Alert archive / Alaska / Gale Warnings in 2019
Gale Warning 103, NWS Anchorage, AK
NWS Anchorage, AK issued this gale warning at Feb 3, 2019, 3:01 PM AKST. It was in force for 49 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 3, 2019, 3:01 PM AKST (00:01 UTC)
- Expired
- Feb 5, 2019, 3:32 PM AKST
- In force
- 49 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Anchorage, AK
The text
As transmitted.
899 FZAK62 PAFC 040001 OFFALU Offshore Waters Forecast National Weather Service Anchorage AK 301 PM AKST Sun Feb 3 2019 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. PKZ499-041530- 301 PM AKST Sun Feb 3 2019 .SYNOPSIS FOR CENTRAL BERING SEA... A 986 mb low at 50N 178W will move to 58N 176W at 971 mb Mon night. The low will then move into the northern Bering Tue morning. A 969 mb Kamchatka low will move to 48N 172E Tue afternoon. $$ PKZ411-041530- Bering Sea Offshore West of 180 and East of the International Dateline- 301 PM AKST Sun Feb 3 2019 .TONIGHT...Variable wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 9 to 17 ft. Snow showers and rain showers. .MON...N wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 7 to 12 ft. .MON NIGHT...NW wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 8 to 12 ft. .TUE...E wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 6 to 10 ft. .TUE NIGHT...SE wind up to 20 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft. .WED...W wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 10 to 18 ft. .THU...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 11 to 17 ft. .FRI...E wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 10 to 13 ft. $$ PKZ412-041530- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and North of 56N- 301 PM AKST Sun Feb 3 2019 ...GALE WARNING MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT... .TONIGHT...E wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 11 to 15 ft. .MON...E wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 11 to 14 ft. Snow showers and rain showers. .MON NIGHT...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 11 to 17 ft. Snow and rain showers. .TUE...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 10 to 18 ft. .TUE NIGHT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft. .WED THROUGH THU...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 10 to 18 ft. .FRI...SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 11 to 14 ft. $$ PKZ413-041530- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and South of 56N- 301 PM AKST Sun Feb 3 2019 ...GALE WARNING MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT... .TONIGHT...E wind 25 kt becoming 15 to 30 kt after midnight. Seas 9 to 13 ft. Widespread rain and snow showers. .MON...SW wind 30 to 45 kt. Seas 11 to 19 ft. Rain showers and snow showers. .MON NIGHT...SW wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 12 to 20 ft. Rain showers. .TUE...S wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 11 to 18 ft. .TUE NIGHT...S wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 12 ft. .WED THROUGH THU...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 11 to 18 ft. .FRI...SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 13 ft. $$ PKZ414-041530- Bering Sea Offshore East of 171W- 301 PM AKST Sun Feb 3 2019 ...GALE WARNING MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT... .TONIGHT...E wind increasing to 20 to 30 kt. Seas 6 to 10 ft. .MON...S wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft. .MON NIGHT...S wind 30 to 45 kt. Seas 12 to 18 ft. Rain showers. .TUE...S wind 25 to 35 kt. Seas 12 to 19 ft. .TUE NIGHT...S wind 25 to 35 kt. Seas 13 to 17 ft. .WED THROUGH THU...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 10 to 15 ft. .FRI...SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 9 to 13 ft. $$
5 follow-up statements
960 FZAK62 PAFC 041218 OFFALU Offshore Waters Forecast National Weather Service Anchorage AK 318 AM AKST Mon Feb 4 2019 Offshore Waters Forecast for the Bering Sea Wind forecasts reflect the predominant speed and direction expected. Sea forecasts represent an average of the highest one-third of the combined wind wave and swell height. PKZ499-050145- 318 AM AKST Mon Feb 4 2019 .SYNOPSIS FOR CENTRAL BERING SEA... A 976 mb low at 53N 176W moves to 58N 174W at 971 mb Mon night then shifts to the Gulf of Anadyr at 977 mb dissipating Wed afternoon. A 963 mb low near 47N 160E Mon afternoon drives to 51N 179E at 975 mb for Wed morning. Its front sweeps into the Central Aleutians by Wed morning. $$ PKZ411-050145- Bering Sea Offshore West of 180 and East of the International Dateline- 318 AM AKST Mon Feb 4 2019 .TODAY...N wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 11 ft. .TONIGHT...NW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 7 to 12 ft. .TUE...N wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 6 to 10 ft. .TUE NIGHT...N wind up to 20 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft. .WED...W wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 10 to 15 ft. .THU...