Gale Warning 31, NWS Fairbanks, AK

908 
FZAK52 PAFG 310023
CWFWCZ

COASTAL WATERS FORECAST FOR NORTHWEST ALASKA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
323 PM AKST SAT JAN 30 2016

NORTHWESTERN 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.

PKZ299-311215-
323 PM AKST SAT JAN 30 2016

.SYNOPSIS FOR NORTHWEST COAST...
A 994 MB LOW OVER THE SEWARD PENINSULA WILL WEAKEN TO 999 MB AS IT
MOVES NORTH TO NEAR POINT HOPE THIS EVENING AND AS A 1003 MB LOW
AS IT MOVES NEAR BARROW SUNDAY MORNING. THE LOW WILL WEAKEN TO A
TROUGH AND REMAIN OVER THE NORTH SLOPE THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. A
RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD SOUTH OUT OF THE HIGH ARCTIC
OVER THE NORTH SLOPE TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY.

$$

PKZ200-311215-
NORTON SOUND-
323 PM AKST SAT JAN 30 2016

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

.TONIGHT...SE WINDS 25 KT. FOG...SNOW.
.SUN...SE WINDS 30 KT. BLOWING SNOW. SNOW. VSBY 1 NM OR LESS.
.SUN NIGHT...SE WINDS 35 KT. BLOWING SNOW. VSBY 1 NM OR LESS. 
.MON...SE WINDS 30 KT. 
.MON NIGHT...E WINDS 15 KT. 
.TUE...E WINDS 10 KT. 
.TUE NIGHT...E WINDS 15 KT. 
.WED...NE WINDS 20 KT. 
.THU...E WINDS 20 KT.  

$$

PKZ210-311215-
DALL POINT TO WALES-
323 PM AKST SAT JAN 30 2016

...BRISK WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT...
...GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM LATE SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY
AFTERNOON...

.TONIGHT...NE WINDS 30 KT INCREASING TO 40 KT. BLOWING SNOW.
SNOW. VSBY 1 NM OR LESS. 
.SUN...E WINDS 40 KT. BLOWING SNOW. SNOW. VSBY 1 NM OR LESS. 
.SUN NIGHT...SE WINDS 35 KT. BLOWING SNOW. SNOW. VSBY 1 NM OR
LESS. 
.MON...SE WINDS 35 KT. BLOWING SNOW. 
.MON NIGHT...SE WINDS 25 KT. 
.TUE...E WINDS 15 KT. 
.TUE NIGHT...E WINDS 15 KT. 
.WED...NE WINDS 25 KT. 
.THU...E WINDS 25 KT.  

$$

PKZ215-311215-
KOTZEBUE SOUND-
323 PM AKST SAT JAN 30 2016

...BRISK WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH
SUNDAY AFTERNOON...

.TONIGHT...S WINDS 20 KT DECREASING TO 10 KT. FOG.
.SUN...E WINDS 25 KT. BLOWING SNOW. 
.SUN NIGHT...E WINDS 25 KT. BLOWING SNOW. 
.MON...E WINDS 25 KT. BLOWING SNOW. 
.MON NIGHT...E WINDS 15 KT. 
.TUE...E WINDS 15 KT. 
.TUE NIGHT...E WINDS 15 KT. 
.WED...E WINDS 15 KT. 
.THU...E WINDS 15 KT.  

$$

PKZ220-311215-
WALES TO CAPE THOMPSON-
323 PM AKST SAT JAN 30 2016

...BRISK WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH
SUNDAY AFTERNOON...

.TONIGHT...NW WINDS 20 KT. BLOWING SNOW. VSBY 1 NM OR LESS. 
.SUN...E WINDS 25 KT. BLOWING SNOW. SNOW. VSBY 1 NM OR LESS. 
.SUN NIGHT...E WINDS 30 KT. BLOWING SNOW. VSBY 1 NM OR LESS. 
.MON...SE WINDS 25 KT. BLOWING SNOW. 
.MON NIGHT...SE WINDS 15 KT. 
.TUE...E WINDS 10 KT. 
.TUE NIGHT...E WINDS 15 KT. 
.WED...NE WINDS 20 KT. 
.THU...E WINDS 20 KT.  

$$

CCC/LTH JAN 16

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
206 PM AKST FRI JAN 29 2016

.DISCUSSION...

THE MAIN FORECAST CONCERN IS THE ONGOING AND POTENTIAL WINTER
WEATHER HAZARDS FOR SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND AND BERING STRAIT COAST
THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. OTHERWISE...ACTIVE
WEATHER WILL CONTINUE OVER THE ALASKA WEST COAST AND PARTS OF THE
WESTERN INTERIOR...WITH FOG/STRATUS ALONG THE ARCTIC COAST AND
RELATIVELY QUIET WEATHER FOR THE INTERIOR. 29/12Z DETERMINISTIC
MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH INCREASING
SPREAD THEREAFTER.

