Alert archive / Alaska / Gale Warnings in 2015

Gale Warning 39, NWS Fairbanks, AK

April 6, 2015

NWS Fairbanks, AK issued this gale warning at Apr 6, 2015, 2:03 PM AKDT. It was in force for 14 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 6, 2015, 2:03 PM AKDT (22:03 UTC)
Expired
Apr 7, 2015, 4:00 AM AKDT
In force
14 hr
Issued by
NWS Fairbanks, AK

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

511 
FZAK51 PAFG 062203
CWFNSB

COASTAL WATERS FORECAST FOR ARCTIC ALASKA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
203 PM AKDT MON APR 6 2015

ARCTIC ALASKA COASTAL WATERS OUT 100 NM

WIND FORECASTS REFLECT THE PREDOMINANT SPEED AND DIRECTION
EXPECTED. SEA FORECASTS REPRESENT THE AVERAGE OF THE HIGHEST ONE-
THIRD OF THE COMBINED WIND WAVE AND SWELL HEIGHT.

PKZ298-071200-
203 PM AKDT MON APR 6 2015

.SYNOPSIS FOR ARCTIC COAST...
STRONG HIGH PRESSURE NORTH OF THE ARCTIC COAST WILL WEAKEN SLOWLY
THROUGH THU AND DRIFT WEST. A WEATHER FRONT OVER WESTERN ALASKA
WILL MOVE NORTH OVERNIGHT AND DISSIPATE BUT A WAVE ON THIS FRONT
WILL MOVE FROM THE WESTERN ALASKA RANGE 7PM TUE AS A 982 MB LOW TO
THE CENTRAL BROOKS RANGE BY 4PM WED AS A 990 MB LOW.

$$

PKZ225-071200-
CAPE THOMPSON TO CAPE BEAUFORT-
203 PM AKDT MON APR 6 2015

...GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY
AFTERNOON...

.TONIGHT...NE WINDS 30 KT. FOG.  
.TUE...NE WINDS 35 KT. FOG.  
.TUE NIGHT...NE WINDS 40 KT. FOG.  
.WED...NE WINDS 35 KT.   
.WED NIGHT...NE WINDS 25 KT.   
.THU...NE WINDS 25 KT.   
.THU NIGHT...NE WINDS 25 KT.   
.FRI...N WINDS 25 KT.   
.SAT...NW WINDS 20 KT.  

$$

PKZ230-071200-
CAPE BEAUFORT TO POINT FRANKLIN-
203 PM AKDT MON APR 6 2015

...GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY
AFTERNOON...

.TONIGHT...E WINDS 35 KT. BLOWING SNOW. VSBY 1 NM OR LESS.   
.TUE...E WINDS 35 KT. BLOWING SNOW. VSBY 1 NM OR LESS.   
.TUE NIGHT...NE WINDS 40 KT. BLOWING SNOW. VSBY 1 NM OR LESS.   
.WED...NE WINDS 35 KT. BLOWING SNOW.   
.WED NIGHT...NE WINDS 30 KT. BLOWING SNOW.   
.THU...NE WINDS 25 KT.   
.THU NIGHT...NE WINDS 25 KT.   
.FRI...NE WINDS 20 KT.   
.SAT...N WINDS 10 KT.  

$$

PKZ235-071200-
POINT FRANKLIN TO CAPE HALKETT-
203 PM AKDT MON APR 6 2015

...BRISK WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON...

.TONIGHT...E WINDS 30 KT. BLOWING SNOW. VSBY 1 NM OR LESS.   
.TUE...E WINDS 30 KT. BLOWING SNOW. VSBY 1 NM OR LESS.   
.TUE NIGHT...NE WINDS 35 KT. BLOWING SNOW. VSBY 1 NM OR LESS.   
.WED...E WINDS 30 KT. BLOWING SNOW.   
.WED NIGHT...E WINDS 30 KT. BLOWING SNOW.   
.THU...NE WINDS 25 KT.   
.THU NIGHT...NE WINDS 20 KT.   
.FRI...NE WINDS 15 KT.   
.SAT...NE WINDS 10 KT.  

$$

PKZ240-071200-
CAPE HALKETT TO FLAXMAN ISLAND-
203 PM AKDT MON APR 6 2015

...GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY
AFTERNOON...

