Alert archive / Alaska / Red Flag Warnings in 2025

Red Flag Warning 3, NWS Anchorage, AK

August 5, 2025Copper River Census Area, Alaska

NWS Anchorage, AK issued this red flag warning at Aug 5, 2025, 10:48 AM AKDT for Copper River Census Area, Alaska. It took effect at Aug 6, 2025, 1:00 PM AKDT. It was in force for 8 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
Aug 5, 2025, 10:48 AM AKDT (18:48 UTC)
In effect from
Aug 6, 2025, 1:00 PM AKDT
Expired
Aug 6, 2025, 9:00 PM AKDT
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Anchorage, AK

County Copper River Census Area, AK

The nearest sounding before it

Anchorage Iap/Pt. Campbe, (PANC), launched 12:00Z, 6.8 hours before the alert went out and 253 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, Anchorage Iap/Pt. Campbe, at 12:00Z on 2025-08-05Temperature 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, Anchorage Iap/Pt. Campbe, at 12:00Z on 2025-08-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 12 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
1063 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
6 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
12 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
8 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

532 
WWAK61 PAFC 051848
RFWAER

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Anchorage AK
1048 AM AKDT Tue Aug 5 2025

AKZ741>743-749-750-061900-
/O.NEW.PAFC.FW.W.0003.250806T2100Z-250807T0500Z/
1048 AM AKDT Tue Aug 5 2025

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM TO 9 PM AKDT WEDNESDAY 
FOR HOT DRY AND WINDY CONDITIONS FOR THE CENTRAL COPPER RIVER 
BASIN...

* Winds...Southerly 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.

* Timing...1 PM through 9 PM Wednesday

* Relative Humidity...As low as 23 percent.

* Temperatures...75 to 80 degrees

* Location...Central Copper River Basin... including Chitina,
  Glennallen, Gulkana, Chistochina, Mendeltna, and Sourdough.

* Impacts...Rapid ignition, growth and spread of fires will be 
  possible.

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
097 
WWAK61 PAFC 061521
RFWAER

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Anchorage AK
721 AM AKDT Wed Aug 6 2025

AKZ741>743-749-750-070500-
/O.CON.PAFC.FW.W.0003.250806T2100Z-250807T0500Z/
721 AM AKDT Wed Aug 6 2025

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
9 PM AKDT THIS EVENING FOR HOT DRY AND WINDY CONDITIONS FOR THE
CENTRAL COPPER RIVER BASIN...

* Winds...Southerly 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.

* Timing...1 PM through 9 PM Wednesday

* Relative Humidity...As low as 23 percent.

* Temperatures...75 to 80 degrees.

* Location...Central Copper River Basin... including Chitina, 
  Glennallen, Gulkana, Chistochina, Mendeltna, and Sourdough.

* Impacts...Rapid ignition, growth and spread of fires will be 
  possible.

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.

$$
606 
WWAK61 PAFC 070453
RFWAER

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Anchorage AK
853 PM AKDT Wed Aug 6 2025

AKZ741>743-749-750-070600-
/O.EXP.PAFC.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-250807T0500Z/
853 PM AKDT Wed Aug 6 2025

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 9 PM AKDT THIS EVENING FOR HOT
DRY AND WINDY CONDITIONS FOR THE CENTRAL COPPER RIVER BASIN...

Temperatures are cooling and Red Flag conditions will continue to 
diminish this evening. 

$$

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 Aug 5, 5:09 AM AKDT, 5 hours 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 5, 5:09 AM AKDT, 5 hours 39 minutes before
Southcentral and Southwest Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Anchorage AK
509 AM AKDT Tue Aug 5 2025

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

An upper-level ridge sits over Southcentral Alaska this morning
with partly cloudy to mostly clear skies over much of the region.
The exception is a area of cloud cover lingering over the Copper
River Basin, the result of mid-level moisture remaining in the
wake of a shortwave trough that moved through yesterday evening.
Cyclonic flow around high pressure over the Gulf and weak onshore
flow is blanketing some areas along the immediate coast in cloud
cover as well, with the bulk of the clouds extending from Prince
William Sound to Cordova and around the entrance to Cook Inlet.

With the ridge remaining in place today, another warm and
generally sunny day is on tap of much of Southcentral. Daytime
highs will again reach into the upper 60s to mid 70s over interior
locations. Temperatures along the coast will be slightly cooler as
gusty sea breezes once again develop this afternoon. Another
shortwave trough moving across the Alaska Range this afternoon
will again bring a chance for an isolated shower across higher
elevations surrounding the Copper River Basin.

The forecast remains on track with the next big weather maker: a
frontal system moving from the western Gulf Wednesday morning to
the northern Gulf Thursday. The front will lift into the Gulf and
across Kodiak Island through the day Wednesday before reaching the
southern Kenai Peninsula by Wednesday evening. With previous
connections to the tropics, this system looks particularly wet;
especially for Kodiak Island where 1.5 to 2.5 inches of rain is
likely Wednesday morning through Thursday morning. In addition to
the steady rainfall, widespread easterly gales are expected along
the front as it lifts north through Thursday morning. High-end
Gale to Storm-force gusts are also possible across the Barren
Islands Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning.

