Alert archive / Alaska / Gale Warnings in 2018

Gale Warning 128, NWS Anchorage, AK

February 26, 2018

NWS Anchorage, AK issued this gale warning at Feb 26, 2018, 3:23 PM AKST. It was in force for 60 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
Feb 26, 2018, 3:23 PM AKST (00:23 UTC)
Expired
Mar 1, 2018, 3:04 AM AKST
In force
60 hr
Issued by
NWS Anchorage, AK

The text

As transmitted.

947 
FZAK62 PAFC 270023
OFFALU

Offshore Waters Forecast
National Weather Service Anchorage AK
323 PM AKST Mon Feb 26 2018

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.

PKZ499-271415-
323 PM AKST Mon Feb 26 2018
.SYNOPSIS FOR CENTRAL BERING SEA...

A North Pacific low moves to 52N 168E at 949 mb Tue night and 
continues to 57N 169E at 954 mb Wed afternoon. Its front pushes 
across the Western Aleutians by Wed afternoon. High pressure 
moves into Western Alaska through Wed afternoon.

$$

PKZ411-271415-
Bering Sea Offshore West of 180 and East of the International
Dateline-
323 PM AKST Mon Feb 26 2018

...GALE WARNING TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT...

.TONIGHT...SW wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 7 to 12 ft.
.TUE...SE wind 10 to 25 kt increasing to 30 to 45 kt in the
afternoon. Seas 8 to 13 ft. Snow.
.TUE NIGHT...SE wind 30 to 45 kt. Seas 10 to 18 ft building to 16
to 24 ft after midnight. Rain and snow.
.WED...S wind 35 to 50 kt. Seas 18 to 32 ft.
.WED NIGHT...SW wind 30 to 45 kt. Seas 20 to 32 ft.
.THU...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 16 to 24 ft.
.FRI...S wind 30 to 45 kt. Seas 9 to 17 ft.
.SAT...SW wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 17 to 22 ft.

$$

PKZ412-271415-
Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and North of 56N-
323 PM AKST Mon Feb 26 2018

...GALE WARNING TUESDAY NIGHT...

.TONIGHT...W wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 11 ft.
.TUE...W wind 15 to 30 kt becoming variable up to 20 kt in the 
afternoon. Seas 8 to 12 ft.
.TUE NIGHT...SE wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 8 to 16 ft. Snow and rain.
.WED...S wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 12 to 20 ft.
.WED NIGHT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 14 to 22 ft.
.THU...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 13 to 21 ft.
.FRI THROUGH SAT...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 9 to 17 ft.

$$

PKZ413-271415-
Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and South of 56N-
323 PM AKST Mon Feb 26 2018

...GALE WARNING TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT...

.TONIGHT...W wind 15 to 30 kt becoming NW up to 20 kt after
midnight. Seas 10 to 15 ft. Snow.
.TUE...SE wind up to 15 kt increasing to 20 to 35 kt in the
afternoon. Seas 7 to 10 ft.
.TUE NIGHT...SE wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 9 to 17 ft. Rain.
.WED...S wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 14 to 19 ft.
.WED NIGHT...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 11 to 19 ft.
.THU THROUGH SAT...SW wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 9 to 17 ft.

$$

PKZ414-271415-
Bering Sea Offshore East of 171W-
323 PM AKST Mon Feb 26 2018

.TONIGHT...W wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 10 to 15 ft. Snow.
.TUE...W wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 12 ft.
.TUE NIGHT...W wind up to 20 kt becoming SE 15 to 30 kt after
midnight. Seas 7 to 10 ft.
.WED...SE wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 7 to 12 ft.
.WED NIGHT...SE wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft.
.THU...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft.
.FRI...W wind up to 15 kt. Seas 6 to 10 ft.
.SAT...SW wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 6 to 11 ft.

$$
5 follow-up statements
661 
FZAK62 PAFC 271235
OFFALU

Offshore Waters Forecast
National Weather Service Anchorage AK
335 AM AKST Tue Feb 27 2018

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.

