118
FXAK69 PAFG 092235
AFDAFG
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
235 PM AKDT THU APR 9 2026
SYNOPSIS
A SERIES OF FRONTS MOVES ACROSS THE WEST COAST AND INTERIOR
THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY BRINGING GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS TO THE
WEST COAST AND PERIODS OF RAIN AND SNOW FROM THE WEST COAST
THROUGH THE INTERIOR. WARMER TEMPERATURES WILL CAUSE MUCH OF THE
PRECIPITATION TO FALL AS MELTING SNOW AND RAIN, ESPECIALLY IN THE
WARMEST AREAS. TEMPERATURES COOL EARLY NEXT WEEK ACROSS THE
ENTIRETY OF NORTHERN ALASKA.
KEY WEATHER MESSAGES
CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR...
- PERIODS OF LIGHT RAIN AND SNOW EXPECTED EARLY FRIDAY THROUGH
THE WEEKEND AND POSSIBLY LINGERING INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.
PRECIPITATION WILL BE MOSTLY RAIN AND MELTING SNOW IN INTERIOR
VALLEYS AND MOSTLY SNOW AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS.
- TEMPERATURES REMAIN SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE WEEKEND
WITH HIGHS IN THE MID 30S TO MID 40S FOR MOST VALLEY LOCATIONS.
TEMPERATURES COOL SLIGHTLY NEXT WEEK.
- VALLEY WINDS REMAIN MOSTLY LIGHT THROUGH THE WEEKEND. WINDS
ALONG RIDGETOPS AND THROUGH THE ALASKA RANGE PASSES WILL SEE
GUSTIER PERIODS SATURDAY. OCCASIONAL GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH
POSSIBLE ALONG INTERIOR SUMMITS AND SOUTHERLY GUSTS 25 TO 35 MPH
EXPECTED THROUGH ALASKA RANGE PASSES
WEST COAST AND WESTERN INTERIOR...
- GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS ALONG THE WEST COAST THURSDAY WEAKEN
THURSDAY EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH THROUGH THE
BERING STRAIT AND 25 TO 40 MPH ELSEWHERE EXPECTED THURSDAY
AFTERNOON.
- A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW IS EXPECTED THROUGH THURSDAY ALONG THE
WEST COAST AND THROUGH MIDDAY FRIDAY ACROSS THE WESTERN
INTERIOR. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE LIMITED BY THE LOW RATIO,
WET SNOW THAT IS EXPECTED FOR MOST REGIONS. THE HEAVIEST
PRECIPITATION WILL BE ALONG THE SOUTHERN SEWARD PENINSULA WHERE
2 TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE.
- ANOTHER FRONT IS EXPECTED TO REACH THE WEST COAST FRIDAY
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WINDS WILL BE SLIGHTLY WEAKER WITH THE
FRONT WITH SOUTHERLY GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH THROUGH THE BERING
STRAIT AND GUSTS 25 TO 35 MPH FOR OTHER AREAS.
- THE SECOND FRONT BRINGS ADDITIONAL PRECIPITATION. ONCE AGAIN A
RAIN/SNOW MIX, BUT SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES WILL ALLOW FOR
SNOW TO BE MORE DOMINANT. GENERALLY 1 TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW FRIDAY
INTO SATURDAY FROM THIS FRONT, BUT GREATER ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO
7 INCHES IS POSSIBLE FOR THE SOUTHERN SEWARD PENINSULA,
ESPECIALLY ALONG SOUTH FACING SLOPES.
- TEMPERATURES DECREASE EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH DAYTIME HIGHS FALLING
INTO THE 20S AND 30S. REMAINING WET SURFACES MAY FREEZE CREATING
SLICK AREAS.
NORTH SLOPE AND BROOKS RANGE..
- SEVERAL ROUNDS OF GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS EXPECTED AT POINT HOPE
THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. THE STRONGEST GUSTS EXPECTED THURSDAY
AROUND 30 TO 45 MPH AND WEAKEN FRIDAY AND SATURDAY TO 20 TO 35
MPH.
- PERIODS OF SNOW EXPECTED ALONG THE SOUTHERN SLOPES OF THE BROOKS
RANGE THURSDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. ACCUMULATIONS GENERALLY 1 TO
3 INCHES ALONG THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN BROOKS RANGE AND 2 TO 5
INCHES ALONG THE WESTERN BROOKS RANGE.
- TEMPERATURES WARM THURSDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH DAYTIME
HIGHS REACHING INTO THE 20S TO NEAR FREEZING. TEMPERATURES COOL
ONCE MORE NEXT WEEK WITH DAYTIME HIGHS FALLING BACK INTO THE
SINGLE DIGITS TO TEENS ABOVE 0 FOR MUCH OF THE ARCTIC COAST.
FORECAST ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
FOR THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.
