR KING COVE AREAS FOR MORE GALES AND OCCASIONALLY HEAVY RAIN.
THIS WILL TAKE PLACE AS EARLY AS WEDNESDAY EVENING OR AS LATE AS
THURSDAY MORNING. ONLY MINOR AND TEMPORARY CHANGES TO THE OVER ALL
PATTERN AS THE STORM TRACK STAYS NEAR 50 TO 55N WEST OF 145W.

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...NONE
MARINE...GALES..ALEUTIANS..ALASKA PENINSULA AND PORTIONS OF THE
BERING SEA.
FIRE WEATHER...N/A

DB PERCY APR 12