PKZ499-280300-
335 AM AKST Tue Feb 27 2018
.SYNOPSIS FOR CENTRAL BERING SEA...

A front over the western Aleutians will move over the eastern 
Aleutians through Thu morning. The associated North Pacific low 
will move to 53N 167E at 947 mb Wed morning then exit the western 
Bering Thu morning. 

$$

PKZ411-280300-
Bering Sea Offshore West of 180 and East of the International
Dateline-
335 AM AKST Tue Feb 27 2018

...STORM WARNING WEDNESDAY...

.TODAY...S wind 10 to 25 kt becoming SE 30 to 45 kt in the
afternoon. Seas 8 to 13 ft. Snow.
.TONIGHT...SE wind 30 to 45 kt. Seas 10 to 18 ft building to 17 to
20 ft after midnight. Rain and snow.
.WED...S wind 35 to 50 kt. Seas 18 to 32 ft.
.WED NIGHT...S wind 30 to 45 kt. Seas 22 to 34 ft.
.THU...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 16 to 24 ft.
.FRI...S wind 30 to 45 kt. Seas 9 to 17 ft.
.SAT...SW wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 17 to 22 ft.

$$

PKZ412-280300-
Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and North of 56N-
335 AM AKST Tue Feb 27 2018

...GALE WARNING TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...

.TODAY...W wind 15 to 30 kt becoming SW 10 to 20 kt in the 
afternoon. Seas 8 to 12 ft. Freezing spray N of 58N in the morning.
.TONIGHT...SE wind 30 to 45 kt. Seas 9 ft building to 9 to 16 ft
after midnight. Rain.
.WED...S wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 13 to 21 ft. Rain and snow.
.WED NIGHT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 14 to 22 ft.
.THU...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 15 to 23 ft.
.FRI THROUGH SAT...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 9 to 17 ft.

$$

PKZ413-280300-
Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and South of 56N-
335 AM AKST Tue Feb 27 2018

...GALE WARNING TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...

.TODAY...Variable wind 15 kt becoming SE 15 to 30 kt in the 
afternoon. Seas 9 ft.
.TONIGHT...SE wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 9 to 17 ft. Rain.
.WED...S wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 13 to 18 ft. Rain.
.WED NIGHT...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 12 to 20 ft.
.THU THROUGH SAT...SW wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 10 to 18 ft.

$$

PKZ414-280300-
Bering Sea Offshore East of 171W-
335 AM AKST Tue Feb 27 2018

...GALE WARNING WEDNESDAY...

.TODAY...NW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 13 ft.
.TONIGHT...W wind up to 20 kt becoming SE 15 to 30 kt after
midnight. Seas 8 ft.
.WED...SE wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 7 to 12 ft.
.WED NIGHT...SE wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft.
.THU...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft.
.FRI...W wind up to 15 kt. Seas 7 to 12 ft.
.SAT...SW wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 6 to 11 ft.

$$
970 
FZAK62 PAFC 280005
OFFALU

Offshore Waters Forecast
National Weather Service Anchorage AK
305 PM AKST Tue Feb 27 2018

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.

PKZ499-281415-
305 PM AKST Tue Feb 27 2018
.SYNOPSIS FOR CENTRAL BERING SEA...

High pressure slides into Western Alaska Wed afternoon. A 949 mb 
low at 50N 169E moves to 946 mb near 53N 167E Wed morning then 
continues into Kamchatka midday Thu. Its associated front moves 
across the Aleutians into the Alaska Peninsula by Thu afternoon. 

$$

PKZ411-281415-
Bering Sea Offshore West of 180 and East of the International
Dateline-
305 PM AKST Tue Feb 27 2018

...STORM WARNING WEDNESDAY...

