Alert archive / Alaska / Gale Warnings in 2020
Gale Warning 458, NWS Anchorage, AK
NWS Anchorage, AK issued this gale warning at Sep 18, 2020, 3:59 PM AKDT. 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
- Sep 18, 2020, 3:59 PM AKDT (23:59 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 21, 2020, 3:41 AM AKDT
- In force
- 60 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Anchorage, AK
The text
As transmitted.
679 FZAK62 PAFC 182359 OFFALU Offshore Waters Forecast National Weather Service Anchorage AK 359 PM AKDT Fri Sep 18 2020 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. PKZ499-191300- 359 PM AKDT Fri Sep 18 2020 .SYNOPSIS FOR CENTRAL BERING SEA... A 1001 mb low at 53N 164W moves into the Gulf of Alaska through Sun afternoon. Its front moves into the North Pacific for Sat afternoon. A 990 mb South Kamchatka moves to 55N 169W at 982 mb by Sun afternoon. Its front moves over the Aleutians through Sun afternoon. $$ PKZ411-191300- Bering Sea Offshore West of 180 and East of the International Dateline- 359 PM AKDT Fri Sep 18 2020 ...GALE WARNING SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT... .TONIGHT...SW wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 4 ft. Rain. .SAT...SE wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 4 to 9 ft. Rain. .SAT NIGHT...SE wind 20 to 35 kt becoming N after midnight. Seas 7 to 12 ft. Rain. .SUN...N wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 10 to 14 ft. .SUN NIGHT...N wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 8 to 12 ft. .MON THROUGH WED...W wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 4 to 9 ft. $$ PKZ412-191300- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and North of 56N- 359 PM AKDT Fri Sep 18 2020 ...GALE WARNING SATURDAY NIGHT... .TONIGHT...W wind 15 kt. Seas 4 ft. .SAT...S wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 4 ft. Rain. .SAT NIGHT...SE wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 4 to 9 ft. Rain. .SUN...E wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft. .SUN NIGHT...NE wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 10 to 14 ft. .MON THROUGH WED...NW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 6 to 11 ft. $$ PKZ413-191300- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and South of 56N- 359 PM AKDT Fri Sep 18 2020 ...GALE WARNING SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT... .TONIGHT...W wind 15 kt. Seas 5 ft. .SAT...S wind 10 to 20 kt increasing to 20 to 35 kt in the afternoon. Seas 4 to 8 ft. Rain. .SAT NIGHT...S wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 5 to 9 ft. Rain. .SUN...SW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft. .SUN NIGHT...NW wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 9 to 16 ft. .MON...NW wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft. .TUE THROUGH WED...NW wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 4 to 9 ft. $$ PKZ414-191300- Bering Sea Offshore East of 171W- 359 PM AKDT Fri Sep 18 2020 .TONIGHT...W wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 5 ft. .SAT...W wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 4 ft. .SAT NIGHT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 3 to 8 ft. Rain. .SUN...SE wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 5 to 10 ft. .SUN NIGHT...E wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 8 to 12 ft. .MON THROUGH WED...NW wind 30 to 45 kt. Seas 7 to 12 ft. $$
5 follow-up statements
833 FZAK62 PAFC 191148 OFFALU Offshore Waters Forecast National Weather Service Anchorage AK 348 AM AKDT Sat Sep 19 2020 Offshore Waters Forecast for the Bering Sea Wind forecasts reflect the predominant speed and direction expected. Sea forecasts represent an average of the highest one-third of the combined wind wave and swell height. PKZ499-200045- 348 AM AKDT Sat Sep 19 2020 .SYNOPSIS FOR CENTRAL BERING SEA... A 975 mb low at 53N 167E this morning will move to 56N 174W at 982 mb Sunday morning. The low then moves to 53N 162W at 982 mb Monday morning. $$ PKZ411-200045- Bering Sea Offshore West of 180 and East of the International Dateline- 348 AM AKDT Sat Sep 19 2020 ...GALE WARNING THROUGH SUNDAY... .TODAY...SE wind 10 to 25 kt increasing to 20 to 35 kt in the afternoon. Seas 5 to 10 ft. Rain. .TONIGHT...E wind 20 to 35 kt becoming N 15 to 30 kt after midnight. Seas 9 to 14 ft. Rain. .SUN...N wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 11 to 16 ft. .SUN NIGHT...N wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft. .MON THROUGH TUE...NW wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 5 to 10 ft. .WED...SW wind up to 15 kt. Seas 5 ft. $$ PKZ412-200045- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and North of 56N- 348 AM AKDT Sat