.TONIGHT...E WINDS 30 KT. BLOWING SNOW. VSBY 1 NM OR LESS.   
.TUE...E WINDS 35 KT. BLOWING SNOW. VSBY 1 NM OR LESS.   
.TUE NIGHT...E WINDS 35 KT. BLOWING SNOW. VSBY 1 NM OR LESS.   
.WED...E WINDS 35 KT. BLOWING SNOW.   
.WED NIGHT...E WINDS 25 KT. BLOWING SNOW.   
.THU...NE WINDS 20 KT.   
.THU NIGHT...NE WINDS 15 KT.   
.FRI...NE WINDS 15 KT.   
.SAT...NE WINDS 10 KT.  

$$

PKZ245-071200-
FLAXMAN ISLAND TO DEMARCATION POINT-
203 PM AKDT MON APR 6 2015

...GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY
AFTERNOON...

.TONIGHT...E WINDS 35 KT. BLOWING SNOW. VSBY 1 NM OR LESS.   
.TUE...E WINDS 35 KT. BLOWING SNOW. VSBY 1 NM OR LESS.   
.TUE NIGHT...E WINDS 35 KT. BLOWING SNOW. VSBY 1 NM OR LESS.   
.WED...E WINDS 30 KT. BLOWING SNOW.   
.WED NIGHT...E WINDS 25 KT. BLOWING SNOW.   
.THU...NE WINDS 20 KT.   
.THU NIGHT...NE WINDS 15 KT.   
.FRI...W WINDS 10 KT.   
.SAT...W WINDS 10 KT.  

$$

JL/AD APR 15

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this gale warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Fairbanks, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before this gale warning went out at Apr 6, 4:23 AM AKDT, 9 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 6, 4:23 AM AKDT, 9 hours 40 minutes before
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
423 AM AKDT MON APR 6 2015

.SYNOPSIS...
ALOFT...
LONG WAVE RIDGE OVER THE NE PACIFIC AND MAINLAND ALASKA WILL MOVE
TO THE ALCAN BORDER BY EARLY TUE AND MOVE SLOWLY EAST. THE LONG
WAVE TROUGH OVER THE NW PACIFIC AND BERING SEA WILL PROGRESS
SLOWLY EAST TO A POSITION OVER MAINLAND ALASKA BY FRI. THIS MEANS
THAT THE SOUTHERLY FLOW OF WARM MOIST AIR NOW DEVELOPING OVER
NORTHERN ALASKA WILL BRING TEMPERATURES WELL ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH
MID- WEEK...THEN COOL TO BELOW NORMAL BY THE WEEKEND.

WEAK SOUTHERLY CHINOOK FLOW TODAY OVER THE ALASKA RANGE WILL
INCREASE TONIGHT AND REACH A PEAK TUE WITH SOUTH FLOW UP TO 70KT
AT 700 MB THEN DECREASE TUE NIGHT. WILL ISSUE HIGH WIND WARNING
FOR ZONE 225 BEGINNING 6PM TONIGHT AND ZONE 226 10PM TONIGHT.
WILL ISSUE WIND ADV ZONE 223 STARTING 10PM MON.

SURFACE...
STRONG HIGH PRESSURE NORTH OF THE ARCTIC COAST WILL WEAKEN SLOWLY
THROUGH TUE. THIS COMBINED WITH THE LOWS MENTIONED IN THE
FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS IS CAUSING E WINDS 20-30 KT ALONG THE ARCTIC
COAST. THESE WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 25-35 KT TUE ALONG THE ARCTIC
COAST AS THE FRONTAL WAVE MOVES NORTH.

