260  
FXAK69 PAFG 052227  
AFDAFG  
 
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK  
227 PM AKDT SAT JUL 5 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS  
HOT, DRY, AND WINDY CONDITIONS CONTINUE ACROSS THE  
AREA TODAY (SATURDAY) AS A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE PEAKS IN  
STRENGTH TODAY. CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS PERSIST THROUGH  
THIS EVENING ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR, AND HEAT  
ADVISORIES HAVE BEEN EXTENDED THROUGH SUNDAY MAINLY NORTH OF THE  
YUKON RIVER. THE RIDGE BEGINS TO BREAK DOWN SUNDAY, WHICH WILL  
CAUSE GRADUAL COOLING AND AN INCREASE IN THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY  
SUNDAY AND MONDAY. BY TUESDAY, CONDITIONS ARE MUCH COOLER ACROSS  
THE ENTIRE AREA WITH WIDESPREAD SHOWERS. 0.5"-1.0" OF RAIN IS  
EXPECTED ACROSS THE SOUTHERN INTERIOR AND EASTERN BROOKS RANGE  
THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING WITH MORE SHOWERS THROUGH THE WEEK.  
 
 
   
KEY WEATHER MESSAGES  
 
CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR...  
- HOT, DRY AND WINDY IN THE HILLS NORTH OF FAIRBANKS, WHITE  
MOUNTAINS, CHENA HILLS AND NORTHERN INTERIOR THROUGH LATE THIS  
EVENING.  
 
- HEAT ADVISORIES EXTENDED THROUGH SUNDAY NORTH OF THE YUKON RIVER  
 
- COOLING TEMPERATURES EXPECTED SUNDAY SOUTH OF THE YUKON RIVER  
WITH HIGHS IN THE UPPER 70S, THEN LOW 70S MONDAY, AND UPPER 60S  
TUESDAY. 0.5"-1.0" OF RAIN THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING EAST OF  
TANANA.  
 
- INCREASING THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ON SUNDAY WITH WIDELY  
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS FROM THE WHITE MOUNTAINS TO THE YUKON  
RIVER.  
 
WEST COAST AND WESTERN INTERIOR...  
- HOT, AND DRY CONDITIONS CONTINUE THROUGH SATURDAY, AND THROUGH  
MONDAY IN THE NW INTERIOR. SLIGHT MODERATION ON SUNDAY.  
 
- ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE WESTERN  
INTERIOR, WITH THE MOST COVERAGE OVER THE NULATO HILLS AND KOBUK  
VALLEY ON SUNDAY.  
 
- COOLER AND SLIGHTLY WETTER PATTERN HEADING INTO NEXT WEEK.  
PRECIP WILL BE LIMITED THOUGH.  
 
- INCREASING NORTH WINDS ALONG THE COAST.  
 
NORTH SLOPE AND BROOKS RANGE..  
- HOT AND DRY, ESPECIALLY INLAND FROM THE COAST AND IN THE BROOKS  
RANGE WHERE TEMPERATURES CAN BE AS HIGH AS 85 DEGREES.  
 
- TEMPERATURES COOL DOWN ON SUNDAY AND INTO NEXT WEEK.  
 
- SNOW POSSIBLE OVER ATIGUN PASS MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY.  
 
 
   
FORECAST ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION  
A HIGH THAT HAS BEEN  
STRENGTHENING OVER THE CENTRAL ARCTIC COAST WILL PEAK IN STRENGTH  
TODAY BEFORE A LOW NEAR THE ALEUTIANS MOVES FAR ENOUGH NORTHEAST  
TO BEGIN TO WEAKEN IT. AS THE LOW MOVES INTO THE GULF OF ALASKA,  
MOISTURE WILL BEGIN TO WRAP AROUND INTO THE INTERIOR FROM THE  
EAST. THIS WILL INCREASE CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS BEGINNING  
SUNDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS THE INTERIOR, MAINLY SOUTH OF THE YUKON  
RIVER. BY MONDAY MORNING, AN ARCTIC TROUGH WILL BEGIN TO DROP  
SOUTH, BRINGING 850 MB TEMPERATURES AS COLD AS -8 C TO THE NORTH  
SLOPE. THE COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN  
INTERIOR MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY, ENHANCING PRECIPITATION FROM  
GULF MOISTURE. MODELS CONTINUE TO TREND THESE PRECIP AMOUNTS  
UPWARDS WITH 0.5"-1.0" OF RAINFALL EXPECTED ACROSS THE SOUTHERN  
INTERIOR AND ALSO THE EASTERN BROOKS RANGE BY TUESDAY NIGHT. A  
BRIEF PERIOD OF SOUTHWEST FLOW FOLLOWING THE COLD FRONT WILL BRING  
ADDITIONAL PRECIP THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK WITH TEMPERATURES  
DIPPING AND SNOW LEVELS EVEN FALLING TO ROAD LEVEL IN THE BROOKS  
RANGE BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON.  
 
