Gale Warning 243, NWS Anchorage, AK

Issued

Mar 13, 2014, 4:00 PM AKDT (00:00 UTC)

Expired

Mar 14, 2014, 4:00 AM AKDT

In force

12 hr

Issued by

NWS Anchorage, AK

686 
FZAK62 PAFC 132314
OFFALU

OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
400 PM AKDT THU MAR 13 2014

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.

PKZ499-141200-
400 PM AKDT THU MAR 13 2014
.SYNOPSIS FOR CENTRAL BERING SEA...
HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN OVER THE BERING SEA THROUGH FRI AFTERNOON.
A 970 MB LOW AT 49N 156E FRI EVENING WILL MOVE TO 52N 167E SAT
AFTERNOON AT 966 MB. A NEW 966 MB LOW WILL FORM NEAR 54N 180 SAT
AFTERNOON.

$$

PKZ411-141200-
BERING SEA OFFSHORE WEST OF 180 AND EAST OF THE INTERNATIONAL
DATELINE
400 PM AKDT THU MAR 13 2014

...GALE WARNING FRIDAY NIGHT...
...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...

.TONIGHT...NW WIND 15 TO 25 KT. SEAS 7 FT. HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY N OF
55N. 
.FRI...NW WIND 15 TO 25 KT BECOMING VARIABLE TO 20 KT IN THE
AFTERNOON. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT. HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY N OF 56N. 
.FRI NIGHT...SE WIND 10 TO 25 KT BECOMING E 20 TO 35 KT AFTER
MIDNIGHT. SEAS 5 TO 10 FT.  PATCHY FOG. HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY N OF
56N. 
.SAT AND SAT NIGHT...NE WIND 20 TO 35 KT. SEAS 9 TO 17 FT. 
.SUN...N WIND 15 TO 30 KT. SEAS 11 TO 19 FT. 
.MON...W WIND UP TO 10 KT. SEAS 4 TO 9 FT. 
.TUE...E WIND UP TO 15 KT. SEAS 4 TO 9 FT.  

$$

PKZ412-141200-
BERING SEA OFFSHORE 171W TO 180 AND NORTH OF 56N
400 PM AKDT THU MAR 13 2014

...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...

.TONIGHT...NW WIND 15 TO 25 KT. SEAS 5 TO 9 FT. SNOW SHOWERS. HEAVY
FREEZING SPRAY. 
.FRI...NW WIND 10 TO 25 KT. SEAS 4 TO 9 FT. HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY. 
.FRI NIGHT...NW WIND 10 TO 25 KT DIMINISHING TO 15 KT AFTER
MIDNIGHT. SEAS 3 TO 8 FT. HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY. 
.SAT...E WIND 15 TO 30 KT. SEAS 3 TO 8 FT. 
.SAT NIGHT...E WIND 20 TO 35 KT. SEAS 9 TO 13 FT. 
.SUN...NE WIND 15 TO 30 KT. SEAS 9 TO 14 FT. 
.MON...W WIND UP TO 15 KT. SEAS 5 TO 10 FT. 
.TUE...SE WIND UP TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 6 FT.  

$$

PKZ413-141200-
BERING SEA OFFSHORE 171W TO 180 AND SOUTH OF 56N
400 PM AKDT THU MAR 13 2014

...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING THROUGH FRIDAY...

.TONIGHT...NW WIND 15 TO 25 KT. SEAS 8 FT. SNOW SHOWERS. HEAVY
FREEZING SPRAY MAINLY N OF 55N. 
.FRI...NW WIND 15 TO 30 KT. SEAS 8 TO 11 FT. SNOW SHOWERS. HEAVY
FREEZING SPRAY MAINLY N OF 55N. 
.FRI NIGHT...SW WIND 10 TO 25 KT. SEAS 8 FT. FREEZING SPRAY. 
.SAT...SE WIND 15 TO 30 KT. SEAS 6 TO 9 FT. 
.SAT NIGHT...SW WIND 15 TO 30 KT. SEAS 8 TO 13 FT. 
.SUN...W WIND 15 TO 30 KT. SEAS 12 TO 19 FT. 
.MON...SW WIND UP TO 20 KT. SEAS 7 TO 12 FT. 
.TUE...SE WIND UP TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 9 FT.  

$$

PKZ414-141200-
BERING SEA OFFSHORE EAST OF 171W
400 PM AKDT THU MAR 13 2014

...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...

.TONIGHT...NW WIND 15 TO 25 KT. SEAS 3 TO 6 FT. SNOW SHOWERS. HEAVY
FREEZING SPRAY. 
.FRI AND FRI NIGHT...NW WIND 15 TO 25 KT. SEAS 3 TO 7 FT. SNOW
SHOWERS. HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY N OF 55N. 
.SAT...S WIND 10 TO 25 KT. SEAS 3 TO 6 FT. 
.SAT NIGHT...SE WIND 25 TO 35 KT. SEAS 4 TO 9 FT. 
.SUN THROUGH MON...SW WIND 15 TO 30 KT. SEAS 5 TO 10 FT. 
.TUE...S WIND UP TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 7 FT.  

$$

NWS Anchorage, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before this gale warning went out at Mar 13, 2:00 PM AKDT, 2 hours earlier.

SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
200 PM AKDT THU MAR 13 2014

.ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS...
THE MAIN UPPER LOW IS SITUATED OVER THE NORTHERN BERING SEA. A
STRONG LOW IS SPINNING UP OVER THE SOUTHERN GULF OF ALASKA AND
MOVING NORTH. A COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THESE TWO LOWS IS
SITUATED NORTH-SOUTH ACROSS SOUTHWEST ALASKA AND THEN SOUTHEAST
ACROSS THE WESTERN GULF.

.MODEL DISCUSSION...
THE NUMERICAL MODELS ARE STRUGGLING WITH THE GULF LOW AND THIS IS
CREATING SOME DIFFICULTIES WITH THE FORECAST. THE ECMWF IS SLOWER
AND STRONGER WITH THE LOW THAN THE GFS AND NAM. THE UKMET IS VERY
CLOSE TO THE ECMWF...WHILE THE GEM GLOBAL AND GEM LOCAL ARE IN
BETWEEN...BUT CLOSER TO THE ECMWF THEN THE GFS. THE ECMWF IS THE
PREFERRED SOLUTION DUE TO ITS SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE AND BETTER MODEL
CONSENSUS. UNFORTUNATELY WE ONLY GET HIGH RESOLUTION MODEL DATA FOR
THE NAM AND GFS (ESPECIALLY THE NAM)...AND THIS CREATES CHALLENGES
FORECASTING SMALL SCALE (BUT IMPORTANT) DETAILS. THUS THE FORECAST
CONFIDENCE IS LOWER THAN NORMAL.

.SHORT TERM FORECAST...
FOR SOUTH CENTRAL ALASKA...THE LOW SPINNING UP OVER THE SOUTHERN
GULF WILL WORK ITS WAY ACROSS THE GULF TONIGHT AND THEN INLAND ON
FRIDAY. THERE IS A FAIRLY STRONG PUSH OF COLD AIR BEHIND THIS LOW.
THIS WILL CREATE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ON KODIAK AS IT PASSES...AND
PROBABLY AROUND KACHEMAK BAY AS WELL. SNOW WILL MOVE NORTH WITH THE
LOW/COLD FRONT AND REACH ANCHORAGE SOMETIME FRIDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING
(TIMING IS A LITTLE UNCERTAIN DUE TO THE MODEL ISSUES MENTIONED
ABOVE).

ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY THE PATTERN WILL TRANSITION FROM THE CURRENT
"BLOCKY/HIGH AMPLITUDE" INTO A MORE ZONAL FLOW. THE BERING UPPER LOW
WILL SLIDE INTO SOUTHWEST ALASKA ON SATURDAY...THEN BE "KICKED OUT"
TO THE NORTH BY THE NEXT LOW APPROACHING LOW FROM THE WEST. THIS
NEXT LOW WILL RACE ACROSS THE BERING SEA LATER SATURDAY THROUGH
SUNDAY. ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON THE LEADING FRONT WILL REACH SOUTH
CENTRAL ALASKA.

FOR SOUTHWEST ALASKA...THE COLD FRONT OVER THE AREA WILL SLIDE EAST
ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT. AREAS OF PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE INTO
SATURDAY AS THE BERING LOW REMAINS TO THE WEST. CONDITIONS WILL DRY
AS IT MOVES ACROSS SOUTHWEST ALASKA DURING THE DAY SATURDAY...WITH
BRIEF RIDGING SATURDAY NIGHT. THE LEADING FRONT OF THE NEXT LOW WILL
REACH THE WEST COAST SUNDAY MORNING AND SPREAD ACROSS SOUTHWEST
ALASKA DURING THE DAY.

.AER/ALU...WATCH/WARNING SUMMARY
PUBLIC...BLIZZARD WARNING 171.
         BLIZZARD WATCH 125.
MARINE...STORM WARNING 119.
         GALE WARNING 120 130 131 132 136 137 138 139 141 150 155
                        160 176 177 178.
         HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY 130 131 136 137 138 139 140 141 150
                        155 160 165 179 180.
FIRE WEATHER...NONE.

LUDWIG MAR 14

In the hours before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
1143 AM AKDT THU MAR 13 2014

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0832 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST 2 SW FLAT TOP MOUNTAIN  61.07N 149.71W
03/13/2014  M109 MPH                            AK   PUBLIC

            WINDS GUSTING TO 85-90 WITH A PEAK OF 109 MPH AT 832 AM.
            AS OF 11 AM WINDS GUSTING TO 35 MPH. RECORDED USING DAVIS
            WEATHER INSTRUMENTS.

&&

DSTRICKL

Gale Warnings in Alaska, 2014Every gale warning in 2014

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text.