Alert archive / Alaska / Gale Warnings in 2018
Gale Warning 9, NWS Fairbanks, AK
NWS Fairbanks, AK issued this gale warning at Feb 8, 2018, 2:17 PM AKST. 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
- Feb 8, 2018, 2:17 PM AKST (23:17 UTC)
- Expired
- Feb 9, 2018, 3:54 AM AKST
- In force
- 14 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Fairbanks, AK
The text
As transmitted.
867 FZAK52 PAFG 082317 CWFWCZ Coastal Waters Forecast for Northwest Alaska National Weather Service Fairbanks AK 217 PM AKST Thu Feb 8 2018 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. PKZ299-091500- 217 PM AKST Thu Feb 8 2018 .SYNOPSIS FOR NORTHWEST COAST... High pressure will persist over mainland Alaska. A series of low pressure systems will move N across the Central Bering Sea with a weather front moving NW across St Lawrence Island this evening. High pressure will build W behind the front, the be pushed back to the E as a 975 mb low moves to 400 nm S of Nikolski this evening, to Dutch Harbor by Sat morning at 985 mb and to the Gulf of Anadyr by Sun afternoon as it dissipates. $$ PKZ200-091500- Norton Sound- 217 PM AKST Thu Feb 8 2018 ...BRISK WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON... .TONIGHT...E winds 25 kt. .FRI...E winds 25 kt. Blowing snow. VSBY 1 NM or less. .FRI NIGHT...E winds 25 kt. Blowing snow. VSBY 1 NM or less. .SAT...E winds 25 kt. Blowing snow. VSBY 1 NM or less. .SAT NIGHT...E winds 25 kt. .SUN...S winds 25 kt. .SUN NIGHT...S winds 20 kt. .MON...S winds 15 kt. .TUE...SE winds 15 kt. $$ PKZ210-091500- Dall Point to Wales- 217 PM AKST Thu Feb 8 2018 ...GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY MORNING... .TONIGHT...E winds 35 kt. Strongest winds W of St Lawrence Island. Blowing snow. Freezing rain. VSBY 1 NM or less. .FRI...E winds 25 kt. Freezing fog. Snow. .FRI NIGHT...E winds 25 kt. Freezing fog. Snow. .SAT...E winds 25 kt. Blowing snow and freezing fog. VSBY 1 NM or less. .SAT NIGHT...E winds 25 kt. .SUN...S winds 25 kt. .SUN NIGHT...S winds 20 kt. .MON...S winds 15 kt. .TUE...SE winds 15 kt. $$ PKZ215-091500- Kotzebue Sound- 217 PM AKST Thu Feb 8 2018 ...BRISK WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON... .TONIGHT...E winds 25 kt. Blowing snow. .FRI...E winds 25 kt. Blowing snow. .FRI NIGHT...E winds 25 kt. Blowing snow. .SAT...E winds 25 kt. .SAT NIGHT...E winds 25 kt. .SUN...E winds 25 kt. .SUN NIGHT...E winds 20 kt. .MON...SE winds 15 kt. .TUE...E winds 15 kt. $$ PKZ220-091500- Wales to Cape Thompson- 217 PM AKST Thu Feb 8 2018 ...BRISK WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON... .TONIGHT...E winds 25 kt. Blowing snow. VSBY 1 NM or less. .FRI...E winds 25 kt. Blowing snow. .FRI NIGHT...E winds 25 kt. .SAT...E winds 25 kt. .SAT NIGHT...E winds 25 kt. .SUN...SE winds 30 kt. .SUN NIGHT...SE winds 20 kt. .MON...SE winds 15 kt. .TUE...E winds 15 kt. $$ SDB Feb 18
1 follow-up statement
568 FZAK52 PAFG 091254 CWFWCZ Coastal Waters Forecast for Northwest Alaska National Weather Service Fairbanks AK 354 AM AKST Fri Feb 9 2018 Northwestern Alaska Coastal Waters out 100 NM Wind forecasts reflect the predominant speed and direction expected. Sea forecasts represent the average of the highest one- third of the combined wind-wave and swell height. PKZ299-100330- 354 AM AKST Fri Feb 9 2018 .SYNOPSIS FOR NORTHWEST COAST... High pressure will persist over mainland Alaska. A series of low pressure systems will move NW across the Central Bering Sea with a weather front moving NW across the Lower YK Delta today and St Lawrence Island this evening. A 1034 mb high pressure system near 80N and the dateline will weaken to 1032 mb as it moves south and east over the McKenzie Delta tonight. $$ PKZ200-100330- Norton Sound- 354 AM AKST Fri Feb 9 2018 ...BRISK WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING... .TODAY...E winds 25 kt. .TONIGHT...E winds 25 kt. Blowing snow and freezing fog. VSBY 1 NM or less. .SAT...E winds 