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 11 to 17 ft. .FRI...E wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 10 to 13 ft. $$ PKZ412-050145- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and North of 56N- 318 AM AKST Mon Feb 4 2019 ...GALE WARNING THROUGH TUESDAY... .TODAY...E wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 12 to 17 ft. Rain and snow. .TONIGHT...W wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 11 to 18 ft. Rain showers. .TUE...S wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 9 to 16 ft. .TUE NIGHT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft. .WED THROUGH THU...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 10 to 18 ft. .FRI...SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 11 to 14 ft. $$ PKZ413-050145- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and South of 56N- 318 AM AKST Mon Feb 4 2019 ...GALE WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT... .TODAY...SE wind 25 to 40 kt becoming W 30 to 45 kt in the afternoon. Seas 12 to 20 ft. Rain and snow. .TONIGHT...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 11 to 19 ft. Snow and rain. .TUE...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft. Snow showers and rain showers. .TUE NIGHT...S wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 10 to 15 ft. .WED THROUGH THU...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 11 to 18 ft. .FRI...SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 13 ft. $$ PKZ414-050145- Bering Sea Offshore East of 171W- 318 AM AKST Mon Feb 4 2019 ...GALE WARNING THROUGH TUESDAY... .TODAY...S wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 10 to 18 ft. Rain. .TONIGHT...S wind 30 to 45 kt. Seas 15 to 23 ft. Rain and snow. .TUE...S wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 15 to 21 ft. .TUE NIGHT...S wind 25 to 35 kt. Seas 13 to 17 ft. .WED THROUGH THU...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 10 to 15 ft. .FRI...SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 9 to 13 ft. $$
138 FZAK62 PAFC 050049 OFFALU Offshore Waters Forecast National Weather Service Anchorage AK 349 PM AKST Mon Feb 4 2019 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. PKZ499-051345- 349 PM AKST Mon Feb 4 2019 .SYNOPSIS FOR CENTRAL BERING SEA... A 975 mb low at 57N 173W will move into the northern Bering Tue morning. A 965 mb Kamchatka low will move to 49N 171E Tue afternoon then it will move to 53N 180W at 976 mb Wed afternoon. $$ PKZ411-051345- Bering Sea Offshore West of 180 and East of the International Dateline- 349 PM AKST Mon Feb 4 2019 .TONIGHT...NW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 7 to 12 ft. .TUE...NE wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 6 to 11 ft. Snow showers. .TUE NIGHT...N wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft. .WED...NW wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 10 to 15 ft. .WED NIGHT...W wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 11 to 14 ft. .THU...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 11 to 14 ft. .FRI...E wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 10 to 13 ft. .SAT...N wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 10 to 15 ft. $$ PKZ412-051345- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and North of 56N- 349 PM AKST Mon Feb 4 2019 ...GALE WARNING THROUGH TUESDAY... .TONIGHT...W wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 10 to 16 ft. Rain showers. .TUE...S wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft. Snow showers. .TUE NIGHT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft. Rain showers. .WED...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 10 to 15 ft. .WED NIGHT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 13 to 17 ft. .THU...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 12 to 17 ft. .FRI THROUGH SAT...SE wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft. $$ PKZ413-051345- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and South of 56N- 349 PM AKST Mon Feb 4 2019 ...GALE WARNING TONIGHT... .TONIGHT...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 11 to 19 ft. .TUE...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft. Rain showers and snow showers. .TUE NIGHT...S wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 10 to 15 ft. .WED...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 12 to 17 ft. .WED NIGHT...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 13 to 18 ft. .THU...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 11 to 16 ft. .FRI...SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 13 ft. .SAT...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 12 ft. $$ PKZ414-051345- Bering Sea Offshore East of 171W- 349 PM AKST Mon Feb 4 2019 ...GALE WARNING THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT... .TONIGHT...S wind 30 to 45 kt. Seas 15 to 26 ft. Rain showers and snow showers. .TUE...SW wind 25 to 35 kt. Seas 15 to 21 ft. .TUE NIGHT...S wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 12 to 15 ft. Rain and widespread snow showers. .WED...S wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 10 to 14 ft. .WED NIGHT...S wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft. .THU...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 15 ft. .FRI THROUGH SAT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft. $$