Sep 19 2020 ...GALE WARNING SUNDAY... .TODAY...SW wind up to 15 kt becoming S 10 to 25 kt in the afternoon. Seas 4 ft. Rain. .TONIGHT...E wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 5 to 10 ft. Rain. .SUN...NE wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 9 to 15 ft. Rain. .SUN NIGHT...NE wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 11 to 16 ft. .MON THROUGH WED...W wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 7 to 12 ft. $$ PKZ413-200045- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and South of 56N- 348 AM AKDT Sat Sep 19 2020 ...GALE WARNING THROUGH SUNDAY... .TODAY...S wind 10 to 20 kt increasing to 20 to 35 kt in the afternoon. Seas 4 to 9 ft. Rain. .TONIGHT...S wind 25 to 35 kt diminishing to 15 to 30 kt after midnight. Seas 7 to 12 ft. Rain. .SUN...W wind up to 20 kt becoming NW 20 to 35 kt in the afternoon. Seas 9 to 15 ft. Rain. .SUN NIGHT...N wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 12 to 16 ft. .MON THROUGH WED...W wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 7 to 12 ft. $$ PKZ414-200045- Bering Sea Offshore East of 171W- 348 AM AKDT Sat Sep 19 2020 ...GALE WARNING SUNDAY... .TODAY...W wind 10 to 15 kt. Seas 5 ft. .TONIGHT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 3 to 8 ft. Rain. .SUN...E wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 5 to 10 ft. Rain. .SUN NIGHT...NE wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft. .MON THROUGH WED...NW wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft. $$
031 FZAK62 PAFC 192349 OFFALU Offshore Waters Forecast National Weather Service Anchorage AK 349 PM AKDT Sat Sep 19 2020 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. PKZ499-201315- 349 PM AKDT Sat Sep 19 2020 .SYNOPSIS FOR CENTRAL BERING SEA... A 975 mb low at 53N 172E this afternoon will move to 55N 170W at 980 mb Sunday afternoon. The low then moves to 53N 155W at 983 mb Monday afternoon. $$ PKZ411-201315- Bering Sea Offshore West of 180 and East of the International Dateline- 349 PM AKDT Sat Sep 19 2020 ...GALE WARNING THROUGH SUNDAY... .TONIGHT...E wind 20 to 35 kt becoming N after midnight. Seas 9 to 15 ft. Rain. .SUN...N wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 12 to 15 ft. .SUN NIGHT...N wind 15 to 30 kt becoming 20 kt after midnight. Seas 10 to 13 ft. .MON...NW wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 7 to 10 ft. .MON NIGHT...NW wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 7 ft. .TUE...NW wind up to 15 kt. Seas 4 to 7 ft. .WED...SW wind up to 15 kt. Seas 5 ft. .THU...NW wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 4 ft. $$ PKZ412-201315- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and North of 56N- 349 PM AKDT Sat Sep 19 2020 ...GALE WARNING SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT... .TONIGHT...E wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 5 to 10 ft. Rain. .SUN...NE wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 9 to 15 ft. Rain. .SUN NIGHT...N wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 11 to 16 ft. .MON...N wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft. .MON NIGHT...N wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 8 ft. .TUE THROUGH THU...NW wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 4 to 8 ft. $$ PKZ413-201315- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and South of 56N- 349 PM AKDT Sat Sep 19 2020 ...GALE WARNING TONIGHT AND SUNDAY NIGHT... .TONIGHT...S wind 25 to 35 kt diminishing to 15 to 30 kt after midnight. Seas 8 to 13 ft. Rain. .SUN...NW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 10 to 15 ft. .SUN NIGHT...N wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 11 to 16 ft. .MON...N wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 15 ft. .MON NIGHT...NW wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 8 to 11 ft. .TUE THROUGH THU...W wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 5 to 10 ft. $$ PKZ414-201315- Bering Sea Offshore East of 171W- 349 PM AKDT Sat Sep 19 2020 ...GALE WARNING SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT... .TONIGHT...S wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 3 to 8 ft. Rain. .SUN...E wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 6 to 11 ft. Rain. .SUN NIGHT...NE wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft. Rain. .MON...N wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft. .MON NIGHT...N wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 12 ft. .TUE THROUGH THU...NW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 5 to 10 ft. $$
