076  
FXAK68 PAFC 030052  
AFDAFC  
 
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANCHORAGE AK  
452 PM AKDT THU OCT 2 2025  
   
SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA (DAYS 1 THROUGH 3)  
 
THE UPPER-LEVEL WAVE AND STRONG COLD FRONT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE  
AREAS OF HEAVY RAIN, AND HEAVY WET SNOW ABOVE 3,000 FT AGL AND  
ABOVE, IS QUICKLY DRIVING EAST THROUGH THE SOUTHERN COPPER RIVER  
BASIN THIS AFTERNOON. IN ITS WAKE, SKIES ARE GENERALLY CLEARING,  
ALTHOUGH SOME CLOUDS ARE LINGERING ACROSS MAINLY ALONG THE ATOP  
THE TALKEETNA AND CHUGACH MOUNTAINS.  
 
THIS WAS AN IMPRESSIVE AUTUMN STORM, WITH AROUND AN INCH OF  
PRECIPITATION FOR MOST LOCATIONS ALONG THE KENAI PENINSULA NORTH  
TO ANCHORAGE AND PALMER, OVER AN ACROSS THE NORTHERN SUSITNA  
VALLEY, HALF AN INCH IN THE COPPER RIVER BASIN, AND 2 TO 4 INCHES  
OF PRECIPITATION FROM VALDEZ TO CORDOVA. SNOW LEVELS HOVERED  
AROUND 3,000 FT AGL THROUGH MOST OF THE EVENT, WITH 6 INCHES OF  
SNOW FALLING IN THOMPSON PASS, 2 TO 5 INCHES NEAR TAHNETA PASS  
AND ALONG THE EASTERN HALF OF THE DENALI HIGHWAY, AND OVER 6  
INCHES OF SNOW FALLING AT HATCHER PASS LODGE WITH ONE SNOTEL SITE  
AT INDEPENDENCE MINE (3,450FT) REPORTING 15 INCHES OF SNOW.  
 
FOR FRIDAY, MOSTLY ZONAL FLOW WILL DOMINATE THE AREA AS RIDGING  
BUILDS IN TO THE WEST. A TROUGH MOVING THROUGH THE INTERIOR IN THE  
MORNING MAY HELP TO BRING SOME RAIN OR RAIN SNOW MIX TO THE  
ALASKA RANGE AND POSSIBLY AS FAR SOUTH AS THE TALKEETNAS NEAR  
HATCHER PASS. OTHER THAN MAYBE PALMER AND SUTTON, MOST NON-  
MOUNTAINOUS AREAS SHOULD REMAIN DRY AS THE AIRMASS DRIES OUT OFF  
OF THE WESTERN ALASKA RANGE.  
 
MOVING INTO THE WEEKEND, A STOUT RIDGE WILL DEVELOP SOUTH OF THE  
GULF, WITH A BROAD TROUGH AND DEEP LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE  
BERING. THIS WILL REALLY AMPLIFY THE FLOW ALOFT AND PLACE  
SOUTHCENTRAL INTO DEEP SOUTH TO SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW. THERE IS SOME  
UNCERTAINTY AS TO THE TIMING OF THE FIRST SHORTWAVE THAT WILL  
BRING THE RAIN, AND TO HOW WAVES ROUNDING THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY  
OF THE TROUGH WILL INTERACT WITH THE RIDGE, BUT THE UPPER LEVEL  
SET-UP IS ONE THAT COULD BE PRIMED FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF HEAVY  
RAIN. RIGHT NOW THE MOST LIKELY AREAS FOR MORE CONCENTRATED  
PRECIPITATION WILL BE THE SUSITNA VALLEY, SEWARD, VALDEZ AND  
CORDOVA. TEMPERATURES ALOFT WILL ALSO SOAR, PUSHING SNOW LEVELS UP  
TO THE 7000+ FT LEVEL LATER IN THE WEEKEND.  
 
SOUTHERLY GAP WINDS WILL ALSO INCREASE BEGINNING SATURDAY WITH  
THIS SYSTEM, WITH STRONG WINDS THROUGH TURNAGAIN ARM AND THE  
COPPER RIVER VALLEY. ANY WINDS THROUGH TURNAGAIN ARM THAT DO MOVE  
OVER ANCHORAGE FOR SATURDAY MORNING SHOULD SHIFT AWAY FROM TOWN  
AND DOWN COOK INLET FOR LATE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY.  
 
 
 
.SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHWEST ALASKA/BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS  
(DAYS 1 THROUGH 3)...  
 
WEAK HIGH PRESSURE MOVES OVER THE MAINLAND AHEAD THIS EVENING.  
TOMORROW AFTERNOON, A STORM BRINGS RAIN AND WIND TO THE MAINLAND  
COAST CAUSING COASTAL IMPACTS. THIS SAME LOW BRINGS PRECIPITATION  
AND AREAS OF GALE AND STORM FORCE WINDS TO THE BERING SEA AND  
ALEUTIANS THE NEXT FEW DAYS.  
 