384 FZAK62 PAFC 051158 OFFALU Offshore Waters Forecast National Weather Service Anchorage AK 258 AM AKST Tue Feb 5 2019 Offshore Waters Forecast for the Bering Sea Wind forecasts reflect the predominant speed and direction expected. Sea forecasts represent an average of the highest one-third of the combined wind wave and swell height. PKZ499-060200- 258 AM AKST Tue Feb 5 2019 .SYNOPSIS FOR CENTRAL BERING SEA... A 975 mb low at 60N 174W moves to Northern Kamchatka dissipating Wed morning. A 964 mb low near 48N 166E swings to 57N 178W at 983 mb Thu morning. Its front sweeps over the Bering into the Central Aleutians by Thu morning. A 975 mb low forms at 55N 178E Tue afternoon and moves to Anadyr at 988 mb for Thu morning. $$ PKZ411-060200- Bering Sea Offshore West of 180 and East of the International Dateline- 258 AM AKST Tue Feb 5 2019 .TODAY...NE wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 6 to 11 ft. .TONIGHT...NE wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft. .WED...NW wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 10 to 15 ft. .WED NIGHT...W wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 12 to 15 ft. .THU THROUGH FRI...S wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 10 to 18 ft. .SAT...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 10 to 15 ft. $$ PKZ412-060200- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and North of 56N- 258 AM AKST Tue Feb 5 2019 ...GALE WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT... .TODAY...S wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 8 to 16 ft. Rain showers. .TONIGHT...S wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft. .WED...S wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 9 to 13 ft. .WED NIGHT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 13 to 16 ft. .THU THROUGH FRI...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 11 to 16 ft. .SAT...SW wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 12 ft. $$ PKZ413-060200- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and South of 56N- 258 AM AKST Tue Feb 5 2019 ...GALE WARNING TONIGHT... .TODAY...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 16 ft. Rain. .TONIGHT...S wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft. .WED...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 12 to 17 ft. .WED NIGHT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 13 to 17 ft. .THU THROUGH FRI...S wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 12 to 16 ft. .SAT...SW wind 25 to 35 kt. Seas 12 ft. $$ PKZ414-060200- Bering Sea Offshore East of 171W- 258 AM AKST Tue Feb 5 2019 ...GALE WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT... .TODAY...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 12 to 19 ft. .TONIGHT...S wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 11 to 15 ft. Rain showers. .WED...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 11 to 14 ft. Rain. .WED NIGHT...S wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 10 to 13 ft. .THU THROUGH SAT...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft. $$
967 FZAK62 PAFC 052207 OFFALU Offshore Waters Forecast National Weather Service Anchorage AK 107 PM AKST Tue Feb 5 2019 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. PKZ499-060415- 107 PM AKST Tue Feb 5 2019 .SYNOPSIS FOR CENTRAL BERING SEA... A 975 mb low at 60N 174W moves to Northern Kamchatka dissipating Wed morning. A 964 mb low near 48N 166E swings to 57N 178W at 983 mb Thu morning. Its front sweeps over the Bering into the Central Aleutians by Thu morning. A 975 mb low forms at 55N 178E Tue afternoon and moves to Anadyr at 988 mb for Thu morning. $$ PKZ411-060415- Bering Sea Offshore West of 180 and East of the International Dateline- 107 PM AKST Tue Feb 5 2019 .TODAY...NE wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 6 to 11 ft. .TONIGHT...NE wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft. .WED...NW wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 10 to 15 ft. .WED NIGHT...W wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 12 to 15 ft. .THU THROUGH FRI...S wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 10 to 18 ft. .SAT...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 10 to 15 ft. $$ PKZ412-060415- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and North of 56N- 107 PM AKST Tue Feb 5 2019 ...GALE WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT... .TODAY...S wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 8 to 16 ft. Rain showers. .TONIGHT...S wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft. .WED...S wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 9 to 13 ft. .WED NIGHT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 13 to 16 ft. .THU THROUGH FRI...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 11 to 16 ft. .SAT...SW wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 12 ft. $$ PKZ413-060415- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and South of 56N- 107 PM AKST Tue Feb 5 2019 ...GALE WARNING TONIGHT... .TODAY...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 20 ft. Rain. .TONIGHT...S wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft. .WED...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 12 to 17 ft. .WED NIGHT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 13 to 17 ft. .THU THROUGH FRI...S wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 12 to 16 ft. .SAT...SW wind 25 to 35 kt. Seas 12 ft. $$ PKZ414-060415- Bering Sea Offshore East of 171W- 107 PM AKST Tue Feb 5 2019 ...GALE WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT... .TODAY...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 12 to 19 ft. .TONIGHT...S wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 11 to 15 ft. Rain showers. .WED...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 11 to 14 ft. Rain. .WED NIGHT...S wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 10 to 13 ft. .THU THROUGH SAT...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft. $$
