Alert archive / Alaska / Gale Warnings in 2018

Gale Warning 17, NWS Fairbanks, AK

February 19, 2018

NWS Fairbanks, AK issued this gale warning at Feb 19, 2018, 2:41 PM AKST. It was in force for 16 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 19, 2018, 2:41 PM AKST (23:41 UTC)
Expired
Feb 20, 2018, 6:15 AM AKST
In force
16 hr
Issued by
NWS Fairbanks, AK

The text

As transmitted.

877 
FZAK51 PAFG 192341
CWFNSB

Coastal Waters Forecast for Arctic Alaska
National Weather Service Fairbanks AK
241 PM AKST Mon Feb 19 2018

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.

PKZ298-201515-
241 PM AKST Mon Feb 19 2018

.SYNOPSIS FOR ARCTIC COAST...
A 964 mb low near Cape Navarin will move to to 200 nm northwest 
of Cape Lisburne as a 988 mb low by 3pm Tue, and to 300 nm 
northwest of Barrow as a 999 mb low by 3pm Wed. Another low will 
move north into the southern Bering Sea Tue night and to the 
central Bering Sea on Wed.ed.

$$

PKZ225-201515-
Cape Thompson to Cape Beaufort-
241 PM AKST Mon Feb 19 2018

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

.TONIGHT...S winds 45 kt. Blowing snow. VSBY 1 NM or less. 
.TUE...S winds 50 kt. Blowing snow. Snow. VSBY 1 NM or less. 
.TUE NIGHT...SW winds 40 kt. Blowing snow. VSBY 1 NM or less. 
.WED...W winds 20 kt. 
.WED NIGHT...NW winds 15 kt. 
.THU...W winds 20 kt. 
.THU NIGHT...SE winds 20 kt. 
.FRI...SE winds 15 kt. 
.SAT...N winds 15 kt.  

$$

PKZ230-201515-
Cape Beaufort to Point Franklin-
241 PM AKST Mon Feb 19 2018

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

.TONIGHT...S winds 35 kt. Blowing snow and freezing fog. VSBY
1 NM or less. 
.TUE...S winds 50 kt. Blowing snow and freezing fog. VSBY 1 NM or
less. 
.TUE NIGHT...SW winds 40 kt. Blowing snow and freezing fog. VSBY
1 NM or less. 
.WED...W winds 25 kt. Blowing snow. VSBY 1 NM or less. 
.WED NIGHT...W winds 15 kt. 
.THU...W winds 15 kt. 
.THU NIGHT...S winds 15 kt. 
.FRI...NW winds 15 kt. 
.SAT...NW winds 15 kt.  

$$

PKZ235-201515-
Point Franklin to Cape Halkett-
241 PM AKST Mon Feb 19 2018

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

.TONIGHT...S winds 25 kt. Freezing fog. Snow.
.TUE...SW winds 30 kt. Freezing fog and blowing snow. VSBY 1 NM
or less. 
.TUE NIGHT...SW winds 30 kt. Blowing snow and freezing fog. VSBY
1 NM or less. 
.WED...W winds 25 kt. Blowing snow. VSBY 1 NM or less. 
.WED NIGHT...W winds 15 kt. 
.THU...W winds 15 kt. 
.THU NIGHT...NW winds 15 kt. 
.FRI...W winds 20 kt. 
.SAT...W winds 15 kt.  

$$

PKZ240-201515-
Cape Halkett to Flaxman Island-
241 PM AKST Mon Feb 19 2018

...BRISK WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM EARLY TUESDAY MORNING
THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON...

.TONIGHT...SE winds 20 kt. Freezing fog. 
.TUE...SW winds 30 kt. Freezing fog. Snow.
.TUE NIGHT...SW winds 30 kt. Freezing fog and blowing snow. VSBY
1 NM or less. 
.WED...SW winds 25 kt. Blowing snow. VSBY 1 NM or less. 
.WED NIGHT...SW winds 15 kt. 
.THU...W winds 15 kt. 
.THU NIGHT...W winds 20 kt. 
.FRI...W winds 25 kt. 
.SAT...W winds 20 kt.  

$$

PKZ245-201515-
Flaxman Island to Demarcation Point-
241 PM AKST Mon Feb 19 2018

...BRISK WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM EARLY TUESDAY MORNING
THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON...