.TONIGHT...SE wind 30 to 45 kt. Seas 10 to 18 ft. Rain and snow.
.WED...S wind 35 to 50 kt. Seas 18 to 32 ft.
.WED NIGHT...S wind 30 to 45 kt. Seas 21 to 34 ft.
.THU...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 15 to 27 ft.
.THU NIGHT...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 12 to 18 ft.
.FRI...S wind 30 to 45 kt. Seas 9 to 17 ft.
.SAT...SW wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 17 to 22 ft.
.SUN...W wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 17 to 29 ft.

$$

PKZ412-281415-
Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and North of 56N-
305 PM AKST Tue Feb 27 2018

...GALE WARNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT...

.TONIGHT...SE wind 30 to 45 kt. Seas 7 to 10 ft building to 8 to
16 ft after midnight. Snow and rain.
.WED...SE wind 35 to 45 kt becoming S 25 to 40 kt in the
afternoon. Seas 13 to 21 ft. Rain and snow.
.WED NIGHT...S wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 14 to 22 ft. Rain.
.THU...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 14 to 22 ft.
.THU NIGHT...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 14 to 20 ft.
.FRI THROUGH SAT...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 9 to 17 ft.
.SUN...W wind 35 kt. Seas 23 to 29 ft.

$$

PKZ413-281415-
Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and South of 56N-
305 PM AKST Tue Feb 27 2018

...GALE WARNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY...

.TONIGHT...SE wind 30 to 45 kt. Seas 10 to 18 ft. Rain.
.WED...S wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 13 to 19 ft. Rain.
.WED NIGHT...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 11 to 19 ft. Rain.
.THU...SW wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 11 to 19 ft.
.THU NIGHT...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 11 to 17 ft.
.FRI THROUGH SAT...SW wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 10 to 18 ft.
.SUN...W wind 25 to 35 kt. Seas 20 to 28 ft.

$$

PKZ414-281415-
Bering Sea Offshore East of 171W-
305 PM AKST Tue Feb 27 2018

...GALE WARNING WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT...

.TONIGHT...W wind up to 20 kt becoming SE 10 to 25 kt after
midnight. Seas 8 ft.
.WED...SE wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 7 to 12 ft.
.WED NIGHT...SE wind 25 to 35 kt becoming S 15 to 30 kt after
midnight. Seas 9 to 14 ft. Rain.
.THU...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft.
.THU NIGHT...SW wind up to 20 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft.
.FRI...W wind up to 15 kt. Seas 7 to 12 ft.
.SAT...SW wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 6 to 11 ft.
.SUN...W wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 14 to 22 ft.

$$
879 
FZAK62 PAFC 281210
OFFALU

Offshore Waters Forecast
National Weather Service Anchorage AK
310 AM AKST Wed Feb 28 2018

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.

PKZ499-010230-
310 AM AKST Wed Feb 28 2018
.SYNOPSIS FOR CENTRAL BERING SEA...

A 950 mb low at 53N 166E will exit the Bering over Kamchatka Thu
morning. The associated front will move over the eastern Aleutians
and dissipate Thu afternoon. 

$$

PKZ411-010230-
Bering Sea Offshore West of 180 and East of the International
Dateline-
310 AM AKST Wed Feb 28 2018

...STORM WARNING TODAY...

.TODAY...S wind 35 to 50 kt. Seas 18 to 32 ft.
.TONIGHT...S wind 30 to 45 kt diminishing to 25 to 35 kt after
midnight. Seas 20 to 34 ft.
.THU...SW wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 16 to 24 ft.
.THU NIGHT...W wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 11 to 16 ft.
.FRI THROUGH SAT...S wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 13 to 21 ft.
.SUN...SW wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 16 to 25 ft.

$$

PKZ412-010230-
Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and North of 56N-
310 AM AKST Wed Feb 28 2018

...GALE WARNING TODAY...

.TODAY...SE wind 35 to 45 kt becoming S 25 to 40 kt in the
afternoon. Seas 13 to 21 ft. Rain and snow.
.TONIGHT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 14 to 22 ft. Rain.
.THU...SW wind 10 to 25 kt increasing to 20 to 30 kt in the
afternoon. Seas 14 to 22 ft.
.THU NIGHT...SW wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 13 to 17 ft.
.FRI THROUGH SAT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft.
.SUN...SW wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 14 to 22 ft.

$$

PKZ413-010230-
Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and South of 56N-
310 AM AKST Wed Feb 28 2018

...GALE WARNING TODAY...