SURFACE...A 983 MB LOW 120 MILES NORTH OF NUNIVAK ISLAND WILL
DRIFT NORTH AND WEAKEN TONIGHT. MEANWHILE A CONGLOMERATION OF
LOWS STRETCHING FROM OVER THE RAT ISLANDS TO ROUGHLY 500 MILES
SOUTH WILL CONGEAL INTO A 964 MB LOW NEAR ADAK STATION SATURDAY
MORNING...THEN MOVE NORTH INTO THE SOUTHERN BERING SEA SATURDAY
AFTERNOON AND THEN CONTINUE NORTH TOWARDS THE KORYAK MOUNTAINS IN
RUSSIA. TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL PERSIST OVER THE WEST COAST
THROUGH THE WEEKEND. WEAK LOW PRESSURE NEAR ARCTIC VILLAGE WILL
DRIFT NORTH TOWARDS THE EASTERN BEAUFORT SEA COAST AND WEAKEN
TONIGHT AND SATURDAY. HIGH PRESSURE OVER MAINLAND ALASKA WILL
REMAIN THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK.

ALOFT...UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND WILL SHIFT
NORTH TOWARDS POINT HOPE AND WEAKEN TONIGHT. AN UPPER LEVEL LOW
COINCIDING WITH ITS REFLECTION AT THE SURFACE WILL MOVE INTO THE
SOUTHERN BERING SEA SATURDAY AND THEN PROCEED NORTH. UPPER LEVEL
RIDGE OVER MAINLAND ALASKA WILL REMAIN OVERHEAD THROUGH AT LEAST
EARLY NEXT WEEK.

WESTERN ALASKA...MAIN CONCERN IS WINTER WEATHER HAZARDS THROUGH
THE WEEKEND. BLIZZARD WARNING WAS CANCELLED AND REPLACED WITH A
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR BLOWING SNOW THIS MORNING. OBSERVING
SITES ON SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND AND BERING STRAIT COAST ARE NO
LONGER REPORTING BLIZZARD CONDITIONS AND NO LONGER WARRANT A
BLIZZARD WARNING. LOW VISIBILITIES AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH
ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE OVERNIGHT...THUS THE NEED FOR A WINTER
WEATHER ADVISORY THROUGH 6 AM SATURDAY MORNING.

A BLIZZARD WATCH/WARNING MAY BE NECESSARY ONCE AGAIN FOR SAINT
LAWRENCE ISLAND AND THE BERING STRAIT COAST AS WELL AS COASTAL
AREAS IN THE YUKON DELTA. THE NEXT LOW IS PROGGED TO MOVE NORTH
INTO THE BERING SEA LATE SATURDAY EVENING AND EARLY SUNDAY
MORNING. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL INCREASE ALONG THE YUKON
DELTA COAST...SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND AND BERING STRAIT
COAST...RAMPING UP WINDS FOR THESE LOCATIONS. STRONG SOUTH TO
SOUTHWEST WINDS COMBINED WITH POSSIBLE FRESH SNOW WILL ONCE AGAIN
CREATE PROBLEMS WITH POOR VISIBILITIES IN BLOWING SNOW. WILL ALLOW
FUTURE SHIFTS TO EVALUATE THIS POTENTIAL AND TO NAIL DOWN THE
TIMING.

ELSEWHERE IN THE WESTERN INTERIOR...SPORADIC REPORTS OF LIGHT
FREEZING RAIN HAVE BEEN REPORTED AT VARYING SITES FROM MOUNTAIN
VILLAGE TO KIVALINA AND RED DOG MINE WITH ONLY TRACE MEASUREMENTS
REPORTED SO FAR. 2 TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON
IS POSSIBLE ALONG THE BERING STRAIT COAST AND SOUTHERN SEWARD
PENINSULA COAST AS WELL AS THE NULATO HILLS.

NORTH SLOPE...LOW VISIBILITIES IN FOG AND LOW CEILINGS IN STRATUS
WILL CONTINUE FOR MANY LOCATIONS ALONG THE ARCTIC COAST.
HOWEVER...WINDS WILL BECOME OFFSHORE SATURDAY EVENING INTO EARLY
SUNDAY MORNING...WHICH MAY PROVIDE A BRIEF BREAK WHERE STRATUS
AND FOG ARE PUSHED OFFSHORE. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN WARMER THAN
NORMAL THROUGH MOST OF THE FORECAST PERIOD...AND AT THE
MOMENT...SOME COOLING IS HINTED IN THE MODELS FOR MID TO LATE NEXT
WEEK.

CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR...MODELS ARE ADVERTISING NOT MUCH IN
THE WAY OF PRECIPITATION...EXCEPT MAYBE LOW CHANCES FOR THE FAR
EASTERN INTERIOR. DRY AND WARM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO
CONTINUE AS AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDS AND REMAINS OVERHEAD THIS
WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ213.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ210-PKZ220.
&&

LTH JAN 16