338 FZAK62 PAFC 060032 OFFALU Offshore Waters Forecast National Weather Service Anchorage AK 332 PM AKST Tue Feb 5 2019 Offshore Waters Forecast for the Bering Sea Wind forecasts reflect the predominant speed and direction expected. Sea forecasts represent an average of the highest one-third of the combined wind wave and swell height. PKZ499-061330- 332 PM AKST Tue Feb 5 2019 .SYNOPSIS FOR CENTRAL BERING SEA... A front over the eastern Bering will persist through Thu afternoon. A 967 mb Kamchatka low at 49N 172E will move to 52N 179E at 978 mb Wed afternoon. The low will then move into the northern Bering and dissipate Thur afternoon. $$ PKZ411-061330- Bering Sea Offshore West of 180 and East of the International Dateline- 332 PM AKST Tue Feb 5 2019 .TONIGHT...NE wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 7 to 12 ft. .WED...NW wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 9 to 16 ft. Snow showers and rain showers. .WED NIGHT...W wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 11 to 16 ft. .THU...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 11 to 17 ft. .THU NIGHT...S wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 12 to 15 ft. .FRI...S wind 30 to 45 kt. Seas 13 to 21 ft. .SAT THROUGH SUN...SW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 12 to 20 ft. $$ PKZ412-061330- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and North of 56N- 332 PM AKST Tue Feb 5 2019 .TONIGHT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft. .WED...S wind 15 to 30 kt becoming 25 kt in the afternoon. Seas 9 to 16 ft. .WED NIGHT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 12 to 17 ft. .THU...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 12 to 15 ft. .THU NIGHT...SW wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 12 to 16 ft. .FRI...S wind 30 to 45 kt. Seas 14 to 22 ft. .SAT...SW wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 12 ft. .SUN...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 19 to 23 ft. $$ PKZ413-061330- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and South of 56N- 332 PM AKST Tue Feb 5 2019 .TONIGHT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft. Rain showers and snow showers. .WED...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 12 to 17 ft. .WED NIGHT...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 13 to 17 ft. .THU...W wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 12 to 16 ft. .THU NIGHT...S wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 13 to 17 ft. .FRI...S wind 30 to 45 kt. Seas 14 to 22 ft. .SAT...SW wind 25 to 35 kt. Seas 12 ft. .SUN...SW wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 17 to 23 ft. $$ PKZ414-061330- Bering Sea Offshore East of 171W- 332 PM AKST Tue Feb 5 2019 ...GALE WARNING TONIGHT... .TONIGHT...S wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 11 to 15 ft. Rain. .WED...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 11 to 14 ft. Rain. .WED NIGHT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 10 to 14 ft. Rain. .THU...S wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 13 ft. .THU NIGHT...SW wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft. .FRI...SE wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft. .SAT...SW wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft. .SUN...W wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 15 to 21 ft. $$
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 3, 4:34 AM AKST, 10 hours 27 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 3, 4:34 AM AKST, 10 hours 27 minutes before
Southcentral and Southwest Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Anchorage AK 434 AM AKST Sun Feb 3 2019 .ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS... Snow has developed from Cook Inlet north through the Susitna Valley as a developing low west of Bristol Bay swings a warm front north of Kodiak Island. Snow is also falling over much of Southwest Alaska as both the warm front extending across the northern AKPEN and an occluded front over the Lower Kuskokwim Delta both lift northeast over the interior. Behind these fronts, a strong southerly flow of warmer air has pushed temperatures into the mid 30s to lower 40s and has changed the snow over the rain. This low continues to have upper level support as the center of circulation sits under a 140kt jet streak positioned over the eastern Aleutians. Farther east, the cold dome of high pressure that has been dominant over the Copper River Basin the past few days is beginning to erode as clouds and warmer air works in. A weak area of low pressure near Middleton Island is drifting north and bringing a band of rain and snow showers closer to the coast near Cordova. Farther west, rain and gusty