25 kt. Blowing snow. VSBY 1 NM or less. .SAT NIGHT...E winds 20 kt. Blowing snow. VSBY 1 NM or less. .SUN...SE winds 25 kt. Blowing snow. VSBY 1 NM or less. .SUN NIGHT...S winds 20 kt. .MON...S winds 15 kt. .TUE...SE winds 15 kt. $$ PKZ210-100330- Dall Point to Wales- 354 AM AKST Fri Feb 9 2018 ...BRISK WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING... .TODAY...SE winds 25 kt. Freezing fog. Snow. .TONIGHT...E winds 25 kt. Freezing fog. Snow. .SAT...E winds 25 kt. Freezing fog and blowing snow. VSBY 1 NM or less. .SAT NIGHT...SE winds 25 kt. Freezing fog and blowing snow. VSBY 1 NM or less. .SUN...SE winds 25 kt. Blowing snow. VSBY 1 NM or less. .SUN NIGHT...S winds 25 kt. .MON...S winds 20 kt. .TUE...SE winds 20 kt. $$ PKZ215-100330- Kotzebue Sound- 354 AM AKST Fri Feb 9 2018 ...BRISK WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING... .TODAY...E winds 25 kt. .TONIGHT...E winds 25 kt. .SAT...E winds 25 kt. .SAT NIGHT...E winds 25 kt. Blowing snow. VSBY 1 NM or less. .SUN...E winds 25 kt. Blowing snow. VSBY 1 NM or less. .SUN NIGHT...SE winds 25 kt. .MON...S winds 15 kt. .TUE...SE winds 15 kt. $$ PKZ220-100330- Wales to Cape Thompson- 354 AM AKST Fri Feb 9 2018 ...BRISK WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING... .TODAY...SE winds 25 kt. .TONIGHT...SE winds 25 kt. .SAT...SE winds 25 kt. .SAT NIGHT...SE winds 25 kt. Blowing snow. VSBY 1 NM or less. .SUN...SE winds 30 kt. Blowing snow. VSBY 1 NM or less. .SUN NIGHT...SE winds 30 kt. .MON...S winds 15 kt. .TUE...SE winds 15 kt. $$ CCC 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 8, 2:02 PM AKST, 15 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 8, 2:02 PM AKST, 15 minutes before
Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Fairbanks AK 202 PM AKST Thu Feb 8 2018 .DISCUSSION... Models...There continues to be very good agreement in the short term from run to run, but the extended periods continue to struggle with transitioning away from the blocking pattern we have been in to a more active/progressive pattern. Overall, the 08/12Z surface solutions initialized well against the 08/18Z analysis with the exception of the high over the Yukon Territory being about 5 mb stronger than the solutions. Aloft...At 500 hpa...Omega Block persists. Ridging extends from a high off the California Coast over Kodiak Island, then northwest over Point Hope and north of Wrangel Island before turning west over 73N. Ridging also extends east from McGrath to Chicken and east across the Yukon Territory. A 468 dam low remains northeast of Hudson Bay with a trough extending southwest, then northwest over the Gulf of Alaska Coast. A broad area of lower heights persists over the Western Bering Sea with several lower height centers rotating over the Western Bering Sea. A 514 dam low will develop over the North Pacific and move over the Central Aleutians by Friday evening, and over the Pribilof Islands by Saturday evening with troughing extending southeast. A 568 dam closed high develops over Southcentral Alaska this evening and moves southeast over the Gulf of Alaska and merges with the high to the south. The ridge will move to lie over the Eastern Gulf of Alaska, to Fairbanks, to Point Lay by Friday evening, and shifts to the east to lie from Yakutat to Point Barrow with a 553 dam center over Delta Junction Saturday evening. The low over the Pribilofs will continue up the western flank of the ridge to be over the Gulf of Anadyr by Sunday morning with the shortwave extending southeast over Norton sound to Minchumina to Cordova. At 850 hpa...