A 977 MB LOW 100 NM NORTH OF ST MATTHEW ISLAND WILL MOVE TO 100 NM
EAST OF ST MATTHEW ISLAND BY 4PM MON...TO THE KUSKOKWIM DELTA AS A
982 MB LOW BY 4AM TUE...AND DISSIPATING NEAR BETHEL TUE PM. AN
OCCLUDED FRONT STRETCHING FROM THE LOW TO NOME TO KING SALMON WILL
MOVE TO THE BERING STRAIT TO GALENA TO A FRONTAL WAVE NEAR KING
SALMON BY 4PM MON...TO THE BERING STRAIT TO KOTZEBUE TO A FRONTAL
WAVE NEAR ILIAMNA BY 4AM TUE. EXPECT 2-4 INCHES OF SNOW AHEAD OF
THE FRONT CHANGING TO RAIN AND SNOW ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE FRONT
WITH AN ADDITIONAL 1-2 INCHES OF SNOW. ALSO EXPECT NE WINDS
20-30KT AND BLOWING SNOW NORTH OF THE FRONT WITH GUSTS 35KT ZONE
213.

THE FRONTAL WAVE WILL MOVE TO NEAR MCGRATH BY 4PM TUE AS A 981 MB
LOW AND TO AMBLER BY 4AM WED AS A 987 MB LOW...AND TO HOWARD PASS
BY 4PM WED AS A 990 MB LOW. A WARM FRONT FROM THE LOW TO ARCTIC
VILLAGE AT 4PM TUE...WILL MOVE TO AMBLER TO BARTER ISLAND BY 4AM
WED AND TO HOWARD PASS TO BARROW NE BY 4PM WED. EXPECT FREEZING
LEVELS 3000-5000 FT FROM THIS LOW EAST ALONG THE WARM FRONT.
EXPECT MIXED RAIN AND SNOW AHEAD OF THE LOW IN THE WESTERN
INTERIOR AND WEST COAST. THE RAIN AND SNOW WILL CHANGE TO RAIN
ALONG AND EAST OF THE LOW. EXPECT 2-4 INCHES OF SNOW IN THE
WESTERN INTERIOR TUE- WED. THE EASTERN INTERIOR WILL HAVE A
STRONG CHINOOK AND LITTLE PRECIPITATION.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
MODELS INITIALIZE OK AT 500 MB. SIMILAR SOLUTIONS THROUGH 4AM TUE
THEN THE GFS HAS A STRONGER SHORT WAVE MOVING NORTH OVER MAINLAND
ALASKA. AT THE SURFACE MODELS SIMILAR THROUGH 4PM MON...THEN NAM
TAKES THE FRONTAL WAVE NW FASTER AND MORE STRONGLY THAN THE GFS.
PREFER THE GFS SINCE THE MAIN SHORT WAVE SUPPORTING THE SURFACE
WAVE/LOW TRACKS NORTH MORE IN LINE WITH THE GFS SURFACE LOCATION.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY FOR AKZ223.

BLIZZARD WARNING FOR AKZ213.

HIGH WIND WARNING FOR AKZ225-AKZ226.

GALE WARNING FOR PKZ210.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ200-PKZ210-PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ225-
PKZ230-PKZ235-PKZ240-PKZ245.
&&

JB APR 15

The office that day

Everything else NWS Fairbanks, AK issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 5, 4:00 PM AKDTBlizzard WarningAFG38 hr
Apr 5, 6:26 PM AKDTWinter Weather AdvisoryAFG6 hr
Apr 6, 4:29 AM AKDTHigh Wind WarningAFG40 hr
Apr 6, 4:29 AM AKDTWind AdvisoryAFG44 hr
Apr 6, 4:40 AM AKDTBrisk Wind AdvisoryAFG48 hr
Apr 6, 2:31 PM AKDTWinter Storm WarningAFG51 hr
Apr 6, 2:31 PM AKDTWinter Weather AdvisoryAFG45 hr
Apr 6, 2:40 PM AKDTBlizzard WarningAFG20 hr
Apr 6, 2:40 PM AKDTWinter Weather AdvisoryAFG51 hr

Nearby

Gale Warnings in Alaska, 2015Every gale warning in 2015

Sources

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