.TODAY...S wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 13 to 20 ft. Rain.
.TONIGHT...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 10 to 18 ft. Rain.
.THU...SW wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 11 to 18 ft.
.THU NIGHT...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 10 to 15 ft.
.FRI THROUGH SAT...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft.
.SUN...W wind 30 kt. Seas 14 to 21 ft.

$$

PKZ414-010230-
Bering Sea Offshore East of 171W-
310 AM AKST Wed Feb 28 2018

...GALE WARNING THROUGH THURSDAY...

.TODAY...SE wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 7 to 12 ft.
.TONIGHT...SE wind 25 to 35 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft. Rain.
.THU...S wind 20 to 35 kt becoming SW 15 to 25 kt in the
afternoon. Seas 9 to 14 ft. Rain.
.THU NIGHT...SW wind up to 20 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft.
.FRI...NW wind up to 20 kt. Seas 7 to 10 ft.
.SAT...SW wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 5 to 9 ft.
.SUN...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 17 ft.

$$
638 
FZAK62 PAFC 010013
OFFALU

Offshore Waters Forecast
National Weather Service Anchorage AK
313 PM AKST Wed Feb 28 2018

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.

PKZ499-011400-
313 PM AKST Wed Feb 28 2018
.SYNOPSIS FOR CENTRAL BERING SEA...

A 957 mb low at 56N 169E moves into Northern Kamchatka by Thu 
morning. Its associated front moves into Western Alaska for Fri 
morning. A 1018 mb North Pacific low forms on the front and moves 
to 51N 158W at 994 mb Fri afternoon. A second front approaches the
Western Aleutians for Fri afternoon.

$$

PKZ411-011400-
Bering Sea Offshore West of 180 and East of the International
Dateline-
313 PM AKST Wed Feb 28 2018

...GALE WARNING TONIGHT...

.TONIGHT...S wind 30 to 45 kt diminishing to 25 to 35 kt after
midnight. Seas 19 to 32 ft.
.THU...SW wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 15 to 23 ft.
.THU NIGHT...W wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 13 ft.
.FRI...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 9 to 12 ft.
.FRI NIGHT...S wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 10 to 18 ft.
.SAT...S wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 15 to 23 ft.
.SUN THROUGH MON...SW wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 16 to 24 ft.

$$

PKZ412-011400-
Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and North of 56N-
313 PM AKST Wed Feb 28 2018

...GALE WARNING TONIGHT...

.TONIGHT...S wind 20 to 35 kt diminishing to 10 to 25 kt after
midnight. Seas 13 to 21 ft. Rain.
.THU...SW wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 13 to 21 ft.
.THU NIGHT...SW wind 25 kt. Seas 15 ft.
.FRI...W wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 10 to 13 ft.
.FRI NIGHT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 11 ft.
.SAT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft.
.SUN THROUGH MON...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 14 to 22 ft.

$$

PKZ413-011400-
Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and South of 56N-
313 PM AKST Wed Feb 28 2018

.TONIGHT...SW wind 15 to 30 kt diminishing to 10 to 20 kt after
midnight. Seas 11 to 18 ft. Rain.
.THU...SW wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 11 to 16 ft.
.THU NIGHT...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 10 to 14 ft.
.FRI...W wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 9 to 12 ft.
.FRI NIGHT...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft.
.SAT...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft.
.SUN THROUGH MON...SW wind 30 kt. Seas 13 to 21 ft.

$$

PKZ414-011400-
Bering Sea Offshore East of 171W-
313 PM AKST Wed Feb 28 2018

...GALE WARNING THROUGH THURSDAY...

