090
FXAK69 PAFG 120008
AFDAFG
NORTHERN ALASKA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FAIRBANKS AK
408 PM AKDT SAT APR 11 2026
SYNOPSIS
A FRONTAL SYSTEM CURRENTLY MOVING ACROSS WESTERN ALASKA WILL
SPREAD PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE INTERIOR AS IT SHIFTS EAST.
PRECIPITATION IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE INTERIOR (MOSTLY
BELOW ABOUT 1500 FEET) WILL BE AFFECTED BY DIURNAL HEATING; IN
THE AFTERNOONS AND EVENINGS, RAIN WILL BE MORE FAVORED, WHILE
DURING THE NIGHTS AND MORNINGS, SNOW WILL BE MORE FAVORED. THIS
COULD LEAD TO SOME PERIODS OF SLUSH OR SLICK ROADS AS REFREEZING
OCCURS OVERNIGHT. LOWER SNOW TOTALS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE WHITE
MOUNTAINS, AT DELTA JUNCTION, AND SOUTHEAST OF TOK, WHILE HIGHER
TOTALS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE ALASKA RANGE AND FROM TOK TO
SOUTHEAST OF DELTA JUNCTION. COOLER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED
ACROSS THE AREA NEXT WEEK, WITH A MORE SIGNIFICANT DROP IN
TEMPERATURES ON THE NORTH SLOPE.
KEY WEATHER MESSAGES
CENTRAL AND EASTERN INTERIOR...
- ADDITIONAL RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS RETURN SUNDAY INTO NEXT WEEK. EXACT
SNOWFALL TOTALS ARE UNCERTAIN, BUT IN MOST OF THE VALLEYS,
AROUND 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE. HIGHER TOTALS
WILL BE POSSIBLE IN SPECIFICALLY THE UPPER TANANA VALLEY, WHERE
3 TO 6 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE, WITH HIGHER TOTALS POTENTIALLY
EXCEEDING A FOOT ALONG THE ALASKA HIGHWAY FROM SOUTHEAST OF
DELTA JUNCTION TO TOK.
- IN THE ALASKA RANGE, SNOWFALL WILL DEPEND MORE HEAVILY ON
ELEVATION. BELOW 1500 FEET, AROUND 6 TO 12 INCHES OF SNOW WILL
BE POSSIBLE, WITH HIGHER TOTALS EXCEEDING A FOOT POSSIBLE ABOVE
1500 FEET.
- GRADUALLY COOLING TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE WEEKEND INTO THE LOW
TO MID 30S DURING THE DAY, WITH LOWS IN THE TEENS ABOVE ZERO.
ANY LIQUID OR MELTING PRECIPITATION WILL LIKELY FREEZE
OVERNIGHT, CREATING SLUSHY OR SLICK/ICY SPOTS IN THE MORNING.
WEST COAST AND WESTERN INTERIOR...
- MODERATE SOUTH WINDS THROUGH THE BERING STRAIT AND AT POINT HOPE
WILL WEAKEN THROUGH THE EVENING AND SHIFT OUT OF THE NORTH BY
SUNDAY MORNING FOLLOWING THE FRONTAL PASSAGE.
- WIDESPREAD RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS CONTINUE ACROSS THE WEST COAST
THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE
ACROSS THE SOUTHERN SEWARD PENINSULA AND SOUTH FACING SLOPES OF
THE BROOKS RANGE, WITH FINAL SNOW TOTALS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES LIKELY.
ANY SNOW THAT FALLS WILL CONTINUE TO BE WET AND DENSE IN
NATURE.
- TEMPERATURES COOL THROUGH THE WEEKEND, WITH HIGHS IN THE LOW 20S
AND OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE TEENS ABOVE ZERO. SLICK AND ICY
SURFACES MAY FORM WHERE LIQUID OR MELTING PRECIPITATION FREEZES
OVERNIGHT.
NORTH SLOPE AND BROOKS RANGE...
- SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS CONTINUE ACROSS THE BROOKS RANGE THROUGH THE
WEEKEND, ESPECIALLY ALONG SOUTHERN FACING SLOPES. THE HIGHEST
SNOWFALL WILL BE ALONG THE WESTERN BROOKS RANGE WITH 2 TO 4
INCHES TOTAL EXPECTED.
- TEMPERATURES REMAIN WARM THROUGH THE WEEKEND BEFORE RAPIDLY
COOLING INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE ZERO BY TUESDAY. OVERNIGHT
LOWS CAN REACH AS COLD AS THE TEENS BELOW ZERO FOR MUCH OF THE
ARCTIC COAST.
- BRIEF PERIODS OF GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE
NORTHEAST ARCTIC COAST LATE THIS WEEKEND AS A LOW MOVES SOUTH
FROM THE BEAUFORT SEA. WINDS COULD GUST AS HIGH AS 30 MPH.
