Blizzard Warning 23, NWS Anchorage, AK

939 
WWAK41 PAFC 221319 CCA
WSWAER

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
518 AM AKDT FRI MAR 22 2013

AKZ101-230245-
/X.COR.PAFC.BZ.W.0023.130322T1900Z-130323T0300Z/
ANCHORAGE-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ANCHORAGE...EAGLE RIVER...INDIAN...
EKLUTNA
518 AM AKDT FRI MAR 22 2013

...BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM
AKDT THIS EVENING ALONG TURNAGAIN ARM AND THE HILLSIDE...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ANCHORAGE HAS ISSUED A BLIZZARD
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM AKDT
THIS EVENING. 

* LOCATION...ALONG TURNAGAIN ARM AND THE ANCHORAGE HILLSIDE.

* SNOW...3 TO 5 INCHES.

* VISIBILITY...ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS AT TIMES. 

* WIND...SOUTHEAST 40 TO 60 MPH DECREASING TO 25 TO 40 MPH LATE
  THIS AFTERNOON.

* TIMING...STRONG SOUTHEAST WINDS HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED ALONG
  TURNAGAIN ARM AND THE ANCHORAGE HILLSIDE. WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN
  A LITTLE MORE DURING THE MORNING HOURS. SNOW IS VERY LIGHT THIS
  MORNING BUT WILL INTENSIFY LATER THIS MORNING AND THEN CONTINUE
  THROUGH EARLY EVENING. WINDS AND SNOW WILL BOTH DIMINISH DURING
  THE EVENING HOURS.

* IMPACTS...SNOWFALL COMBINED WITH STRONG WINDS AND BLOWING SNOW
  WILL PRODUCE WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS. DRIVING WILL BE VERY
  DIFFICULT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A BLIZZARD WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WITH STRONG WINDS
AND POOR VISIBILITIES ARE LIKELY. THIS WILL LEAD TO WHITE-OUT
CONDITIONS...MAKING TRAVEL VERY DIFFICULT. ALL TRAVEL AND OUTDOOR
ACTIVITY IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED.

&&

$$

AKZ145-230245-
/X.NEW.PAFC.WW.Y.0026.130322T1318Z-130323T0600Z/
SUSITNA VALLEY-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...TALKEETNA...WILLOW...CANTWELL
518 AM AKDT FRI MAR 22 2013

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM AKDT
THIS EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ANCHORAGE HAS ISSUED A WINTER
WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM AKDT
THIS EVENING.

* SNOW...3 TO 8 INCHES...HEAVIEST AMOUNTS FROM THE PARKS HIGHWAY EASTWARD.

* TIMING...SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO FALL ACROSS THE SUSITNA VALLEY
  THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. SNOW WILL THEN TAPER OFF SOUTH AND WEST
  OF TALKEETNA BY EVENING AND DIMINISH OVERNIGHT FROM TALKEETNA NORTHWARD.

* IMPACTS...TRAVEL MAY BE DIFFICULT. VISIBILITIES MAY BE LIMITED
  IN HEAVY SNOWFALL.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW WILL
CAUSE PRIMARILY TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW COVERED
ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES...AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

&&

$$

729 
WWAK41 PAFC 230003
WSWAER

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
403 PM AKDT FRI MAR 22 2013

AKZ101-230115-
/X.CAN.PAFC.BZ.W.0023.000000T0000Z-130323T0300Z/
ANCHORAGE-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ANCHORAGE...EAGLE RIVER...INDIAN...
EKLUTNA
403 PM AKDT FRI MAR 22 2013

...BLIZZARD WARNING IS CANCELLED ALONG TURNAGAIN ARM AND THE
HILLSIDE...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ANCHORAGE HAS CANCELLED THE
BLIZZARD WARNING. 


$$

AKZ145-230600-
/X.CON.PAFC.WW.Y.0026.000000T0000Z-130323T0600Z/
SUSITNA VALLEY-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...TALKEETNA...WILLOW...CANTWELL
403 PM AKDT FRI MAR 22 2013

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM AKDT
THIS EVENING...

* SNOW...ADDITIONAL SNOW ACCUMULATION 2 TO 4 INCHES. STORM TOTAL
  ACCUMULATION 5 TO 10 INCHES..HEAVIEST NORTH OF TALKEETNA.

* TIMING...SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO DIMINISH FROM THE WEST THIS
  EVENING.

* IMPACTS...TRAVEL MAY BE DIFFICULT. VISIBILITIES MAY BE LIMITED 
  IN HEAVY SNOWFALL. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW
WILL CAUSE PRIMARILY TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW
COVERED ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES...AND USE CAUTION WHILE
DRIVING.

