Alert archive / Alaska / Gale Warnings in 2018

Gale Warning 280, NWS Juneau, AK

December 30, 2018

NWS Juneau, AK issued this gale warning at Dec 30, 2018, 3:26 AM AKST. It was in force for 42 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
Dec 30, 2018, 3:26 AM AKST (12:26 UTC)
Expired
Dec 31, 2018, 9:15 PM AKST
In force
42 hr
Issued by
NWS Juneau, AK

The text

As transmitted.

769 
FZAK67 PAJK 301226
OFFAJK

Offshore Waters Forecast
National Weather Service Juneau AK
Issued by National Weather Service Anchorage AK
326 AM AKST Sun Dec 30 2018

Offshore waters forecast for Gulf of Alaska east of 144W

Wind forecasts reflect the predominant speed and direction
expected. Sea forecasts represent the average of the highest
one-third of the combined windwave and swell height.

PKZ398-310630-
326 AM AKST Sun Dec 30 2018
.SYNOPSIS FOR THE EASTERN GULF OF ALASKA...
A surface ridge over the Eastern gulf will get pushed E over the
panhandle Sunday. A gale force front will move E across the gulf
Sunday night.

$$

PKZ310-310630-
Gulf of Alaska North of 55 Degrees North and East of 144 Degrees
West-
326 AM AKST Sun Dec 30 2018

...GALE WARNING TONIGHT...

.TODAY...W wind 15 kt becoming S 25 kt in the afternoon. Seas 12 
ft subsiding to 9 ft in the afternoon. W swell early in the 
morning.
.TONIGHT...S wind 35 kt. Seas 14 ft. Rain.
.MON...SW wind 25 kt becoming SE 20 kt in the afternoon. Seas
17 ft. W swell. Rain in the afternoon. 
.MON NIGHT...S gale to 35 kt. Seas 19 ft. Rain.
.TUE...W gale to 35 kt. Seas 23 ft. 
.WED...W wind 25 kt. Seas 21 ft. 
.THU...SW wind 25 kt. Seas 11 ft. 

$$
2 follow-up statements
319 
FZAK67 PAJK 310018
OFFAJK

Offshore Waters Forecast
National Weather Service Juneau AK
Issued by National Weather Service Anchorage AK
318 PM AKST Sun Dec 30 2018

Offshore waters forecast for Gulf of Alaska east of 144W

Wind forecasts reflect the predominant speed and direction
expected. Sea forecasts represent the average of the highest
one-third of the combined windwave and swell height.

PKZ398-311830-
318 PM AKST Sun Dec 30 2018
.SYNOPSIS FOR THE EASTERN GULF OF ALASKA...
A surface ridge will extend from eastern Pacific into
southern British Columbia. The incoming storm track will move
northeast over the gulf into the northern panhandle. A gale force
front will move E across the gulf Sunday night. Another gale to
storm force front will move into the northeast gulf Monday night.

$$

PKZ310-311830-
Gulf of Alaska North of 55 Degrees North and East of 144 Degrees
West-
318 PM AKST Sun Dec 30 2018

...GALE WARNING TONIGHT...

.TONIGHT...S wind 25 kt increasing to 35 kt. Seas 9 ft building
to 14 ft. Rain.
.MON...SW wind 25 kt becoming SE 20 kt in the afternoon. Seas
17 ft. W swell. Rain in the afternoon. 
.MON NIGHT...S gale to 35 kt. Seas 18 ft. Rain.
.TUE...SW gale to 35 kt diminishing to 25 kt in the
afternoon. Seas 18 ft. 
.TUE NIGHT...SW wind 30 kt. Seas 19 ft. 
.WED...W wind 30 kt. Seas 19 ft. 
.THU...SW wind 25 kt. Seas 12 ft. 
.FRI...S wind 20 kt. Seas 10 ft. 

$$
514 
FZAK67 PAJK 311214
OFFAJK

Offshore Waters Forecast
National Weather Service Juneau AK
Issued by National Weather Service Anchorage AK
314 AM AKST Mon Dec 31 2018

Offshore waters forecast for Gulf of Alaska east of 144W

Wind forecasts reflect the predominant speed and direction
expected. Sea forecasts represent the average of the highest
one-third of the combined windwave and swell height.

