Gale Warning 89, NWS Juneau, AK

Southeast Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Juneau AK
303 PM AKST Sat Feb 29 2020

.SHORT TERM...Front moving across the gulf and into Southeast
Alaska tonight and Sunday. Northeast gulf coast will have an east
to northeast flow as front approaches so colder air should be
maintained for much of the overnight time frame, combined with
with the heavier rate, the snow will pull down some cooler air
too. Event may start with the potential of freezing drizzle until
the main snow starts up.

Juneau and Haines area ended up with Winter Weather advisories for
the lighter amounts, although the weather profile similar to the
outer coast so the threat of starting out with freezing precip
could happen first. The temperatures may be little more borderline
for the Juneau area, and should warm once the winds pick up,
Saturday night.

Southerly winds will start to blow through the canal and increases
topping out Sunday afternoon with gusts around 60 mph in Skagway.
The the snow and wind has prompted a blizzard warning for the
higher elevations of the Klondike Highway.

Change over on all of the snow events is expected to be abrupt,
with a quick warming and change over to rain in short period of
time. Rain on the new snow pack could lead to issues in snow
removal.

Event winding down late Sunday and southwest onshore flow keeping
shower activity prevalent for the panhandle area on Monday.
Showers for the outer coast likely rain to a mix.

.LONG TERM.../Monday through Friday night/ As of Friday evening.
Extended period begins with a front impacting the region on
Monday. A cooling trend begins with passage of this front where
subtle declines in the daytime highs and night time lows will
create some issues with the forecast precip type through much of
the week. While persistent onshore flow will keep the atmosphere
juicy, we will see several days this upcoming week where rain can
be expected for most areas during the day and switching over to
snow or at least a mix for a good portion of the central and
northern panhandle.

Mid-week, a low will begin a westerly track through the Gulf,
eventually moving by to the south of the region. This should shift
the flow around and bring in a noticeable drop in the
temperatures beginning Thursday. This drop will mainly be felt in
the north where temps as far south as Angoon will remain below
freezing through the end of the forecast period.

Winds begin in the forecast period with a gale force low in the
Gulf that will begin to have a lessening impact after the front
passes. After that, winds become more or less inconsequential,
save for chances for small craft advisories in the coastal waters,
for a few days. Winds begin to become more of an issue as the mid
to late week low begins to deepen, creating a rather strong
pressure gradient.

&&

.AJK Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
PUBLIC...Strong Wind Sunday morning for AKZ025-027.
     Strong Wind Sunday morning for AKZ024.
     Winter Weather Advisory from 8 PM this evening to 10 AM AKST
     Sunday for AKZ019-025.
     Strong Wind from Sunday morning through Sunday afternoon for
     AKZ022-023.
     Strong Wind from Sunday morning through Sunday afternoon for
     AKZ028.
     Strong Wind from Sunday morning through Sunday afternoon for
     AKZ019.
     Strong Wind from midnight AKST tonight through Sunday afternoon
     for AKZ018.
     Blizzard Warning from 9 PM this evening to 6 PM AKST Sunday for
     AKZ018.
     Winter Storm Warning from 6 PM this evening to 7 AM AKST Sunday
     for AKZ017.
MARINE...Gale Warning for PKZ012-013-022-031>033-036-042-043-051-052.
     Small Craft Advisory for PKZ011-021-034-035-041-053.

&&

Bezenek/JDR

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