Alert archive / Alaska / Red Flag Warnings in 2025
Red Flag Warning 3, NWS Anchorage, AK
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.
- 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
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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 5, 3:37 AM AKDT | Gale Warning | AFC | 60 hr | |
| Aug 5, 3:37 AM AKDT | Gale Warning | AFC | 48 hr | |
| Aug 5, 3:37 AM AKDT | Gale Warning | AFC | 36 hr | |
| Aug 5, 3:37 AM AKDT | Small Craft Advisory | AFC | 48 hr | |
| Aug 5, 3:37 AM AKDT | Small Craft Advisory | AFC | 3 days | |
| Aug 5, 3:20 PM AKDT | Gale Warning | AFC | 36 hr | |
| Aug 5, 3:27 PM AKDT | Gale Warning | AFC | 60 hr | |
| Aug 5, 3:27 PM AKDT | Small Craft Advisory | AFC | 60 hr | |
| Aug 5, 3:32 PM AKDT | Small Craft Advisory | AFC | 60 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.