ISOLATED RAIN SHOWERS AND GUSTY WINDS IN THE KUSKOKWIM DELTA WILL  
END THIS AFTERNOON. ZONAL, ONSHORE FLOW CONTINUES FOR THE  
MAINLAND THROUGH EARLY OVERNIGHT. WIDESPREAD AREAS OF PATCHY FOG  
ARE ALSO EXPECTED OVERNIGHT THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS ACROSS  
THE KUSKOKWIM DELTA AND ALASKA PENINSULA AS A FAST-MOVING AREA OF  
HIGH PRESSURE MOVES OVER THE AREA.  
 
A 973MB LOW MOVES ACROSS THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS WEST OF ADAK  
AND INTO THE BERING SEA TOMORROW AFTERNOON. IT WILL CAUSE GALE AND  
STORM FORCE WINDS DURING THIS TIME. AS IT MOVES TOWARD THE BERING  
STRAIT KEEPING WEST OF THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS, CONTINUED GALE TO  
STORM FORCE SOUTHWESTERLY WIND GUSTS TOMORROW AFTERNOON AND  
EVENING ARE EXPECTED. AREAS ALONG THE MAINLAND, FROM CAPE NEWENHAM  
TO KIPNUK, ONSHORE SOUTHERLY TO SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS FOR MOST OF  
FRIDAY EVENING INTO SATURDAY EVENING GUST TO 45 KNOTS. THIS  
PERSISTENT WIND FLOW COULD RESULT IN COASTAL IMPACTS, INCLUDING  
INCREASED WAVE HEIGHTS THIS WEEKEND, TOO.  
 
 
 
.LONG TERM FORECAST (DAYS 4 THROUGH 7: MONDAY THROUGH  
THURSDAY)...  
 
ALL OF THE ACTIVE WEATHER IN THE LONG TERM PERIOD WILL BE  
CONFINED TO WEST OF THE ALASKA RANGE AND LARGELY OVER THE BERING.  
THE ONE EXCEPTION WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR AREAS OF HEAVY RAIN,  
PRIMARILY ALONG THE GULF COAST, WITH THE REMNANTS OF A TROUGH OVER  
THE GULF OF ALASKA. SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW DIRECTED INTO THE COASTAL  
MOUNTAINS WILL AID IN ONGOING PRECIPITATION TO START THE NEW WORK  
WEEK. MODELS ARE IN GENERALLY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE TROUGH  
BREAKING DOWN ON TUESDAY AND DISSIPATING COMPLETELY BY WEDNESDAY.  
THIS WILL LEAVE HIGH PRESSURE IN PLACE OVER SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA  
AND LARGELY BENIGN CONDITIONS FOR THE REGION LATE TUESDAY THROUGH  
THE THURSDAY.  
 
THE MAIN CONCERNS FOR THE LONG TERM PERIOD INVOLVE THE  
DEVELOPMENT OF A LARGE UPPER LOW OVER THE BERING ON TUESDAY. WHILE  
MUCH UNCERTAINTY REMAINS, STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW IS LIKELY TO  
DEVELOP DOWNSTREAM OF THE TROUGH, WITH GUSTY CONDITIONS FORECAST  
FOR THE ALEUTIAN CHAIN UP INTO THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. SOMETHING  
THAT WILL BE WORTH KEEPING AN EYE ON WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR  
PERSISTENT ONSHORE FLOW INTO THE KUSKOKWIM DELTA. LOCATIONS NEAR  
KONGIGANAK AND KWIGILLINGOK COULD SEE COASTAL FLOODING,  
CONDITIONAL UPON THE TRACK OF THE LOW AND INTENSITY OF ONSHORE  
FLOW. TUESDAY MORNING INTO TUESDAY NIGHT WOULD BE THE MAIN TIME  
FRAME OF CONCERN. LOW PRESSURE THEN WEAKENS AND LIFTS NORTHWARD ON  
WEDNESDAY FOLLOWED BY THE REPEAT DEVELOPMENT OF YET ANOTHER LARGE  
BERING SEA LOW THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. FOR THE MOMENT, MODELS ARE  
KEEPING THE 2ND LOW FURTHER WEST, WHICH WILL KEEP THE KUSKOKWIM  
DELTA COAST IN THE CLEAR.  
 
BL  
 
 
   
AVIATION  
 
PANC...THE BIG QUESTION IS WHETHER THERE WILL BE ANY FOG AND/OR  
LOW STRATUS DEVELOP OVERNIGHT AND INTO FRIDAY MORNING. THE  
ATMOSPHERE REMAINS QUITE SATURATED AT LOW LEVELS AND CONDUCIVE FOR  
LOW CLOUD DEVELOPMENT. THE BIG FACTOR WORKING AGAINST THIS IS A  
SOUTHERLY WIND UP TO 10 KT OVERNIGHT WHICH MAY HELP KEEP THE LOWER  
LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE BETTER MIXED.  
 
 
 
 
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