PKZ398-010615-
314 AM AKST Mon Dec 31 2018
.SYNOPSIS FOR THE EASTERN GULF OF ALASKA...
A gale force front in the gulf will move E into the panhandle
Monday. A second gale to storm force front will move into the 
eastern gulf Monday night and across the panhandle Tuesday.

$$

PKZ310-010615-
Gulf of Alaska North of 55 Degrees North and East of 144 Degrees
West-
314 AM AKST Mon Dec 31 2018

...GALE WARNING EARLY TODAY AND TONIGHT...

.TODAY...S wind 35 kt becoming SW 15 kt in the afternoon. Seas
16 ft. Rain early in the morning. 
.TONIGHT...S wind increasing to 35 kt late. Seas 17 ft. Rain.
.TUE...SW gale to 35 kt diminishing to 25 kt in the
afternoon. Seas 18 ft. Rain in the morning. 
.TUE NIGHT...SW wind 30 kt. Seas 19 ft. 
.WED...W wind 30 kt. Seas 18 ft. 
.THU...W wind 20 kt. Seas 12 ft. 
.FRI...SE wind 20 kt. Seas 7 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 Juneau, AK wrote its last area forecast discussion before this gale warning went out at Dec 29, 3:20 PM AKST, 12 hours 6 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 29, 3:20 PM AKST, 12 hours 6 minutes before
Southeast Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Juneau AK
Issued by National Weather Service Anchorage AK
320 PM AKST Sat Dec 29 2018

.SHORT TERM...After the low from the southern panhandle completed
its movement into British Columbia this morning it lead to the
clearing of some of the skies and ending of the showers in the
northern panhandle. A few lingering showers impacted the coast
through the afternoon. A line of more organized showers has been
moving east across the eastern gulf, slightly quicker on the south
side and these showers are reaching western Prince of Wales
Island late this afternoon and evening. The northern end of the
band will move onto Baranof and Chichigof Island overnight. Behind
this line of showers is a colder pool aloft with a mass of
stratus under the need the ridge over the central gulf. Think the
main focus of the colder air will slide to the south of the
forecast area.

Beginning to move into the western gulf is a frontal band
associated with a complex surface pattern over the Bering Sea. The
first part of this frontal features will move into the northeast
gulf coast Sunday. The next wave will bring a more organized
feature into the northeast gulf coast and northern panhandle late
Sunday and into early Monday morning. This will be first of the
large moisture streams that get aimed towards Southeast Alaska.

This Monday wave will bring Gale force winds to the outer coast
marine zones Sunday night and into early Monday. Also due to the
source region for the moisture we are expecting some with a good
push of warm air at 850 bringing the 0C line just south of
Yakutat, and this warmer air will be pushed into the panhandle.
Precipitation may start out as snow in the northern panhandle and
a few inches of snow could accumulate depending on the location
before it mixes with or changes to rain.

.LONG TERM.../Monday through Saturday night/ A relatively active
and warm pattern persists through the first half of the long
range as a broad upper trough sits over the Bering Sea through mid
next week. There are indications that the panhandle may cool down
again late next week as some of the cool air from the Bering Sea
trough slides farther east.

Overall the main focus is the warmer and wet weather expected at
the beginning of the week. The first wave of moisture is expected
to go through Sun night but another wave is behind it for Mon
night that is nearly as wet as the first. Snow levels expected to
remain high as warm air continues to be pushed into the area so
many locations will stay rain through the second push. This
combined with melting snow may cause some river rises for the
first half of the week.

Forecast confidence starts to go downhill into late week as some
cooler air tries to work into the area from the west. Some short
waves may be embedded in the flow as well but timing and track of
each display a wide spread between models. Generally stuck with
WPC guidance for updates.

&&

.AJK Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
PUBLIC...Small Craft Advisory due to Seas until 3 PM AKST this afternoon
     for AKZ017.
MARINE...Small Craft Advisory for PKZ041>043-051-052.
     Small Craft Advisory due to Seas for PKZ022.

&&

Bezenek/EAL

Visit us at http://www.weather.gov/Juneau

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 29, 3:11 PM AKSTSmall Craft AdvisoryAJK52 hr
Dec 29, 3:11 PM AKSTSmall Craft AdvisoryAJK24 hr
Dec 30, 3:07 AM AKSTSmall Craft AdvisoryAJK42 hr
Dec 30, 3:26 AM AKSTGale WarningAJK42 hr
Dec 30, 3:27 AM AKSTSmall Craft AdvisoryAJK39 hr
Dec 30, 9:45 AM AKSTDense Fog AdvisoryAJK2 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.