500  
FNAK71 PAFC 162236  
FWSAER  
 
SPOT FORECAST FOR CROW PASS CROSSING...HEALTHY FUTURES ALASKA  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK  
236 PM AKDT THU JUL 16 2026  
 
FORECAST IS BASED ON FORECAST START TIME OF 1200 AKDT ON JULY 17.  
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
WET AND VERY COOL (-FOR JULY) CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR THE  
CROSS PASS ROUTE ON SATURDAY.  
 
EVENT LEAD-UP: SEVERAL ROUNDS OF RAIN / RAIN SHOWERS WILL MOVE  
ACROSS THE GIRDWOOD-EAGLE RIVER ROUTE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY, WITH  
THE BULK OF RAINFALL OCCURRING THURSDAY / THURSDAY NIGHT, THEN  
TAPERING OFF ON FRIDAY. RAIN MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES ON THE GIRDWOOD  
SIDE OF THE PASS, WITH LIGHTER AMOUNTS IN LOWER ELEVATIONS TOWARDS  
EAGLE RIVER.  
 
SATURDAY: ON SATURDAY, THE WEATHER PATTERN WILL BE CONDUCIVE FOR  
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS THROUGHOUT THE DAY ALONG THE  
ROUTE, WITH A SLIGHTLY HIGHER PROBABILITY OF RAIN ON THE GIRDWOOD  
SIDE OF THE PASS (INCLUDING THE PASS ITSELF). RAINFALL TOTALS ON  
SATURDAY WILL GENERALLY BE ON THE LOW SIDE HOWEVER (LESS THAN A  
TENTH OF AN INCH). LOW-LEVEL CLOUDS MAY LEAD TO MOUNTAIN  
OBSCURATION / HIGH-ELEVATION FOG AT TIMES, ESPECIALLY ALONG THE  
PASS AND IN GIRDWOOD. WIND WILL BE LIGHT/VARIABLE TO BEGIN THE  
DAY, BUT PICK UP FROM THE ESE AS THE DAY PROGRESSES, WITH WINDS  
THROUGH THE PASS GUSTING 10-20 MPH EARLY IN THE DAY, INCREASING TO  
20-30 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON, AND IN EXCESS OF 30 MPH IN THE  
EVENING. TEMPERATURES WILL BE CHILLY FOR JULY- ANTICIPATE MORNING  
TEMPERATURES IN GIRDWOOD IN THE 40S TO AROUND 50 DEGREES, BUT WITH  
TEMPS IN THE PASS IN THE UPPER 30S TO AROUND 40. EAGLE RIVER WILL  
BE A FAIR BIT WARMER, WITH TEMPS GENERALLY IN THE 50S TO AROUND  
60. WIND CHILL VALUES IN THE PASS ARE LIKELY TO BE IN THE 30S,  
POSSIBLY 20S AT TIMES.  
 
RIVER CONDITIONS:  
 
THE GAUGE AT EAGLE RIVER AT GLENN HIGHWAY BRIDGE IS CURRENTLY AT  
5.17 FEET AS OF MIDDAY THURSDAY. RIVER LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO  
VERY SLOWLY FALL TO AROUND 5.06 FEET FOR THE START OF THE RACE ON  
SATURDAY. FOR REFERENCE, WHEN THIS GAUGE READS 6 FEET, WATER IS  
GENERALLY ABOUT WAIST HIGH FOR THOSE FORDING THE RIVER ALONG THE  
CROW PASS TRAIL. THUS, BASED ON THIS RIVER FORECAST, IT LOOKS LIKE  
LOWER THAN THAT.  
 
   
FRIDAY
 
 
SKY/WEATHER.........MOSTLY CLOUDY . RAIN LIKELY THROUGH THE DAY.  
CHANCE OF PCPN......90 PERCENT.  
MAX TEMPERATURE.....44-54  
WIND CHILL..........35-48  
SURFACE WINDS (MPH).SOUTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 18 MPH.  
RAINFALL AMOUNT.....0.12 INCHES.  
 
   
FRIDAY NIGHT
 
 
SKY/WEATHER.........MOSTLY CLOUDY. RAIN SHOWERS.  
CHANCE OF PCPN......80 PERCENT.  
MIN TEMPERATURE.....36-44.  
WIND CHILL..........34-42.  
SURFACE WINDS (MPH).SOUTHEAST WINDS UP TO 12 MPH.  
RAINFALL AMOUNT.....0.14 INCHES.  
CEILING (KFT).......VARIABLE. 3000FT ABOVE GROUND LEVEL (AGL) IN LOWER  
ELEVATIONS TO 0 / MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION AT TIMES  
AROUND THE PASS.  
   
SATURDAY
 
 
SKY/WEATHER.........CLOUDY. RAIN SHOWERS LIKELY.  
CHANCE OF PCPN......70 PERCENT.  
MAX TEMPERATURE.....37-58.  
WIND CHILL..........35-56.  
SURFACE WINDS (MPH).SOUTHEAST WINDS UP TO 20 MPH.  
RAINFALL AMOUNT.....0.07 INCHES.  
CEILING (KFT).......VARIABLE. 3000FT ABOVE GROUND LEVEL (AGL) IN LOWER  
ELEVATIONS TO 0 / MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION AT TIMES AROUND  
THE PASS.  
VISIBILITY..........GREATER THAN 3-6 MILES FOR LOWER ELEVATIONS TO LESS  
THAN A MILE AT TIMES FOR THE PASS AND HIGHER ELEVATIONS.  
 

 
FORECASTER...BROWN  
REQUESTED BY...JOHNSE OSTMAN  
TYPE OF REQUEST...OTHER  
.TAG 2617430.0/AER  
.DELDT 07/16/26  
.FORMATTERVERSION 2.0.0  
.EMAIL MATIAS@HEALTHYFUTURESAK.ORG,JOHNSE.OSTMAN@GMAIL.COM,JOHNSE.OSTMAN@NOAA.GOV  
 
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