103 FZAK62 PAFC 201130 OFFALU Offshore Waters Forecast National Weather Service Anchorage AK 330 AM AKDT Sun Sep 20 2020 Offshore Waters Forecast for the Bering Sea Wind forecasts reflect the predominant speed and direction expected. Sea forecasts represent an average of the highest one-third of the combined wind wave and swell height. PKZ499-210130- 330 AM AKDT Sun Sep 20 2020 .SYNOPSIS FOR CENTRAL BERING SEA... A 979 mb low at 55N 173W this morning will move into the Gulf Monday afternoon. $$ PKZ411-210130- Bering Sea Offshore West of 180 and East of the International Dateline- 330 AM AKDT Sun Sep 20 2020 ...GALE WARNING TODAY... .TODAY...N wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 13 to 16 ft. Rain. .TONIGHT...NW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft. .MON...NW wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 10 ft. .MON NIGHT...NW wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 6 to 9 ft. .TUE...W wind up to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 6 ft. .WED...SW wind up to 15 kt. Seas 5 ft. .THU...NW wind 15 kt. Seas 4 ft. $$ PKZ412-210130- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and North of 56N- 330 AM AKDT Sun Sep 20 2020 ...GALE WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT... .TODAY...NE wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 10 to 16 ft. Rain. .TONIGHT...N wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 11 to 16 ft. .MON...N wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft. .MON NIGHT...N wind 20 kt. Seas 8 ft. .TUE THROUGH THU...NW wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 4 to 8 ft. $$ PKZ413-210130- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and South of 56N- 330 AM AKDT Sun Sep 20 2020 ...GALE WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT... .TODAY...W wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 11 to 17 ft. .TONIGHT...NW wind 25 to 40 kt. Seas 12 to 18 ft. .MON...NW wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 11 to 15 ft. .MON NIGHT...NW wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 8 to 11 ft. .TUE...NW wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 5 to 9 ft. .WED...W wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 4 to 8 ft. .THU...N wind up to 15 kt. Seas 5 ft. $$ PKZ414-210130- Bering Sea Offshore East of 171W- 330 AM AKDT Sun Sep 20 2020 ...GALE WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT... .TODAY...SE wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 7 to 12 ft. Rain. .TONIGHT...NE wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 9 to 13 ft. Rain. .MON...N wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 10 to 14 ft. Rain. .MON NIGHT...N wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 7 to 12 ft. .TUE THROUGH WED...NW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 7 to 11 ft. .THU...NW wind up to 20 kt. Seas 4 to 7 ft. $$
795 FZAK62 PAFC 202307 OFFALU Offshore Waters Forecast National Weather Service Anchorage AK 307 PM AKDT Sun Sep 20 2020 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. PKZ499-211315- 307 PM AKDT Sun Sep 20 2020 .SYNOPSIS FOR CENTRAL BERING SEA... A 979 mb low at 55N 170W this afternoon will move into the Gulf Monday afternoon. $$ PKZ411-211315- Bering Sea Offshore West of 180 and East of the International Dateline- 307 PM AKDT Sun Sep 20 2020 .TONIGHT...N wind 15 to 30 kt becoming NW 10 to 20 kt after midnight. Seas 10 to 13 ft. .MON...NW wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 9 ft. .MON NIGHT...NW wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 7 ft. .TUE...NW wind up to 15 kt. Seas 5 ft. .TUE NIGHT...W wind up to 15 kt. Seas 5 ft. .WED...W wind up to 15 kt. Seas 4 ft. .THU THROUGH FRI...NW wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 4 to 8 ft. $$ PKZ412-211315- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and North of 56N- 307 PM AKDT Sun Sep 20 2020 ...GALE WARNING TONIGHT... .TONIGHT...N wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 11 to 16 ft. .MON...N wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft. .MON NIGHT...N wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 9 ft. .TUE...NW wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 5 to 8 ft. .TUE NIGHT...NW wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 4 to 7 ft. .WED THROUGH FRI...N wind up to 20 kt. Seas 3 to 6 ft. $$ PKZ413-211315- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and South of 56N- 307 PM AKDT Sun Sep 20 2020 ...GALE WARNING TONIGHT... .TONIGHT...N wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 11 to 16 ft. .MON...NW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 15 ft. .MON NIGHT...NW wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 8 to 12 ft. .TUE...NW wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 6 to 10 ft. .TUE NIGHT...NW wind up to 20 kt. Seas 5 to 8 ft. .WED...W wind up to 20 kt. Seas 4 to 7 ft. .THU THROUGH FRI...NW wind up to 20 kt. Seas 4 to 7 ft. $$ PKZ414-211315- Bering Sea Offshore East of 171W- 307 PM AKDT Sun Sep 20 2020 ...GALE WARNING THROUGH MONDAY... .TONIGHT...NE wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft. Rain. .MON...N wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 10 to 16 ft. .MON NIGHT...N wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft. .TUE...N wind 25 kt. Seas 9 ft. .TUE NIGHT...NW wind 25 kt. Seas 7 to 10 ft. .WED THROUGH FRI...N wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 4 to 9 ft. $$
