textproduct: Anchorage

SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA (Days 1 through 3)

The back half of the storm that brought widespread rains and wind to the region will push through Southcentral over the next 12 to 18 hours. Behind this system will be a brief break in the rain as subsidence behind the upper level feature moves overhead. This will allow some sunshine for the Kenai Peninsula and maybe as far north as Anchorage and the southern Mat-Su Valleys. Winds will persist however as the low pressure drives inland into the Interior.

For Thursday and Friday, another low pressure system will track from the Alaska Peninsula Thursday morning to over or south of the Kenai Peninsula on Friday. This will bring another round of rain that will sweep slowly west to east as the system progresses. While gap winds will likely come into some areas, the farther south low track will lead to weaker winds than observed yesterday. There is some uncertainty with how quickly the leading edge of the upper level trough will push on Friday, which will dictate rainfall timing for the Copper Basin.

For the weekend, yet another low will round the southern edge of the main upper trough, amplifying the pattern and leading to another round of widespread rain.

AVIATION

PANC...Rain showers move out of the area to the north early this morning as southerly flow increases up Cook Inlet. Expect southerly wind gusts to around 25 kts this morning through early afternoon before winds slowly diminish through the rest of the afternoon. Gusts should diminish completely by early this evening. Ceilings will oscillate between VFR and MVFR this morning through early afternoon before VFR ceilings become predominate through the rest of the TAF period. Another frontal system lifts towards the area by the end of the TAF period late Thursday morning.