.TONIGHT...SE wind 25 to 35 kt. Seas 9 to 15 ft. Rain.
.THU...SE wind 20 to 35 kt becoming SW 15 to 25 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft.
Rain.
.THU NIGHT...SW wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft.
.FRI...W wind up to 20 kt. Seas 6 to 10 ft.
.FRI NIGHT...NW wind up to 20 kt. Seas 6 to 9 ft.
.SAT...SW wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 5 to 9 ft.
.SUN THROUGH MON...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 17 ft.

$$
262 
FZAK62 PAFC 011204
OFFALU

Offshore Waters Forecast
National Weather Service Anchorage AK
304 AM AKST Thu Mar 1 2018

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.

PKZ499-020145-
304 AM AKST Thu Mar 1 2018
.SYNOPSIS FOR CENTRAL BERING SEA...

A front over the eastern Aleutians will dissipate this afternoon.
A North Pacific low will move to 51N 161W at 1006 mb Fri morning 
then it will move into the southwestern Gulf Sat night. A front 
will move over the western Aleutians Fri afternoon. 

$$

PKZ411-020145-
Bering Sea Offshore West of 180 and East of the International
Dateline-
304 AM AKST Thu Mar 1 2018

.TODAY...SW wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 15 to 23 ft.
.TONIGHT...W wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 12 to 15 ft.
.FRI...SW wind 20 kt becoming S 20 to 30 kt in the afternoon. 
Seas 9 to 12 ft.
.FRI NIGHT...S wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 9 to 16 ft.
.SAT THROUGH MON...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 16 to 26 ft.

$$

PKZ412-020145-
Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and North of 56N-
304 AM AKST Thu Mar 1 2018

.TODAY...SW wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 13 to 21 ft.
.TONIGHT...SW wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 14 ft.
.FRI...W wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 10 to 13 ft.
.FRI NIGHT...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 9 ft.
.SAT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft.
.SUN THROUGH MON...SW wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 13 to 21 ft.

$$

PKZ413-020145-
Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and South of 56N-
304 AM AKST Thu Mar 1 2018

.TODAY...SW wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 11 to 16 ft.
.TONIGHT...SW wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 11 to 14 ft.
.FRI...W wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 10 ft.
.FRI NIGHT...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft.
.SAT THROUGH MON...SW wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 10 to 18 ft.

$$

PKZ414-020145-
Bering Sea Offshore East of 171W-
304 AM AKST Thu Mar 1 2018

...GALE WARNING TODAY...

.TODAY...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 10 to 14 ft. Rain.
.TONIGHT...SW wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft.
.FRI...W wind 10 to 15 kt. Seas 6 to 10 ft.
.FRI NIGHT...NW wind up to 15 kt. Seas 7 ft.
.SAT THROUGH MON...SW wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft.

$$

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 Anchorage, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before this gale warning went out at Feb 26, 7:24 AM AKST, 7 hours 59 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 26, 7:24 AM AKST, 7 hours 59 minutes before
Southcentral and Southwest Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Anchorage AK
724 AM AKST Mon Feb 26 2018

.ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS...
Snow has overspread much of the southern mainland this morning as
an upper level trough races eastward from the Bering Sea embedded
in quasi-zonal flow aloft. A surface reflection of this feature
is moving inland over the Y-K Delta region with an occluded front
extending eastward into Cook Inlet and the central Gulf.
Widespread gale to storm force winds are present from the eastern
Bering Sea into the Gulf of Alaska beneath a 130+ knot upper level
jet riding along the base of the trough. A showery regime
encompasses much of the Bering in westerly flow in the wake of the
trough, with another much weaker disturbance moving into the
western Aleutians.

&&

.MODEL DISCUSSION...
Models remain in good agreement in the short term as zonal flow
gives way to a more amplified pattern by the middle of the week.
The upper trough will track quickly across the mainland today,
followed by several weak shortwaves which will help to keep snow
showers going into Monday night. The pattern will begin to amplify
on Tuesday as the longwave trough is reinforced by shortwave
energy digging down from the interior, allowing flow to become
more north-northwesterly with time. Meanwhile, another deep
Kamchatka low will help to pump up a stout ridge over the Bering.
All of this will yield a drier offshore flow pattern dominated by
cold air advection and outflow winds by Wednesday. Utilized a
combination of the NAM and GFS for the morning forecast package.