792 FZAK62 PAFC 211141 OFFALU Offshore Waters Forecast National Weather Service Anchorage AK 341 AM AKDT Mon Sep 21 2020 Offshore Waters Forecast for the Bering Sea Wind forecasts reflect the predominant speed and direction expected. Sea forecasts represent an average of the highest one-third of the combined wind wave and swell height. PKZ499-220100- 341 AM AKDT Mon Sep 21 2020 .SYNOPSIS FOR CENTRAL BERING SEA... A 982 mb low at 52N 159W this morning will move into the North Pacific Tuesday morning. $$ PKZ411-220100- Bering Sea Offshore West of 180 and East of the International Dateline- 341 AM AKDT Mon Sep 21 2020 .TODAY...NW wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 9 ft. .TONIGHT...NW wind 10 to 15 kt. Seas 7 ft. .TUE...W wind up to 15 kt. Seas 6 ft. .TUE NIGHT...SW wind up to 15 kt. Seas 4 ft. .WED...W wind up to 15 kt. Seas 3 ft. .THU...NW wind up to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft. .FRI...NW wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 4 to 8 ft. $$ PKZ412-220100- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and North of 56N- 341 AM AKDT Mon Sep 21 2020 .TODAY...N wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft. .TONIGHT...NW wind 20 kt. Seas 9 ft. .TUE...NW wind 20 kt. Seas 5 to 8 ft. .TUE NIGHT...NW wind 10 to 20 kt. Seas 4 to 7 ft. .WED THROUGH FRI...NW wind up to 15 kt. Seas 5 ft. $$ PKZ413-220100- Bering Sea Offshore 171W to 180 and South of 56N- 341 AM AKDT Mon Sep 21 2020 .TODAY...NW wind 15 to 30 kt. Seas 9 to 14 ft. .TONIGHT...NW wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 8 to 11 ft. .TUE...NW wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 6 to 9 ft. .TUE NIGHT...NW wind up to 20 kt. Seas 4 to 8 ft. .WED THROUGH FRI...NW wind up to 20 kt. Seas 3 to 7 ft. $$ PKZ414-220100- Bering Sea Offshore East of 171W- 341 AM AKDT Mon Sep 21 2020 ...GALE WARNING TODAY... .TODAY...N wind 20 to 35 kt. Seas 10 to 15 ft. Rain. .TONIGHT...N wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 13 ft. .TUE...N wind 20 to 30 kt. Seas 9 ft. .TUE NIGHT...NW wind 25 kt. Seas 7 to 10 ft. .WED THROUGH FRI...N wind 10 to 25 kt. Seas 4 to 9 ft. $$
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 Sep 18, 5:02 AM AKDT, 10 hours 57 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 18, 5:02 AM AKDT, 10 hours 57 minutes before
Southcentral and Southwest Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Anchorage AK 502 AM AKDT Fri Sep 18 2020 .ANALYSIS AND UPPER LEVELS... A large stacked low is continuing to work its way north into Norton Sound and the Seward Peninsula this morning with a weakening dry slot now approaching the AlCan border. Areas of showers are working their way back into the the southwestern mainland and Mat-Su Valleys behind the drier air that was potent enough to temporarily clear out nearly all cloud cover over Southcentral earlier on Thursday afternoon. The tap of tropical moisture along and ahead of the low's front has now shifted to the east over the AK Panhandle, and this will mark the end to the heavier/steady precip that tracked through much of the area on Thursday. Local effect winds are still going strong with up inlet flow becoming solidly established. The gap winds through the Knik and Turnagain Arms that were earlier gusting up to 60-70 mph in mainly the far southeast Anchorage hillsides are gradually beginning to decrease with the low pulling away and the pressure gradient slowly relaxing. A couple shortwaves are now moving along the Aleutians out west in the broad cyclonic flow now in place around the low centered to the north with limited impacts in the immediate term aside from a few bands of lower clouds. Streaks of low clouds are also drifting over much of the Bering around and south of the low center. Overall, the most dominant impacts with the main system appear to be well on the downswing this morning. && .MODEL DISCUSSION... Models are in good agreement that the low near the Seward Peninsula will continue to weaken and drift northeast towards the Beaufort Sea, though there are some subtle discrepancies with the next couple shortwaves that will move from the Aleutians to the AK Gulf