Heavy Snow in Alaska, December 5 to 6, 2007

NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
126 PM AST WED DEC 5 2007

.DISCUSSION...
A 956 MB LOW OVER THE WESTERN BERING SEA WILL WEAKEN AS IT MOVES
NORTHEAST TO BE 100 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SAINT MATTHEW ISLAND EARLY
THURSDAY MORNING. THE LOW WILL MOVE NORTH ON THURSDAY TO BE 986 MB
OVER THE CHUKOTSK PENINSULA EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. ALL THE
NUMERICAL MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH BOTH THE STRENGTH AND
MOVEMENT OF THIS SYSTEM WHICH SHOULD GIVE THE WEST COAST OF ALASKA
AND ST LAWRENCE ISLAND STRONG WINDS...SNOW...BLOWING SNOW AND THE
POSSIBILITY OF FREEZING RAIN.

ARCTIC COAST...HIGH PRESSURE IS WEAKENING 100 NM NORTH OF THE
CENTRAL ARCTIC COAST AND WINDS ARE LIGHT FROM THE EAST OR
SOUTHEAST. THESE WINDS WILL PICK UP T0 15 T0 20 MPH FROM THE EAST
AS THE BERING SEA LOW MOVES TO THE CHUKOTSK PENINSULA EARLY FRI
MORNING. MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES TODAY AND TONIGHT WILL HAVE INCREASING
CLOUDS ON THU AND FRI.

CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR...WINDS OVER MOST OF THE INTERIOR
WILL BE NEAR CALM IN THE VALLEYS AND LIGHT OVER THE HILLS WITH THE
EXCEPTION OF THE ALASKA RANGE WHERE ADVISORY WINDS WILL PERSIST IN
PASSES IN ZONE 225 TODAY INTO THU. TEMPERATURES WILL NOT BE AS
COLD AS THE LAST FEW NIGHTS ALTHOUGH MINUS TWENTIES WILL PERSIST
AS LOWS IN SOME VALLEYS AND THE YUKON FLATS. SCATTERED SNOW
SHOWERS WILL MOVE INTO THE CENTRAL INTERIOR THU NIGHT INTO FRI
MORNING BUT NO SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED.

WESTERN ALASKA...THIS IS WHERE ALL THE WEATHER ACTION WILL BE THE
NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. HEAVY SNOW IS FORECAST IN ZONES 210-211-215-216
WITH AMOUNTS FROM 6 TO 10 INCHES EXPECTED FROM WED AFTERNOON TO
THU AFTERNOON...HEAVIEST AMOUNTS IN THE NULATO HILLS. A SNOW
ADVISORY IS OUT FOR ZONE 217 FOR AMOUNTS UP TO 4 INCHES WITH
UPSLOPE FLOW THERE. PATCHY FREEZING PRECIPITATION IN ZONES
212-213-214 THROUGH TONIGHT AND INTO THU MORNING. THE HEAVY SNOW
IN ZONE 210 WILL BE SOUTH OF PILGRIM SPRINGS WITH UP TO ONE INCH
IN DEERING AND BUCKLAND. WINDS OF 40 TO 45 MPH EXPECTED IN ZONES
209 AND 212 THROUGH THE NIGHT BEFORE DIMINISHING ON THU. BLOWING
SNOW WILL ALSO PERSIST IN MOST WEST COAST ZONES WHERE HEAVY SNOW
IS FALLING. CONDITIONS WILL SLOWLY IMPROVE STARTING FRI NIGHT AND
SAT MORNING.

COASTAL HAZARD POTENTIAL DAYS 3 AND 4...COASTAL FLOODING OR HEAVY
SURF IS NOT EXPECTED TO AFFECT KIVALINA FRIDAY BASED ON THE LATEST
MODEL RUNS.

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY FOR AKZ225.

SNOW ADVISORY FOR AKZ217.

HEAVY SNOW WARNING FOR AKZ210-AKZ211-AKZ215-AKZ216.

FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY FOR AKZ212-AKZ213-AKZ214.

HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING FOR PKZ200-PKZ210-PKZ220-PKZ225.

GALE WARNING FOR PKZ210-PKZ220.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ200-PKZ225.

BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ215.
&&

RL DEC 07