&&

$$

SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
500 AM AKDT FRI MAR 22 2013

.ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS...
A FAIRLY STATIONARY UPPER LOW IS OVER NORTHERN ALASKA THIS
MORNING...WHILE A SERIES OF LOWS IS MOVING EASTWARD ACROSS THE
SOUTHERN BERING SEA AND NORTHERN PACIFIC OCEAN. A LOW AND SHORTWAVE
TROUGH ARE BRINGING SNOW TO MUCH OF THE SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHCENTRAL
MAINLAND...WHILE THE ALEUTIANS REMAIN RELATIVELY QUIET.

.MODEL DISCUSSION...
MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT FOR THE FIRST 36 HOURS OR SO...BEFORE
DIFFERENCES BECOME EVIDENT AND AFFECT THE FORECAST. THE BIGGEST
DIFFERENCES ARE WITH THE TRACK/TIMING WITH THE LOW MOVING INTO THE
SOUTHERN GULF OF ALASKA AND THE LOW MOVING INTO THE WESTERN BERING
SEA TOWARD THE END OF THE SHORT TERM. THE NAM AND GEMGLOBAL WERE THE
MODELS OF CHOICE ON THE EAST SIDE...AND THE WEST SIDE BLENDED WITH
THE GFS AND GEMGLOBAL. UNCERTAINTY INCREASES IN THE EXTENDED
PERIOD...BUT IN GENERAL THE GFS WAS FAVORED THROUGH 00Z TUESDAY AND
THEN THE ECMWF WAS FAVORED.

.SHORT TERM FORECAST...

SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA...
THE MAIN CONCERNS IN THIS AREA TODAY ARE HOW MUCH SNOW WILL FALL...AS
WELL AS HOW STRONG WINDS WILL BE IN SOME AREAS. THE FIRST WAVE TO
COME THROUGH THIS MORNING WILL BRING LIGHT SNOW THAT WILL GENERALLY
ACCUMULATE TO AN INCH OR TWO ESPECIALLY FOR PLACES SUCH AS THE
MATANUSKA VALLEY AND ANCHORAGE BOWL. THE SECOND WAVE THIS AFTERNOON
WILL BRING HEAVIER SNOW...LIKELY DURING THE AFTERNOON/EVENING
COMMUTE. THE HEAVIEST SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TODAY AND TONIGHT WILL BE
THROUGH THE SUSITNA VALLEY AS WELL AS IN VALDEZ. A WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE SUSITNA VALLEY THROUGH THIS EVENING.

WIND IS ALSO A CONCERN THROUGH TURNAGAIN ARM AND ALONG THE ANCHORAGE
HILLSIDE. WINDS HAVE ALREADY INCREASED OVERNIGHT AND WILL CONTINUE
THROUGH THE DAY TODAY. AS SNOW INTENSITY INCREASES LATER
TODAY...BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY...THEREFORE A BLIZZARD WARNING
HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR WESTERN TURNAGAIN ARM AND THE ANCHORAGE HILLSIDE.
THERE WILL ALSO BE SOME WIND ACROSS THE REST OF ANCHORAGE
TODAY...WHICH WOULD LEAD TO SOME BLOWING SNOW AS WELL BUT WITH HIGHER
VISIBILITIES THAN ALONG THE HILLSIDE AND TURNAGAIN ARM AREAS.

SOUTHWEST ALASKA/ALEUTIANS/BERING SEA...
SNOW WILL GRADUALLY COME TO AN END ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST MAINLAND
TODAY AS THE LOW MOVES INLAND. SNOW WILL LINGER ALONG THE MOUNTAINS
INTO THE EVENING. THE NEXT LOW MOVING ACROSS THE BERING SEA WILL
BRING SNOW TO THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS...A MIX OF SNOW AND RAIN TO THE
ALASKA PENINSULA...AND MAINLY RAIN TO THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN
ALEUTIANS TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY. THERE WILL LIKELY BE SOME RELATIVELY
SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ON THE PRIBILOFS BY THE END OF THIS
STORM (3 TO 6 INCHES)...ESPECIALLY ON SAINT PAUL ISLAND. WITH
TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 20S AND LOW 30S...BLOWING SNOW SHOULD BE
HELD TO A MINIMUM.

.LONG TERM FORECAST...
AN ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE BEGINNING OF NEXT
WEEK WITH THE JET STREAM OVER THE ALEUTIANS AND SOUTHERN MAINLAND
DURING THAT TIME.

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...BLIZZARD WARNING 101.
MARINE...GALE WARNING 172 175 176 185 411 412 413.
         HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING 179 411 412.
FIRE WEATHER...NONE.

SCHRECK