Alert archive / Alaska / Red Flag Warnings in 2025

Red Flag Warning 1, NWS Anchorage, AK

June 17, 2025Bethel Census Area, Alaska

NWS Anchorage, AK issued this red flag warning at Jun 17, 2025, 9:27 AM AKDT for Bethel Census Area, Alaska. It took effect at Jun 17, 2025, 2:00 PM AKDT. It was in force for 12 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
Jun 17, 2025, 9:27 AM AKDT (17:27 UTC)
In effect from
Jun 17, 2025, 2:00 PM AKDT
Expired
Jun 18, 2025, 2:02 AM AKDT
In force
12 hr
Issued by
NWS Anchorage, AK

County Bethel Census Area, AK

The radar

The Bethel radar (PABC), 75 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:27 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Bethel, (PBET), launched 12:00Z, 5.5 hours before the alert went out and 71 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Bethel, at 12:00Z on 2025-06-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Bethel, at 12:00Z on 2025-06-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -6 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
768 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-6 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
88 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

026 
WWAK62 PAFC 171727
RFWALU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Anchorage AK
927 AM AKDT Tue Jun 17 2025

AKZ753-754-180800-
/O.NEW.PAFC.FW.W.0001.250617T2200Z-250618T0800Z/
927 AM AKDT Tue Jun 17 2025

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
MIDNIGHT AKDT TONIGHT FOR LIGHTNING FOR THE KUSKOKWIM VALLEY...

The National Weather Service in Anchorage has issued a Red Flag
Warning FOR LIGHTNING, which is in effect from 2 PM this
afternoon to midnight AKDT tonight.

* Timing...This afternoon through this evening.

* Location...Northern half of the Kuskokwim Valley including
  Crooked Creek, Lime Village, and Sleetmute.

* Thunderstorm Coverage...Scattered thunderstorms

* Winds...West 10 to 15 mph. Expect variable and gusty winds near
  thunderstorms. 

* Relative Humidity...As low as 37 percent.

* Temperatures...In the lower to mid 70s

* Impacts...Ample lightning could lead to numerous new fire 
  starts

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are imminent or occurring now, or will shortly. It is directed
toward fire agencies, and through them to the public.

&&

$$
2 follow-up statements
574 
WWAK62 PAFC 180755
RFWALU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Anchorage AK
1155 PM AKDT Tue Jun 17 2025

AKZ753-754-181100-
/O.EXT.PAFC.FW.W.0001.000000T0000Z-250618T1100Z/
1155 PM AKDT Tue Jun 17 2025

...RED FLAG WARNING NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM AKDT WEDNESDAY FOR 
HOT DRY AND WINDY CONDITIONS FOR THE KUSKOKWIM VALLEY...

* Timing...Until 2 AM.

* Location...Northern half of the Kuskokwim Valley including 
  Crooked Creek, Lime Village, and Sleetmute.

* Thunderstorm Coverage...Scattered thunderstorms

* Winds...West 10 to 15 mph. Expect variable and gusty winds 
  near thunderstorms.

* Relative Humidity...As low as 37 percent.

* Temperatures...In the mid 60s to lower 70s.

* Impacts...Ample lightning could lead to numerous new fire 
  starts

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are imminent or occurring now, or will shortly. It is directed
toward fire agencies, and through them to the public.

&&

$$
517 
WWAK62 PAFC 181002
RFWALU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Anchorage AK
202 AM AKDT Wed Jun 18 2025

AKZ753-754-181115-
/O.CAN.PAFC.FW.W.0001.000000T0000Z-250618T1100Z/
202 AM AKDT Wed Jun 18 2025

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR HOT DRY AND WINDY CONDITIONS
FOR THE KUSKOKWIM VALLEY...

The National Weather Service in Anchorage has cancelled the Red
Flag Warning.

Thunderstorms are weakening and the lightning threat will diminish
over the next couple of hours.

$$

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this red flag 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 red flag warning went out at Jun 17, 4:44 AM AKDT, 4 hours 43 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 17, 4:44 AM AKDT, 4 hours 43 minutes before
Southcentral and Southwest Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Anchorage AK
444 AM AKDT Tue Jun 17 2025

.SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA (Days 1 through 3: Today
through Thursday)...