AT THE START OF THE FORECAST PERIOD THURSDAY A THIN RIDGE
EXTENDING NORTH ALONG THE WEST COAST OF ALASKA MOVES EAST AS A
STRONG 498 DECAMETER UPPER LEVEL LOW IN EASTERN SIBERIA SPINS
SHORTWAVE LOWS THROUGH THE BERING SEA. A FRONT ALONG THE WESTERN
EDGE OF THIS RIDGE PUSHES EAST THROUGH THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. GUSTY
SOUTHERLY WINDS ALONG THE WEST COAST WEAKEN LATE THURSDAY AS THE
FRONT REACHES THE EASTERNMOST PORTIONS OF THE KOTZEBUE AND NORTON
SOUND. WARM TEMPERATURES NEAR THE SURFACE WILL CAUSE MUCH OF THE
PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FRONT TO FALL AS WET, MELTING
SNOW AND RAIN. AS THE FRONT PASSES AND TEMPERATURES COOL, WET
SURFACES MAY FREEZE CREATING VERY SLICK AREAS.
A SECOND FRONT FRIDAY FOLLOWS THE FIRST AFTER A VERY BRIEF BREAK
IN-BETWEEN AS ANOTHER SHORTWAVE LOW PUSHES THROUGH THE BERING
SEA. THIS NEXT FRONT IS LESS ORGANIZED THAN THE FIRST WHICH, WHEN
PAIRED WITH A WEAKENING GRADIENT DUE TO THE FIRST FRONT WEAKEN
INTERIOR SURFACE PRESSURE, MEANS THAT THE ASSOCIATED WINDS WILL BE
SIGNIFICANTLY WEAKER. WITH THE RIDGE FURTHER EAST TEMPERATURES
COOL SLIGHTLY ALONG THE WEST COAST ALLOWING A GREATER PORTION OF
THIS PRECIPITATION TO FALL AS SNOW, ESPECIALLY ALONG SOUTH FACING
SLOPES WHERE THE GREATEST SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED.
AS THE RIDGE IS PUSHED EAST BY THE FIRST FRONT, SOUTHERLY FLOW
DEVELOPS ALOFT OVER THE ALASKA RANGE. THIS KEEPS THE INTERIOR
SLIGHTLY WARMER AND DRIER, ESPECIALLY CLOSER TO THE ALASKA RANGE.
THE FIRST FRONT FALLS APART IN THE CENTRAL INTERIOR CREATING A
WIDE AREA OF SCATTERED SNOW AND RAIN SHOWERS. RAIN IS EXPECTED
PRIMARILY IN THE WARMEST VALLEYS WITH SNOW EXPECTED AT HIGHER
ELEVATIONS. THE SECOND FRONT MAKES ITS WAY INLAND SATURDAY INTO
SUNDAY KEEPING CONDITIONS WETTER THROUGH THE WEEKEND. COLDER
TEMPERATURES FOLLOW THE SECOND FRONT MOSTLY CONFINED TO THE WEST
COAST BY SUNDAY.
EXTENDED FORECAST DAYS 4-7
FOR LATE SUNDAY THROUGH NEXT THURSDAY.
AT THE START OF THE EXTENDED FORECAST PERIOD LATE SUNDAY THE
REMNANTS OF A SECOND FRONT SLOWLY DRIFT EAST ACROSS THE INTERIOR.
COLDER TEMPERATURES SETTLE INTO THE REGION BEHIND THE FRONT AS THE
RIDGE THAT WAS KEEPING THE AREA WARMER IS PUSHED EAST INTO CANADA.
TEMPERATURES FALL SLIGHTLY ALONG THE WEST COAST AND INTERIOR AND
MORE SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS THE NORTH SLOPE. DAYTIME HIGHS DROP INTO
THE 20S TO LOW 30S ALONG THE WEST COAST, INTO THE 30S FOR MOST
INTERIOR VALLEYS, AND INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE 0 FOR MUCH OF
THE ARCTIC COAST. REMAINING WET SURFACES FROM THE EARLIER WETTER
WEATHER MAY FREEZE WITH THE LOWER TEMPERATURES RESULTING IN SLICK
SURFACES.
A POTENTIAL 3RD ROUND OF PRECIPITATION APPROACHES FROM THE
SOUTHWEST AROUND MIDWEEK NEXT WEEK, BUT THERE IS UNCERTAINTY AS TO
HOW FAR NORTH IT GETS. AREAS NORTH OF THE LOWER YUKON MAY SEE
LITTLE TO NO PRECIPITATION FROM THIS EVENT.
COASTAL HAZARD POTENTIAL DAYS 3 AND 4...NONE
AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
AK...NONE.
PK...BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ801.
BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ802-803-808-853-855.
BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ804.
BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ805-809-852.
GALE WARNING FOR PKZ806-807-810-856.
GALE WARNING FOR PKZ811-857.
BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ812.
BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ813-815-861.
BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ814.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR PKZ816.
BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ817-850-854-858.
GALE WARNING FOR PKZ851.
BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ859.
BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ860.
STOKES
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