&&

.AVIATION...
PANC...Snow will redevelop this morning after a brief break prior
to 15z. Snow will be focused mainly over eastern portions of the
Anchorage Bowl, with the terminal remaining on the western edge of
the precipitation. This is expected to yield prevailing MVFR
conditions at the terminal, with occasional fluctuations to IFR or
VFR over the course of the day. Conditions will improve by late
this evening as the system moves away from the area, yielding VFR
conditions for the remainder for the TAF period.

&&

.SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA (Days 1 and 2)...
After a brief break early this morning, snow is expected to
redevelop from the Kenai Peninsula northward into the Anchorage
Bowl and MatSu Valleys later this morning. This second round of
snow is expected to bring the lower snow ratios that were
initially expected from this snow event, but have yet to occur in
some places due to gusty southerly winds that developed over West
Anchorage late last night, bringing increased supercooled liquid
water into the lower levels. This second band of snow will also
bring a shift to southwesterly flow up Cook Inlet, a much more
favorable flow for orographically enhanced snow for East Anchorage
and the Matanuska Valley. As a result of this enhancement areas
west of the Seward Highway will likely stay on the very western
edge of most of snowfall from this system and should see notably
lower accumulations by the time it is all said and done this
evening. Further north over the Susitna Valley, the expected
accumulations were increased significantly to just below advisory
criteria this morning due to stronger southwest flow than
initially expected. By this evening the models are beginning to
indicate that this system will linger longer into the evening,
especially in the Matanuska Valley which will continue
southwesterly-westerly flow with cyclonic flow aloft until late
into the evening. and as a result the end time of the Anchorage
and Matanuska Valley advisories were pushed back into the evening.

The other concern in the forecast will be for the development
outflow winds behind the Gulf low beginning today from Kachemak
Bay southward into Kodiak Island. There is still good agreement in
widespread storm to hurricane force gusts developing through the
Barren Islands by this afternoon, with storm force westerly gusts
for Kodiak Island. There should then be a brief lull in the
westerly winds on Tuesday morning as a lee side low develops off
of Kodiak Island, but outflow winds will quickly ramp up again
and spread into the North Gulf Coast Tuesday evening. These winds
will then be the primary forecast challenge looking into the
middle of the week as a surge of cold air begins to descend into
the South Mainland.

&&

.SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHWEST ALASKA...
The low over southwest Alaska will continue its eastward track
through the area bringing snow as it passes. There are also strong
winds associated with the low which is bringing blowing snow to
southwest Alaska. This afternoon the low will have moved off to
the east and snow and winds will diminish. This setup will also
bring cold northerly flow to the region. Tuesday night ridging
from the Bering will move over the area and help to clear out the
cloud cover. Then late on Wednesday, winds will switch to the
south and bring warmer air to southwest Alaska.

&&

.SHORT TERM FORECAST BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS...
Zonal flow and snow showers look to dominate the Bering and
Aleutians until Tuesday morning when ridging builds in over the
central Bering and a new system approaches the western Aleutians
from the North Pacific. The ridging will clear out precip as it
tracks east. Meanwhile, the new system will pull up enough warm
air from the south to bring a mix of rain and snow to the islands.
As the main low center tracks north, to the west of Shemya, it
will bring strong winds with gusts in the 60 kt range Tuesday
night. The front with this system will move over the central
Aleutians Wednesday and the eastern Aleutians by Wednesday night.