As the front moves north on Wednesday, a coastal ridge will build.
Increasing pressures along the coast, coupled with a thermal
trough over the Interior, will allow southerly gap winds to
increase through the afternoon and evening hours. With
temperatures well into the 70s and min RH values falling into the
20 percent range, the gusty winds could bring hot, dry, and windy
conditions to the Copper Valley for Wednesday.

As the front moves toward the Southcentral coast Thursday, rain
will also overspread Cook Inlet and across the Anchorage Bowl and
Mat-Su Valleys. A persistent southeasterly cross-barrier flow
aloft will allow for some downsloping along the lee of the Kenai
and Chugach Mountains; however, weak waves embedded in the upper-
levels and moving over these areas should allow for periods of
very light rain through Thursday from Kenai north to Palmer. The
heaviest rain will along the eastern Kenai Peninsula / western
Prince William Sound as the southeasterly flow drives copious
moisture into the coastal mountains.

-TM

&&
.SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHWEST ALASKA/BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS
(Days 1 through 3: Today through Thursday night)...

Broad low pressure in the Bering Sea is beginning to draw north
tropical moisture associated with the remnants of former Typhoon
Krosa. While the bulk of the moisture and precipitation arrives
this afternoon to the south side of the Alaska Peninsula, the
broader upper-level energy associated with the former typhoon is
already beginning to spread across the eastern Aleutians into the
Bering Sea this morning. This will lead to intermittent rain
showers across the eastern Bering Sea/Aleutians and Alaska
Peninsula today. For the Southwest mainland, a front weakening
along the coast will continue to bring rain showers to Bristol
Bay, particularly focused in the upslope regions of the Kilbuck
and Ahklun Mountains. Inland areas of Southwest Alaska remain
warmer and drier, with high temperatures again in the 70s for the
Lower Kuskokwim Valley, but cloud cover overspreads all but the
Western Alaska Range today. Precipitation in the Bristol Bay
region diminishes this evening.

Heavy rain is expected for the Alaska Peninsula with the arrival
of the main front from the remnants of Krosa this evening through
Wednesday. Much of the southern Alaska Peninsula is forecast to
see around, or in excess of 2 inches of rainfall as a result. The
communities of Perryville and Chignik (east of Sand Point along
the Alaska Peninsula) are expected to see rainfall totals of 2 to
4 inches, with the majority of that falling in a 24 hour period
beginning this afternoon. Gale force winds are also forecast
across the northern Alaska Peninsula into Bristol Bay as the
remnants of Krosa merge with the pre-existing Bering low. As the
front sweeps into the area, increased instability will also bring
the threat of marine thunderstorms. This occurs primarily south of
the Alaska Peninsula, but there is potential for thunderstorm
activity to impact portions of the central Alaska Peninsula as
well tonight through Wednesday. The front then lifts north across
Kodiak Island and mainland Southwest Alaska Wednesday evening,
pushing lighter rain and gusty winds across the Bristol Bay and
Lake Iliamna regions.

Cool and wet conditions continue for Southwest Alaska Wednesday
night into Thursday as the front lifts slowly northward. By
Thursday night, the front weakens and precipitation coverage
begins to diminish significantly. The Bering Sea low exits to the
North Pacific on Thursday and northerly winds overspread much of
the Bering Sea. Northerly winds will not be accompanied by any
meaningful push of cooler air, which will mean stratus and fog
will continue to persist across the region through late week.

&&

.LONG TERM FORECAST (Days 4 through 7 Friday through Monday...

Synoptic situation starts with a a dissipating upper level low
over Kodiak. It gets absorbed into the larger upper
level/deepening trough over the central part of the State as the
weekend starts. The upper level ridge over the Eastern Gulf of
Alaska will continue to migrate eastward. A secondary, positively
tilted, upper level shortwave trough will extend from the extend
from the Bering Strait and into the western portion of the Bering
Sea.

The upper level trough over the central portions of the State
will deepen and dig down the Alaskan west coast then extend down
into the North Pacific towards the end of the period. The European
and Canadian models keep it as an open trough and are more likely
the reasonable solution. This could allow more tropical moisture
into the developing surface feature and increase the precipitation
chances along the South Central coastal regions.

Model guidance is in lessor agreement with the Bering Sea surface
features with the GFS forming a surface low and fronts in the
central bearing sea with the Canadian and European models allowing
the surface low and fronts to form south of the Central Aleutians
and AKPEN region early next week. The reasonable solution would
favor the latter scenario.

DD

&&.AVIATION...

PANC...VFR and light winds are expected to persist through the
TAF period.

&&

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 5, 3:37 AM AKDTGale WarningAFC60 hr
Aug 5, 3:37 AM AKDTGale WarningAFC48 hr
Aug 5, 3:37 AM AKDTGale WarningAFC36 hr
Aug 5, 3:37 AM AKDTSmall Craft AdvisoryAFC48 hr
Aug 5, 3:37 AM AKDTSmall Craft AdvisoryAFC3 days
Aug 5, 3:20 PM AKDTGale WarningAFC36 hr
Aug 5, 3:27 PM AKDTGale WarningAFC60 hr
Aug 5, 3:27 PM AKDTSmall Craft AdvisoryAFC60 hr
Aug 5, 3:32 PM AKDTSmall Craft AdvisoryAFC60 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.