southerly winds are occurring over the far eastern Aleutians and AKPEN in advance of a cold front. An area of gale-force winds have also been observed near the center of a low northwest of Shemya via the latest ASCAT pass. South of the Aleutians, a strengthening low is lifting north ans spreading clouds over the over the central portion of the chain. && .MODEL DISCUSSION... There is decent agreement between the models concerning the evolution of the overall synoptic pattern, especially for the first 48 hours. Beyond that, there is noticeable disagreement on the timing and track of the system moving across Southcentral for late Monday into Tuesday, with the NAM becoming the slower solution and most bullish in terms of warm air advection and precipitation. The biggest struggle between the models is in the details when it comes to winds and precipitation type and intensity across Southcentral. This has been the most challenging part of the short term forecast, especially for the Anchorage Bowl where precipitation type amd amount is very much contingent on wind direction. Father west, guidance remains in decent agreement regarding the next North Pacific low to cross the Aleutians on Sunday. The GFS and Canadian continue to be the solutions with the strongest and most compact low while the EC and NAM are slight weaker and are displaced to the north and east, respectively. && .AVIATION... PANC...Predominant IFR with occasional improvement to MVFR conditions with light snow and northerly winds will continue through the morning hours. A gusty southeasterly Turnagain arm wind is expected to develop after noon today and remain over the airport complex into this evening. MVFR conditions should prevail during this time with improved visibilities, but ceilings are expected to stay below 5,000ft. The increase in southeasterly winds should also limit precipitation during the afternoon and evening hours. Low-level wind shear, predominantly speed shear, is a possibility in conjunction with the Turnagain Arm winds, but this remains marginal at best and was not included in the TAF. A return to IFR conditions is expected later tonight as light snow redevelops over Anchorage. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA (Days 1 and 2: Tonight through Monday)... An upper, long wave trough over western Alaska has set up broad moist southwesterly flow aloft and brought widespread snow over the Cook Inlet to MAT-SU Valleys corridor. The heaviest snowfall is still expected over the Susitna Valley and along the Talkeetna Mountains including Hatcher Pass. Total snowfall values in these areas tonight will range from 10 to 15 inches in the Susitna Valley to up to 2 ft along the Talkeetna Mountains and Hatcher Pass. Further South toward the lower elevations of the Matanuska Valley and Anchorage Bowl total snowfall values should not exceed the 2 to 4 inch mark except perhaps upslope areas of the adjacent Chugach Range. The current high resolution models are starting to point toward the Turnagain Arm wind bending into south and west Anchorage later this afternoon bringing locally gusty southeast winds. This will tend to reduce snowfall potential for the late afternoon and evening hours. Gusty winds are also expected to develop along the lower elevations of the Chugach Mountains and will lead to some blowing snow. Temperatures should warm enough to bring some mixed precipitation types across portions of the Kenai Peninsula and North Gulf Coast. Precipitation should taper off across much of Southcentral by early Monday morning. Any clearing on Monday will be brief as a weather front heading east will bring rain to Kodiak Monday morning. Temperatures aloft will warm with this system, so as precipitation spreads into the Southcentral Monday evening mixed precipitation types become a concern. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHWEST ALASKA (Days 1 through 3)... (Today through Tuesday) An active pattern looks to continue over the next few days. A very weak surface front stretched from near Port Heiden towards Nunivak, accompanied by another weak low lifting northeast across the eastern Bering. Meanwhile, aloft the 850-250 mb axis stretched from just west of Kipnuk to Nikolski. Both of these features will likely remain in place through the morning, before a weak ridge axis moves across the area this afternoon through Monday morning. As this occurs, look for precipitation to be on a downward trend. By Monday afternoon, another area of surface low pressure will have moved into the western Bering from the Pacific, sending another front across the region. This front will bring a reinforcing shot of warm air and moisture to the region, while acting as a focus for precipitation redevelopment. This feature not only has strong convergence at the surface, but also strong bursts of ascent aloft as multiple lobes of vorticity cross the region associated with the Bering low as it fills (becomes vertically stacked). Strong moisture transport with a tropical connection should yield some decent precipitation totals given the dynamics involved, with Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning being the favored time frame for this to occur. Then, as the front clears the region during Tuesday afternoon, colder air will advect back into