939  
FXAK68 PAFC 181249  
AFDAFC  
 
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK  
449 AM AKDT THU SEP 18 2025  
 
.SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA (DAYS 1 THROUGH 3: TODAY  
THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT)...  
 
THE RESPITE IN GLOOMY WEATHER HAS ENDED AS MORE QUINTESSENTIALLY-  
SEPTEMBER ALASKA WEATHER HAS RETURNED. SATELLITE IMAGERY REVEALS  
CLOUD COVER HAS SPREAD BACK ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA  
AMID SOUTHWESTERLY CYCLONIC FLOW. RADAR SHOWS SHOWERY ACTIVITY  
ACROSS MUCH OF THE NORTHERN GULF OF ALASKA, AS WELL AS INTO THE  
KENAI PENINSULA AND NORTH/WEST SUSITNA VALLEY.  
 
THIS WILL BE THE CASE AS CONTINUE THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK AS  
MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW PREVAILS WITH A SERIES OF WEAK FEATURES  
TRAVERSING THE GULF OF ALASKA INTO SOUTHCENTRAL. THIS WILL PROMOTE  
PERIODS OF RAINFALL OVER THE GULF WITH UPSLOPE SHOWERS ALONG MUCH  
OF THE NORTH GULF COAST TODAY AND FRIDAY. PERIODS OF LIGHT RAIN  
ARE ALSO POSSIBLE FOR INLAND LOCATIONS AS MORE POTENT SHORTWAVES  
LIFT PAST THE MOUNTAINS. SHOWERS MAY ALSO SPREAD INLAND THURSDAY  
NIGHT AS A WEAK FRONT LIFTS PAST THE COASTAL MOUNTAINS.  
ACCUMULATIONS WOULD BE FAIRLY LIGHT.  
 
FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY, MORE COHERENT LOW PRESSURE TRACKS  
ACROSS THE SOUTHERN GULF, WEAKENING THE SOUTHERLY FLOW ALONG THE  
NORTH GULF COAST OR EVEN SHIFTING FLOW TO WEAK NORTHERLY ACROSS  
SOUTHCENTRAL. THIS REVERSAL OF FLOW WILL RESULT IN A DRYING TREND  
BOTH ALONG THE COAST AND INLAND FOR AT LEAST SOME PORTION OF THIS  
WEEKEND.  
 
-BROWN/QUESADA  
 
 
 
.SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHWEST ALASKA/BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS (DAYS  
1 THROUGH 3)...  
 
THE FORECAST CONTINUES TO REMAIN LOW IMPACT AND ON TRACK.  
CURRENTLY, A VERTICALLY STACKED ~990 MB LOW CENTERED ACROSS THE  
WESTERN ALEUTIANS CONTINUES TO WEAKEN AND ELONGATE THIS MORNING.  
ITS UPPER LEVEL ENVIRONMENT CONSISTS OF A RELATIVELY DEEP UPPER  
LEVEL LOW ENVELOPED IN A LONGWAVE AND POSITIVELY TILTED TROUGH. AS  
THE LONGWAVE TROUGH CONTINUES TO DIG SOUTHWARD, IT WILL DEEPEN  
AND SOMEWHAT AMPLIFY THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN. FARTHER EAST, A  
SHORTWAVE TROUGH IS LIFTING AND DECAYING AS IT MOVES OVER THE AK  
PEN, BUT HAS PROVIDED ENOUGH FORCING TO DEVELOP A WEAK AREA OF LOW  
PRESSURE WELL SOUTH OF THE AK PEN AND KODIAK ISLAND THAT IS  
MOVING INTO THE GULF OF ALASKA. MEANWHILE, THERE IS STILL AN  
OCCLUDED FRONT AND SURFACE TROUGH DRAPED FROM THE CENTRAL BERING  
SEA SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE AK PEN, WHICH HAS BEEN THE MAIN FOCAL  
POINT FOR AREAS OF RAIN SHOWERS. ACROSS SOUTHWEST ALASKA, MOSTLY  
CLEAR SKIES EARLIER THIS MORNING BEFORE CLOUDS ROLLED IN AND LIGHT  
WINDS FOR THE INTERIOR KUSKOKWIM VALLEY ALLOWED LOW TEMPERATURES  
TO BOTTOM OUT IN THE MID TO UPPER 30S FOR MOST, WHICH WAS A BIT  
COLDER THAN GFS/NAM MOS GUIDANCE. MUCH OF THE REGION HAS OBSERVED  
TEMPERATURES WARMING BY AT LEAST A COUPLE OF DEGREES DUE TO CLOUDS  
AND EVEN SOME ISOLATED AREAS OF FOG.  
 
THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING, THE SURFACE LOW ACROSS THE WESTERN  
ALEUTIANS TREKS EASTWARD ACROSS THE SOUTHERN BERING SEA AND STOPS  
JUST SHORT OF BRISTOL BAY, BREAKING DOWN INTO A COMPLEX LOW AS IT  
DOES SO. MODELS ARE IN FAIR AGREEMENT OF THIS EVOLUTION, ALTHOUGH  
THE EURO IS MORE BULLISH ON RAINFALL AND KEEPS THE TROUGH/LOW  
ENVELOPE A TICK STRONGER THAN THE GFS AND NAM. LOOKING THROUGH  
MIDDAY FRIDAY, THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH TAKES A NEGATIVE TILT AND  
THE SURFACE LOW NEAR BRISTOL BAY PHASES WITH A NEW SURFACE LOW IN  
THE WESTERN GULF OF ALASKA. BY SATURDAY MORNING, A ROBUST 500 MB  
SHORTWAVE RIPPLES INTO THE CENTRAL BERING FROM THE NORTH, WHILE  
THE MAIN LONGWAVE TROUGH RIDES SOUTH OF THE ALEUTIAN CHAIN WITHIN  
THE UPPER JET. THESE TWO FEATURES ALSO LOOK TO PHASE SUNDAY  
MORNING. THE SYNOPTIC FORCING WILL LIKELY RESULT IN INCREASED  
NORTHWESTERLY SURFACE WINDS ACROSS THE BERING SEA, ALEUTIANS, AND  
AK PEN THROUGH THE WEEKEND ALONG WITH INCREASED RAIN CHANCES.  
ALONG WITH COLD AIR ADVECTION FOR THE REGION, WINDS UP TO 30 KTS  
OR SO WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH FAVORED BAYS AND PASSES OF THE  
CENTRAL ALEUTIANS TO THE AK PEN.  
 
-AM  
 
 
 
   
LONG TERM FORECAST (DAYS 4 THROUGH 7: SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY)  
 
UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO LINGER IN THE GULF OF  
ALASKA FROM THE WEEKEND THROUGH MID-WEEK. SHORTWAVE TROUGHS AND  
EMBEDDED SURFACE LOWS WILL BRING ENHANCED PERIODS OF RAIN AND WIND  
TO THE NORTH GULF COAST. THE HEAVIEST RAIN AND STRONGEST WINDS  
LOOK TO STAY IN THE PANHANDLE, BUT PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND AND THE  
EASTERN KENAI PENINSULA WILL SEE PLENTY OF MOISTURE AND WIND IN  
COASTAL WATERS AS WELL. THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY IN THE  
ORIENTATION OF THE LOW AS IT PROGRESSES THROUGH THE BEGINNING OF  
THE WEEK, WHICH WILL GREATLY IMPACT THE ABILITY FOR SHOWERS TO  
DEVELOP ACROSS INLAND AREAS. THE SUGGESTION OF SOUTHWESTERLY  
UPPER LEVEL FLOW WOULD BE FAVORABLE FOR PRECIPITATION UP COOK  
INLET AND INTO THE MAT-SU VALLEYS, THOUGH RAIN SHOULD REMAIN  
RELATIVELY LIGHT IN THESE AREAS IF IT DOES DEVELOP.  
 
PERSISTENT NORTHERLY FLOW ACROSS WESTERN ALASKA AND THE BERING  
SEA WILL BRING A COOLING TREND TO THE REGION AS OVERNIGHT LOWS ARE  
EXPECTED TO DIP INTO THE 30'S FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST ALASKA.  
THE COMBINATION OF COLD AIR ADVECTION AND A TIGHT PRESSURE  
GRADIENT WILL BRING GUSTY WINDS THROUGH GAPS AND PASSES OF THE  
ALASKA PENINSULA AND EASTERN ALEUTIANS ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY. THE  
ALEUTIAN CHAIN WILL SEE ANOTHER ROUND OF RAIN AND WIND ON TUESDAY  
WHILE THE REST OF SOUTHWEST REMAINS DRY FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE  
LONG TERM FORECAST PERIOD.  
 
   
AVIATION  
 
PANC...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE DAY TODAY BEFORE  
POSSIBLE DEGRADATION TONIGHT. SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL CONTINUE  
THROUGH THE MORNING AS THE AIRPORT SITS ON THE NORTHERN PERIPHERY  
OF STRONGER SOUTHEAST WINDS OUT OF THE TURNAGAIN ARM. OCCASIONAL  
HIGHER GUSTS MAY REACH THE AIRPORT, BUT THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE  
EXPECTED TO REMAIN SOUTH. THIS WILL SHIFT LATER TODAY AS WINDS  
BECOME LIGHT AND OUT OF THE NORTH. ISOLATED SHOWERS WILL BE IN THE  
AREA THROUGH THE MORNING AND AFTERNOON BEFORE AN INCREASE IN  
COVERAGE OVERNIGHT. CEILINGS SHOULD LOWER TONIGHT AS WELL INTO  
MVFR OR POSSIBLY EVEN IFR TERRITORY AS THE LOWER ATMOSPHERE  
SATURATES.  
 
 
 
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