 
   
FIRE WEATHER  
CRITICAL AND NEAR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS  
OVER THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR THIS AFTERNOON AS NE WINDS  
ALOFT HAVE PUSHED SMOKE TO THE WEST, ALLOWING FIRES ACROSS THE  
INTERIOR EAST OF THE PARKS HIGHWAY TO VENT AND BURN VERY ACTIVELY.  
ADDITIONAL SMOKE FROM THE RICK'S CREEK AND NINETYEIGHT FIRES SHOULD  
PROVIDE MUCH NEEDED SHADING TO THE NENANA RIDGE COMPLEX BY LATE  
SATURDAY AFTERNOON, THOUGH THE NINETYEIGHT AND RICK'S CREEK FIRES  
WILL REMAIN MOSTLY CLEAR OVERHEAD. PYROCUMULUS DEVELOPMENT IS  
LIKELY THIS EVENING FOR FIRES EAST OF TANANA AS MID LEVEL MOISTURE  
INCREASES AHEAD OF A SYNOPTIC PATTERN CHANGE. THIS AFTERNOON WILL  
BE THE HOTTEST AND DRIEST OF THIS STRETCH OF FIRE WEATHER BEFORE  
A PATTERN CHANGE OCCURS SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.  
 
THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE STARTING SATURDAY  
AFTERNOON WITH WIDELY SCATTERED STORMS EXPECTED ACROSS THE MIDDLE  
YUKON VALLEY AND NULATO HILLS ALONG WITH ISOLATED STORMS ALONG THE  
ALASKA RANGE. CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL INCREASES SIGNIFICANTLY SUNDAY  
WITH MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOWING PWATS NEAR 1", AMPLE CAPE AND EVEN  
DCAPE NEAR 600 J/KG. STORMS WILL BE WIDELY SCATTERED NEAR THE  
YUKON RIVER AND FROM THE NULATO HILLS NORTH TO THE KOBUK VALLEY. THE  
BIGGEST THREAT WITH THESE STORMS WILL BE STRONG OUTFLOW WINDS.  
THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO FORM WILL PRODUCE RAINFALL, AND WILL NOT BE  
STATIONARY. ON MONDAY, THE THUNDERSTORM THREAT MOVES NORTHEAST AS  
THE THERMAL TROUGH MOVES TO THE YUKON FLATS AND ALONG THE SOUTH  
SLOPES OF THE BROOKS RANGE.  
 
BY MONDAY MORNING, AN ARCTIC TROUGH WILL BEGIN TO DROP SOUTH,  
BRINGING 850 MB TEMPERATURES AS COLD AS -8 C TO THE NORTH SLOPE.  
THE COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR  
MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY, ENHANCING PRECIPITATION FROM GULF  
MOISTURE AND CAUSING TEMPERATURES TO TAKE A NOSE DIVE. MODELS  
CONTINUE TO TREND THESE PRECIP AMOUNTS UPWARDS WITH 0.5"-1.0" OF  
RAINFALL EXPECTED ACROSS THE SOUTHERN INTERIOR AND ALSO THE  
EASTERN BROOKS RANGE BY TUESDAY NIGHT. A BRIEF PERIOD OF SOUTHWEST  
FLOW FOLLOWING THE COLD FRONT WILL BRING ADDITIONAL PRECIP  
THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK, THOUGH HIGH AMOUNTS OF UNCERTAINTY  
REMAIN ON AMOUNTS. AREAS NORTHWEST OF TANANA ARE LIKELY TO SEE  
VERY LITTLE PRECIP THIS COMING WEEK.  
 
 
   
HYDROLOGY  
NO CONCERNS AT THIS TIME.  
 
 
   
EXTENDED FORECAST DAYS 4-7  
A BRIEF PERIOD OF SOUTHWEST FLOW  
WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WILL BRING WIDESPREAD SHOWERS TO THE  
INTERIOR BEFORE DRIER NORTHWEST FLOW KICKS IN ON FRIDAY.  
TEMPERATURES REMAIN WELL BELOW NORMAL THROUGH THE EXTENDED PERIOD.  
AREAS NORTHWEST OF TANANA LOOK TO SEE LITTLE PRECIP NEXT WEEK  
WHILE AREAS SOUTH AND EAST CAN EXPECT 1 TO 2 INCHES TOTAL THROUGH  
NEXT WEEK.  
 
COASTAL HAZARD POTENTIAL DAYS 3 AND 4...NONE  
 
 
   
AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
AK...HEAT ADVISORY FOR AKZ806>809-813-814-816-818-819-822-823-828-829-  
831>833-846.  
RED FLAG WARNING FOR AKZ928-931>934-938-942.  
RED FLAG WARNING FOR AKZ937-947.  
PK...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ805.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ806-853-854.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ807.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ856.  
 
 
 
 
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