Southwest Alaska && .SHORT TERM FORECAST BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS (Days 1 through 3)... (Today through Tuesday) Winds have decreased in the wake of yesterday's storm, but troughing persists across the western Aleutians northward towards Siberia, with another storm system ready to enter the Bering from the western Pacific. This system looks to cross near Adak during this evening, deepening as it does so. Southwest flow with a tropical connection will continue across most of the region, allowing for any precipitation to be fairly heavy at times. Winds will also be on the increase along a warm front, increasing into the small craft variety. The real story will be on the backside of the storm though, due to the system filling as it bottoms out in the western Bering in the ~970 to 975 mb range. As it fills, its associated cold front will race east-northeastward and catch up with the warm front as the occlusion process matures. Strong cyclonic flow and dry low- level advection will be juxtaposed across the west central Aleutians with both a mid and upper-level jet streak, helping to enhance downward mixing potential. For now we have increased sustained winds into high-end gales with storm force gusts. However, if the timing of the features continue to look favorable as they cross one another, we may need to hoist storm warnings for this region on the southern to eastern flank of the storm. With the increasing winds and long fetch length, wave heights will obviously be on the increase, with current forecasts having them topping 20 feet. && .MARINE (Days 3 through 5)... The Gales expected in the Eastern Aleutians and eastern Bering Sea Monday look to be on track and the strongest winds should remain just below storm force. A sizable area of 20+ ft seas should accompany the strongest winds in the Bering Sea Monday but then settle below 20 ft by Monday night. A second low should also bring some Gales and near-Gale force winds from the Central Aleutians through Alaska Peninsula and Bristol Bay Tuesday night into Wednesday. While winds will not be quite as high with this second low, the persistent southwesterly fetch will likely bring in 20 to 30 ft seas along the Pacific side of a large potion of the Aleutian Islands Tuesday into Wednesday. Confidence in the winds and waves around this second low is above average as models are in good agreement with the development and movement of the low that is causing these Gales. && .LONG TERM FORECAST (Days 3 through 7)... There is not a lot of overall change in thinking for the long term forecast from Tuesday through next Saturday. The storm track remains over the Bering Sea to the western Gulf of Alaska which will keep a warming southwest flow over southwest and Southcentral Alaska. One notable change in the forecast is that there is an indication that there will be warmer air moving into Southcentral Alaska on Tuesday which will push the rain-snow line farther north at that time before a slow and slight cooling trend begins Wednesday through Saturday for Southcentral. At this time the rain-snow looks to be over Anchorage and the Matanuska valley with the Kenai Peninsula mainly rain and the Susitna Valley remaining snow. This system will likely bring another another round of significant snow to the Susitna Valley Tuesday and Tuesday night. By Wednesday, Southcentral temperatures for areas not along the immediate coast should remain at or below freezing and keep precipitation type all snow after that. Southwest Alaska will see warmer air than Southcentral with widespread above freezing temperatures Wednesday through Friday with Thursday likely being the warmest day. && .AFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PUBLIC...Winter Weather Advisory 145 152. MARINE...Gale Warning 170 172 173 174 175 176 177 179 411 413 414. FIRE WEATHER...NONE. && SYNOPSIS AND MODEL DISCUSSION...TM SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA...BC SOUTHWEST ALASKA/BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS...PD MARINE/LONG TERM...EZ
In the hours before
Local storm report, Feb 3, 11:05 AM AKST, 3 hours 56 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
1105 AM AKST SUN FEB 3 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0930 AM SNOW 1 NW SOLDOTNA 60.50N 151.10W
02/03/2019 M2.5 INCH KENAI PENINSULA AK PUBLIC
TOTAL SNOWFALL AS OF THAT POINT. STARTED
SATURDAY EVENING.
&&Local storm report, Feb 3, 11:13 AM AKST, 3 hours 48 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK
1113 AM AKST SUN FEB 3 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1110 AM SNOW GIRDWOOD 60.97N 149.13W
02/03/2019 M4.0 INCH ANCHORAGE AK NWS EMPLOYEE
HEAVIEST SNOW OCCURRED OVER NIGHT INTO THE
EARLY MORNING.
0930 AM SNOW 1 NW SOLDOTNA 60.50N 151.10W
02/03/2019 M2.5 INCH KENAI PENINSULA AK PUBLIC
TOTAL SNOWFALL AS OF THAT POINT. STARTED
SATURDAY EVENING.
&&The office that day
Everything else NWS Anchorage, AK issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 3, 3:02 PM AKST | Gale Warning | AFC | 4 days | |
| Feb 4, 3:00 AM AKST | Small Craft Advisory | AFC | 24 hr | |
| Feb 4, 3:18 AM AKST | Heavy Freezing Spray Warning | AFC | 12 hr | |
| Feb 4, 11:43 AM AKST | Winter Weather Advisory | AFC | 5 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.