-10C isotherm has almost exited the state this afternoon with just some patches of -10C over the Eastern Arctic Coast. Warming temperatures can be expected into Saturday, then cooling as the warm air moderates over the area. Surface...1056 mb high over the Yukon Territory near Dawson this morning with ridging extending northwest to a 1043 mb high over the Upper Yukon Flats near Beaver. Ridging also extends north over the Central Arctic then west over the Siberian Arctic. High pressure will persist over mainland Alaska, but weaken with a 1047 mb high over the Yukon Territory, a 1045 mb high over the Copper River Basin, and a 1038 mb high over the Upper Yukon Flats. A 986 mb low in the Central Bering Sea will move northwest and dissipate over Kamchatka Friday evening. A weak trough north of the Arctic Coast will be squeezed out as a 1034 mb high over the New Siberian Islands moves to the Dateline by Friday morning, and to MacKenzie Bay by Saturday morning. Leeside troughing north of the Alaska Range will deepen and the pressure gradient in the Upper Tanana Valley and across the Alaska Range will tighten up tonight and remain fairly tight into Saturday. A 975 mb low will move to 400 nm south of Nikolski this evening, and to Dutch Harbor by Saturday morning at 985 mb. The low will continue to the Gulf of Anadyr by Sunday afternoon as it dissipates. High pressure over the West Coast will be pushed east as the low moves north Sunday. Arctic Coast and Brooks Range...Weak troughing just offshore is allowing the decaying front to move around the high pressure over mainland Alaska. Mostly cloudy conditions for the area, but some light snow or flurries possible. High pressure builds back over the Arctic tonight so expect some clearing from Point Barrow east toward morning. Winds generally southeast to southwest at 10 to 20 mph. Temperatures warming around 5 degrees over the next couple days. West Coast and Western Interior...Broad area of low pressure over the Bering Sea is spinning lows north with the associated clouds and weather moving over the coast and nearshore waters. Some higher clouds making it inland, but dissipating as the move over the high pressure. Northeast to east winds on the coast at 10 to 25 mph with local gusts to around 40 mph. Inland winds will remain light and variable. Temperatures warming the next couple days. Central and Eastern Interior...Mostly clear continues with strong high pressure over the area. Generally light winds, except for the Upper Yukon River Valley around Eagle where southeast winds will continue to be gusty to around 25 mph through at least Saturday. Temperatures warming slowly. Locally winds chill in the Eastern interior down to 50 below. && Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None. && Extended Forecast for Days 4 to 7...Deterministic solutions are not very good beyond 96 hours, so will lean toward the WPC guidance which is based on the Ensemble means. With that said, the temperatures will need to be handled separately. && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Gale Warning for PKZ210. Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ200-PKZ215-PKZ220-PKZ225. && SDB FEB 18
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Feb 8, 10:45 AM AKST, 3 hours 32 minutes before
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Fairbanks AK 1045 AM AKST Thu Feb 8 2018 AKZ224-090600- Upper Tanana Valley and the Fortymile Country- Including Tok, Tanacross, Eagle, Tetlin, Northway, Alcan, Chicken, and Boundary 1045 AM AKST Thu Feb 8 2018 ...Extreme High Pressure Over the Southeast Interior... The sea level pressure equivalent at Northway reached 1054 millibars this morning. This means that altimeters may exceed the 31.00 inch reading in the southeast Interior south of Eagle and from Dot Lake east. This could affect small aircraft operations in the southeast Interior. This high pressure is expected to continue into Friday morning, then slowly weaken.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Fairbanks, AK issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 7, 3:55 PM AKST | Blizzard Warning | AFG | 11 hr | |
| Feb 8, 3:18 AM AKST | Brisk Wind Advisory | AFG | 11 hr | |
| Feb 8, 2:17 PM AKST | Brisk Wind Advisory | AFG | 61 hr |
Nearby
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text.