&&

.LONG TERM FORECAST (Days 3 through 7)...
The GFS has maintained decent run to run continuity with the major
synoptic features. At the onset of this forecast period, the
latest iteration of the GFS ensembles has a tight clustering with
the low over the Western Bering, the high over the Yukon/NW
Territories, and the low over SE AK. There is a third low that all
of the global models are hinting at coming into the North Pacific
but there has been too much variance even with the more stable
model guidance. Any way you slice it, a progressive and amplified
pattern is on tap most of this period. The primary sensible
weather highlight to look for this package will be the storm force
and potentially hurricane force winds over the Western and
Central Bering as the low passes by Shemya and the surface
pressure possibly drops below 950 mb Wednesday. The GFS and the
ECMWF really bring that deepening trough with multiple shortwaves
across the Bering and into Western Alaska through Day 6.
Confidence is building that this unsettled pattern will
materialize.

&&

.AFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PUBLIC...Winter Weather Advisory 101 111.
MARINE...Storm Warning 120 130 131 132 138 160 165 178 180 351 352 414.
Gale Warning 119 136 137 139 141 150 155 170 171 172 175 177 179 411.
Heavy Freezing Spray 130 180 181 185.

&&

SYNOPSIS AND MODEL DISCUSSION...CB
SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA...DEK
SOUTHWEST ALASKA/BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS...DK
LONG TERM...PJS

In the hours before

Local storm report, Feb 26, 12:34 PM AKST, 2 hours 49 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
1234 PM AKST MON FEB 26 2018

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

0400 AM     SNOW             1 W GLEN ALPS           61.10N 149.73W
02/26/2018  E2.0 INCH                           AK   DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

            DEARMOUN AT HILLSIDE

0400 AM     SNOW             4 S ANCHORAGE           61.16N 149.89W
02/26/2018  M2.0 INCH                           AK   DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

            C STREET AT RASPBERRY

0500 AM     SNOW             4 W PALMER              61.59N 149.24W
02/26/2018  E3.0 INCH                           AK   NWS EMPLOYEE

            MIXED WITH FREEZING RAIN

0600 AM     SNOW             6 NNE EAGLE RIVER       61.39N 149.48W
02/26/2018  M1.6 INCH                           AK   COCORAHS

0630 AM     SNOW             1 SSW BIG LAKE          61.51N 149.96W
02/26/2018  M4.0 INCH                           AK   NWS EMPLOYEE

0655 AM     SNOW             BIG LAKE                61.52N 149.95W
02/26/2018  M4.0 INCH                           AK   NWS EMPLOYEE

            4 IN OF SNOW. CURRENTLY FREEZING DRIZZLE.

0700 AM     SNOW             9 S TALKEETNA           62.21N 150.09W
02/26/2018  M6.3 INCH                           AK   COCORAHS

0800 AM     SNOW             3 ESE MEADOW LAKES      61.60N 149.51W
02/26/2018  M2.5 INCH                           AK   COCORAHS

0830 AM     SNOW             5 NNW BUTTE             61.61N 149.10W
02/26/2018  M4.0 INCH                           AK   COCORAHS

1115 AM     SNOW             27 NNE CHASE            62.82N 149.91W
02/26/2018  M4.0 INCH                           AK   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

KUTZ

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 26, 3:23 PM AKSTGale WarningAFC60 hr
Feb 26, 3:23 PM AKSTSmall Craft AdvisoryAFC4 days
Feb 26, 3:23 PM AKSTHeavy Freezing Spray WarningAFC72 hr
Feb 26, 3:47 PM AKSTGale WarningAFC71 hr
Feb 26, 3:47 PM AKSTSmall Craft AdvisoryAFC71 hr
Feb 27, 3:35 AM AKSTGale WarningAFC59 hr
Feb 27, 3:35 AM AKSTStorm WarningAFC36 hr
Feb 27, 3:36 AM AKSTGale WarningAFC59 hr
Feb 27, 3:36 AM AKSTHeavy Freezing Spray WarningAFC12 hr
Feb 27, 3:54 AM AKSTGale WarningAFC47 hr
Feb 27, 4:02 AM AKSTGale WarningAFC59 hr
Feb 27, 4:02 AM AKSTSmall Craft AdvisoryAFC59 hr

Nearby

Gale Warnings in Alaska, 2018Every gale warning in 2018

Sources

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