Saturday to Sunday. Some models show a deformation band of rain (with possible high elevation snow) develop along the eastern Kenai Peninsula and western Chugach Mountains to the north of a low that should be moving well into the Gulf by Sunday. Determining precip placement and even precip type near mountain peaks will be a potential forecast challenge for near the end of the weekend. Additionally, another Western Bering low will come into play from the west by Saturday that could produce gale to storm force winds as it moves in. && .AVIATION... PANC...VFR conditions will mainly continue, though there could be occasional MVFR conditions with passing showers until Friday afternoon. LLWS around 20 kts may persist through midday Friday. Gusty south to southeast winds will persist through the end of the forecast period. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA (Days 1 through 3: Today through Sunday Night)... Southcentral is on the southeast side of a large upper level low, which formed following the passage of the strong low that caused yesterday's winds. The low is directing southwesterly flow across the area. This is allowing upslope flow to produce rain shower activity from Anchorage east, as the winds run up against the Chugach and Talkeetna Mountains. As this large-scale weather scenario will be very slow to change, expect the best chances of precipitation in areas near the mountains, especially in the Mat- Su Valleys and the northern and eastern Prince William Sound. In other areas, especially Anchorage and the Western Kenai Peninsula, today will be a mostly dry day, though a stray shower can't be ruled out. This will be mixed with a bit of sunshine as well. Winds across the area persist this morning, but will continue to gradually diminish through the day. This will remain steady-state into Saturday morning. Then on Saturday, a robust upper level trough will approach Southcentral from the west, circulating around the upper low that will be retreating to the Arctic coast. There is significant model disagreement about how strong the upper level trough will be, and how quickly it moves through the area. For the most part, the models agree that the trough will be weakening as it moves across the Cook Inlet region Saturday and Saturday night. Since the trough will be negatively tilted, which supports the development of precipitation, most of the models develop an area of precipitation anywhere from Anchorage east to western Prince William Sound Saturday evening through the overnight. That is where the agreement ends. The westernmost models developing precipitation over Anchorage would result in a period of cold rain for the Bowl. The easternmost keep the band east of Girdwood. The middle ground solution favored with this forecast package develops the precipitation from the upper Hillside over Palmer, then up to Hatcher Pass. Thus, lowered some of the precipitation chances for the Bowl Saturday and Saturday night, while raising them along the mountains. During the day, the precipitation will be all rain, however, as slightly cooler air moves in overnight, snow levels will drop to allow termination dust for higher elevation areas from Glen Alps to Hatcher Pass. In Hatcher Pass, there is potential for several inches of snow accumulation by Sunday morning. Shower activity will continue on Sunday across Prince William Sound on through the Copper River Basin, while rain shower activity continues in the mountains north and east of Anchorage. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHWEST ALASKA (Days 1 through 3)... The low pressure system that brought the region widespread rain yesterday is now over Norton Sound. This low will continue to slowly drift northward over the next few days. As it continues to meander near Nome while weakening the next few days, upper level waves of energy will continue to rotate around the upper level low through Southwest Alaska. This will keep the risk for rain showers in the forecast each day of the forecast period. 850 mb temperatures will slowly cool each day resulting in slightly cooler morning temperatures for Saturday and Sunday morning. Saturday morning low will drop into the mid 30s to near 40 degrees in the Middle Kuskokwim Valley and Y-K Delta with mid to upper 40s for the coastal regions. Sunday morning will be even cooler with low to mid 30s across the inland areas and low 40s along the coastal regions. Breezy conditions will continue through today as the pressure gradient remains in tact. This pressure gradient will begin to lessen late today into this evening resulting in diminishing winds across the area. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS (Days 1 through 3)... A low pressure system continues to move quickly southeastward across the southern Bering and the eastern Aleutian Chain bringing a quick burst of rain to these areas as well as an area of small crafts to the marine zones to the south of the Chain. This low will be moving into the western Gulf by Saturday morning. The next big weather maker will be a storm system that will be developing off a 120-140 kt jet racing northward from the western Pacific towards the western Aleutians. The warm front from this system will begin to spread rain across the western Aleutian Chain this afternoon and this evening with increasing winds. As the baroclinicity strengthens, this storm will begin to rapidly intensify overnight tonight into Saturday morning. The front end of this system will mainly bring gale force winds to the region as the air will be a little more stable resulting in less mixing of the higher winds aloft to the surface. On the backside of the low, storm force sustained winds and storm force gusts are expected for the western to central Aleutian Chain beginning Saturday night and continuing through the day Sunday. Cold air advection will take over on the backside creating a more unstable atmospheric profile resulting in the higher winds aloft being mixed down to the surface. Widespread rain is expected for the western to central Chain beginning late this afternoon through Saturday. This system will continue moving eastward into the Bering Saturday night into Sunday spreading rain to the Pribilofs and the eastern Aleutians including Dutch Harbor. With the increasing winds, wave heights will be on the rise Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning with wave heights of 20-27 feet on the Pacific side of the Chain and wave heights of 10-15 feet on the Bering side. && .MARINE (Days 3 through 5: Sunday through Tuesday)... A strong low entering the Bering Sea on Saturday seems to be trending stronger with the newer model runs. Thus, expect gale force winds will more widespread in nature across the Bering Sea and Aleutians.Saturday night through Monday. There is also the possibility of a brief period of storm force winds along the Aleutian Chain as colder feeds into the back side of the storm Saturday night into Sunday. By Tuesday the low crosses over the Aleutians and moves into the Northeast Pacific/Gulf of Alaska. There is disagreement on the track, but with the latest models generally farther south, suspect the bulk of small craft/gale force winds may be confined to the southern Gulf/Kodiak Island. && .LONG TERM FORECAST (Days 4 through 7: Monday through Thursday)... A strong low in the vicinity of the Eastern Aleutians/Alaska Peninsula on Monday will continue southeastward into the Gulf/Northeast Pacific by Tuesday. Thus, rain and wind over the central to eastern Bering will shift south and eastward to Kodiak Island and the Gulf. Cold air advection behind the low will maintain robust northerlies across the eastern Bering and Southwest Alaska coastal waters all the way through Wednesday. Much of Southwest and Southcentral look drier on the northern periphery of the low Monday through Tuesday, with steady rain likely confined to the Gulf coast. However, it may not be completely dry over Southcentral, as most models indicate a short-wave trough moving through sometime Monday. The forecast for late next week looks potentially "winter-like". Most models show a trough dropping out of the Arctic mid week, though there is disagreement on how far south the trough will make it. The GFS is most aggressive in driving cold air (down to -10 degrees C at 850 mb) down across Southwest Alaska, then potentially interacting with energy being pulled from the Gulf/Northeast Pacific up to Southcentral. At a minimum, could be a round of mountain snow. Stay tuned, as forecast confidence is quite low at this point in time. && .AFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PUBLIC...NONE. MARINE...Gale Warning 177 178 411 413. FIRE WEATHER...NONE. && SYNOPSIS AND MODEL DISCUSSION...AS SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA...JW SOUTHWEST ALASKA/BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS...MV MARINE/LONG TERM...KM
The office that day
Everything else NWS Anchorage, AK issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 18, 3:45 AM AKDT | Small Craft Advisory | AFC | 24 hr | |
| Sep 18, 3:50 AM AKDT | Gale Warning | AFC | 72 hr | |
| Sep 18, 3:52 AM AKDT | Gale Warning | AFC | 24 hr | |
| Sep 18, 3:52 AM AKDT | Small Craft Advisory | AFC | 12 hr | |
| Sep 18, 7:35 AM AKDT | Small Craft Advisory | AFC | 8 hr | |
| Sep 18, 3:58 PM AKDT | Gale Warning | AFC | 71 hr | |
| Sep 18, 3:58 PM AKDT | Small Craft Advisory | AFC | 3 days |
Nearby
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text.