FORECAST ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
WHILE SPOTTY LIGHT RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS CONTINUE IN THE EASTERN
INTERIOR, THEY WILL DIMINISH AS THEY MOVE INTO CANADA. GENERAL
TROUGHING OVER WESTERN ALASKA AND THE BERING WILL GRADUALLY SHIFT
EASTWARD WITH A FRONT TODAY. THE HIGHEST SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS
IN WESTERN ALASKA ARE LIKELY IN ELEVATED PARTS OF THE SOUTHERN
SEWARD PENINSULA AND ON THE SOUTH SLOPES OF THE WESTERN BROOKS
RANGE WHERE THERE IS ONGOING SOUTHERLY UPSLOPE FLOW, WITH AROUND 3
TO 6 INCHES OF TOTAL ACCUMULATION EXPECTED BY THE TIME THE SNOW
ENDS. AS THE SURFACE FRONT SHIFTS EAST, IT WILL PULL THE SNOW IN
WESTERN ALASKA EASTWARD ACROSS THE INTERIOR, BRINGING ANOTHER SHOT
FOR RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS. AS WITH THE LAST SYSTEM, PRECIPITATION
TYPE WILL IN GREAT PART DEPEND ON THE TIME OF DAY, WITH RAIN
FAVORED IN THE AFTERNOONS AND EVENINGS AND SNOW FAVORED DURING THE
OVERNIGHT AND MORNING TIME FRAMES. THIS PRECIPITATION ARRIVES IN
THE CENTRAL/EASTERN INTERIOR BY SUNDAY, WITH AROUND 1 TO 3 INCHES
OF SNOW POSSIBLE IN MOST OF THE VALLEY AREAS SOUTH OF THE WHITE
MOUNTAINS. AS TROUGHING/SURFACE LOW PRESSURE FORMING OVER THE
EASTERN GULF OF ALASKA, MOIST NORTHERLY FLOW WILL SET UP AROUND
THE NORTH SIDE OF THE ALASKA RANGE, ESPECIALLY ON THE EAST SIDE.
IN THESE AREAS AND ADJACENT PORTIONS OF THE UPPER TANANA VALLEY,
UPSLOPING WILL ALLOW FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL THROUGH MONDAY
AFTERNOON. THIS WILL ESPECIALLY BE THE CASE ALONG THE ALASKA
HIGHWAY FROM SOUTHEAST OF DELTA JUNCTION TO TOK. IN THIS CORRIDOR,
SNOW TOTALS NEAR OR IN EXCESS OF A FOOT WILL BE POSSIBLE.
ELSEWHERE IN THE UPPER TANANA VALLEY, TOTALS OF AROUND 3 TO 8
INCHES COULD FALL, ALTHOUGH MELTING ON THE GROUND AND/OR RAIN
MIXING IN COULD REDUCE SNOW TOTALS.
EXTENDED FORECAST DAYS 4-7
TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY
IN THE EXTENDED TIME FRAME, A GENERALLY UNSETTLED PATTERN WILL
PERSIST THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD, WITH LARGELY WEST TO SOUTHWEST FLOW
ACROSS THE AREA. BY TUESDAY MORNING, ANOTHER FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL
APPROACH THE WEST COAST, WITH SNOW FALLING IN WESTERN ALASKA
BEGINNING BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL FALL
ACROSS THE NORTH SLOPE INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS, WITH MID 30S MORE
COMMON IN THE INTERIOR AND MID TO UPPER 20S ON THE WEST COAST. AS
THE FRONTAL SYSTEM MOVES INTO WESTERN ALASKA, IT WILL BRING GUSTY
CONDITIONS TO COASTAL AREAS. THE SYSTEM WILL BRING AN ADDITIONAL
CHANCE FOR RAIN/SNOW TO NORTHERN ALASKA AS IT MOVES INLAND,
SIMILAR TO THE PRECEDING SYSTEMS. PERIODS OF GAP WINDS THROUGH THE
ALASKA RANGE ARE POSSIBLE ON FRIDAY/SATURDAY DEPENDING ON WHETHER
SOUTH FLOW CAN SET UP. WHILE THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY BASED ON
HOW TROUGHING SETS UP ACROSS THE AREA, GENERAL SHOWERY WEATHER
WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE WEST COAST AND INTERIOR THROUGH THE END
OF THE WEEK.
COASTAL HAZARD POTENTIAL DAYS 3 AND 4...NONE
AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
AK...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR AKZ836-849.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ837-847.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AKZ834.
PK...BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ806-807.
HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING FOR PKZ816.
BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ817-854.
BRISK WIND ADVISORY FOR PKZ856.
DS
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