Cooler, cloudier weather with a passing shot of rain is on deck for
many across Southcentral Alaska today. Satellite imagery shows a low
moving westward across the southern Gulf of Alaska. A more
pronounced trough is currently moving west along an axis extending
out from the low north through the Prince William Sound and into the
central Chugach. The approach of the trough is beginning to induce a
coastal ridge, which in turn has resulted in an uptick in winds
through some of the gaps and fjords such as Valdez. Radar imagery
currently reveals precipitation moving into Prince William Sound and
encroaching upon the eastern Kenai Peninsula as of 4am.

As we progress through the morning, precipitation will overspread
much of the eastern Kenai up through the western half of the
Chugach, with some precip likely making it into the Talkeetnas as
well. A brief, though likely strong, Turnagain Arm jet will get
going such that the southern portion of Anchorage and Anchorage
Hillside will likely be in a for a breezy morning. Precipitation
on the lee of the mountains is expected to be lighter and more
showery in nature, with scattered showers expected from the
western Kenai up through Anchorage and the Mat-Su later this
morning into the early afternoon hours before clearing this
evening in wake of the trough.

Wednesday will mark the return of warmer, sunnier typical summer
weather for most locations in wake of Tuesday's trough. A strong
upper-level ridge remains well-established across Interior Alaska,
placing Southcentral Alaska within easterly flow on the southern
periphery of this ridge. Weak, subtle shortwave troughs embedded in
this easterly flow combined with daytime heating will help
initiate showers and isolated thunderstorms, particularly across
the higher terrain of the Copper River Basin and Talkeetnas on
both days, with a lesser but non-zero chance of some showers
across the Chugach and Kenai Mountains. Temperatures both
Wednesday and Thursday will be on the warm side, with many
locations expected to be in the 70s to around 80. Coastal
locations of course will remain a bit cooler with the maritime
influence.

-Brown

&&

.SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHWEST ALASKA/BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS (Days
1 through 3)...

Hot and dry conditions will continue across Southwest Alaska
today. Chances are still good for thunderstorm development across
the lower Kuskokwim Valley this afternoon/evening, with slighter
chances stretching into Bristol Bay and eastern portions of the
Kuskokwim Delta. The best chances will be between Aniak and Lime
Village and areas north. A slightly more stable atmosphere will
develop over Southwest on Wednesday before thunderstorm chances
kick up again on Thursday afternoon.

Low marine stratus and areas of fog will continue across the
Bering and Aleutian Islands. By Wednesday, a gale force North
Pacific low moves just south of the Central Aleutians. Widespread
rain and small craft to gale force winds will encompass much of
the Bering Sea by Wednesday night.

&&

.LONG TERM FORECAST (Days 4 through 7: Thursday through
Sunday)...

Much of the long term has good, broad scale agreement as an upper
ridge of high pressure for the north-central part of the state
remains in place and a large, upper level low encompasses much of
the eastern Gulf. With daytime heating and a reinforced easterly
flow, this is a good convective setup for storms for the northern
Susitna Valley and Copper River Basin for at least the first part
of the period. There is fair confidence that the upper level
dynamics for the west should allow for a series of shortwaves to
rotate off of a main system south of the Aleutians beginning
Friday. This could cut into the ridge and cause it to lift as the
waves move eastward. Mid to late period, more of an Omega
blocking pattern takes over across the region with upper troughing
in the west and ridging extending northward from the Gulf into
Southcentral. Overall, temperature and precipitation anomalies
from the global models suggest that most areas of the east will
stay warmer and some areas wetter than average, while the west
could become cooler and wetter than average due to lows tracking
across the Aleutians and Bering.

-AM

&&

.AVIATION...

PANC...VFR conditions are set to prevail throughout the TAF
period. Isolated, very light rain showers are currently moving
through the Anchorage area early this morning ahead of an
approaching trough. This trough and associated coastal ridge are
set to induce a brief, though likely gusty, southeast wind out of
the Turnagain Arm this morning. Can't rule out a few showers as
well, but should be isolated to scattered in nature as the trough
rotates through. Wind speeds will decrease and showers will
diminish through the afternoon in wake of the trough passage.

-Brown

&&

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 17, 3:33 AM AKDTSmall Craft AdvisoryAFC48 hr
Jun 17, 3:52 AM AKDTSmall Craft AdvisoryAFC12 hr
Jun 17, 3:46 PM AKDTGale WarningAFC36 hr
Jun 17, 3:46 PM AKDTSmall Craft AdvisoryAFC36 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Alaska, 2025Every red flag warning in 2025

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.