Winter Weather Advisory 2, NWS Fairbanks, AK

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
1212 PM AKST THU JAN 5 2012

.DISCUSSION...
ALOFT...THE COLD UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER THE EASTERN BERING SEA
CONTINUES TO DOMINATE THE WEATHER ACROSS NORTHERN ALASKA. AREAS
THAT REMAINED CLOUD FREE ALONG THE WEST COAST AND WESTERN INTERIOR
SAW TEMPERATURES IN THE 30S AND 40S BELOW. KALTAG DROPPED TO 50
BELOW. THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR REMAINED WARMER UNDER
CLOUDS IN ADVANCE OF A 993 MB LOW OVER THE KENAI PENINSULA. WINDS
CONTINUE TO DROP ALONG THE EASTERN NORTH SLOPE AS A LOW NEAR PABA
CONTINUES TO WEAKEN AND MOVE NORTHWARD.

SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL DECREASE THIS EVENING ON THE EASTERN
NORTH SLOPE. PARTLY CLOUDY CONDITIONS WITH BELOW NORMAL
TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT ALONG THE WESTERN NORTH SLOPE.

CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE ACROSS THE WESTERN INTERIOR
TONIGHT IN ASSOCIATION WITH WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY . CLOUD DECKS
WILL HELP MODERATE THE FRIGID CONDITIONS TONIGHT AND INTO FRIDAY MORNING
HOWEVER A RETURN TO VERY COLD CONDITIONS WILL RETURN SATURDAY AS
CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE 993 KENAI PENINSULA LOW CONTINUE TO MOVE
NORTH OUT OF THE WESTERN INTERIOR. WEST COAST LOCATIONS AND
WESTERN INTERIOR LOCATIONS SOUTH OF THE SEWARD PENINSULA ARE THE
LEAST LIKELY TO SEE CLOUD COVER TONIGHT AND WILL REMAIN BITTERLY
COLD.

AS THE 993 MB LOW CONTINUES TO MOVE NORTHEAST INTO THE COPPER
RIVER BASIN TONIGHT CLOUDS AND SNOW WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE
CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR AND CONSEQUENTLY WILL REMAIN WARMER.
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW ADVISORY LEVELS
ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR HOWEVER GAP WINDS THROUGH THE
EASTERN ALASKA RANGE COMBINED WITH SEVERAL INCHES OF FRESH SNOW
WILL LIKELY TAKE VISIBILITY DOWN TO ONE HALF MILE OR LESS AT TIMES
THROUGH THE PASSES WEST OF THE TOK CUT OFF AND ISABEL PASS. HAVE
HOISTED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR BLOWING SNOW AND POOR
VISIBILITY FOR EASTERN ALASKA RANGE PASSES IN ZONE 226 BEGINNING
THIS EVENING AND CONTINUING TROUGH TOMORROW AFTERNOON.

ANOTHER LOW WILL FOLLOW SIMILAR PATH INTO THE COPPER RIVER BASIN
LATE SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF SNOW FOR THE
CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR. MOISTURE LOOKS TO BE MORE ABUNDANT
WITH THIS SYSTEM AND WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED FOR ADVISORY LEVEL
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS THE EASTERN INTERIOR SUNDAY.

MID RANGE MODELS CONTINUE TO KEEP NORTHERN ALASKA GRIPPED IN COLD
PATTERN THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK WITH BRIEF REPRIEVES AS
WEAK SYSTEMS MOVE NORTH OUT OF THE GULF AND THROUGH THE CENTRAL
AND EASTERN INTERIOR. LONG RANGE MODELS ARE HAVE CONSIDERABLE
DIFFERENCES BOTH RUN TO RUN AND BETWEEN MODELS AND ARE HINTING AT
A PATTERN CHANGE TOWARD THE END OF NEXT WEEK HOWEVER WITH LOW
CONFIDENCE IN LONG RANGE MODEL SOLUTIONS WILL NOT CLAIM TO SEE
AN END TO OUR CURRENT COLD PATTERN AT THIS POINT.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ226.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ245.
&&

CCC JAN 12