.TONIGHT...S winds 15 kt. Freezing fog. 
.TUE...W winds 30 kt. Freezing fog. Snow.
.TUE NIGHT...W winds 30 kt. Freezing fog and blowing snow. VSBY
1 NM or less. 
.WED...W winds 30 kt. Blowing snow. VSBY 1 NM or less. 
.WED NIGHT...SW winds 15 kt. 
.THU...W winds 20 kt. 
.THU NIGHT...W winds 25 kt. 
.FRI...W winds 30 kt. 
.SAT...W winds 25 kt.  

$$

Feb 18

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 Feb 19, 7:33 AM AKST, 7 hours 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 19, 7:33 AM AKST, 7 hours 8 minutes before
Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Fairbanks AK
733 AM AKST Mon Feb 19 2018

.SYNOPSIS...
Aloft...
A high amplitude long wave ridge over Alaska and trough over the
Bering and NW Pacific will become more zonal through the week as
a series of very strong short wave troughs move NE across the
bering Sea and Alaska the next several days. This will keep
northern Alaska in a warm, wet and windy pattern the next several
days.

Surface...
A 990 mb low west of Wrangel Island will drift northwest. A front
from this low to Prudhoe Bay to Northway will move to the Alcan
Border by 3pm today. Light snow with this feature will end west of
the front.

A 960 mb low in the central Bering Sea will move to Cape Navarin
as a 964 mb low by 3pm mon, to 200 nm northwest of Cape Lisburne
as a 988 mb low by 3pm Tue, and to 300 nm northwest of Barrow as a
999 mb low by 3pm Wed. The front with this low will move along the
West Coast today, to Barrow to mcGrath by 3am Tue, and to the
Alcan Border by 3am Tue. Expect 4-8 inches of snow with this along
the west Coast and Western Interior today, and 1-2 inches with it
over the Eastern Interior Tue. SE Gales ahead of the front are
causing blizzards along the Coast today through Tue.
The poison tale following the low center will move over the West
Coast tonight causing south winds gusting 50-90 mph with the
highest winds over the Western Capes.

A third low will move north into the southern Bering Sea Tue
night and to the central Bering Sea on Wed.

.DISCUSSION...
Models initialize well aloft. At the surface the low just NW of
Wrangel Island is about 4 mb deeper than models at 06Z, and the
surface high over the Copper River Basin is about 4 mb stronger.
Main low in the central Bering appears to be well initialized at
06z. Will see bit stronger winds through Alaska Range passes
today than models shows as a result of the high pressure being
stronger than models indicate.

Models generally in agreement through 3am Wed, then the GFS moves
the next Bering Sea low northeast faster than the ECMF and NAM.
At this point favor the slower NAM/ECMF solutions for Wed. Models
diverge on strength and timing of short waves after Wed, but one
certainty is that the progressive westerly flow pattern will
continue through the week.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Coastal Flood Warning for AKZ213.

Coastal Flood Advisory for AKZ207-AKZ209-AKZ210-AKZ211-AKZ212-
AKZ214.

Winter Storm Warning for AKZ201-AKZ208-AKZ210-AKZ211-AKZ217.

Blizzard Warning for AKZ207-AKZ209-AKZ213.

Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ202-AKZ203-AKZ204-AKZ206-AKZ212-
AKZ214-AKZ215-AKZ216-AKZ218-AKZ227.

Gale Warning for PKZ200-PKZ210-PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ225.

Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ230.
&&

FEB 18

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 19, 4:31 AM AKSTWinter Weather AdvisoryAFG49 hr
Feb 19, 4:40 AM AKSTWinter Storm WarningAFG49 hr
Feb 19, 4:40 AM AKSTWinter Weather AdvisoryAFG54 hr
Feb 19, 5:17 AM AKSTBlizzard WarningAFG40 hr
Feb 19, 5:17 AM AKSTWinter Storm WarningAFG40 hr
Feb 19, 6:20 AM AKSTGale WarningAFG24 hr
Feb 19, 7:04 AM AKSTCoastal Flood StatementAFG19 min
Feb 19, 7:04 AM AKSTCoastal Flood WarningAFG46 hr
Feb 19, 7:06 AM AKSTWinter Weather AdvisoryAFG22 hr
Feb 19, 7:23 AM AKSTCoastal Flood AdvisoryAFG49 hr
Feb 19, 2:41 PM AKSTBrisk Wind AdvisoryAFG16 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.