textproduct: Anchorage
This forecast discussion was created in the public domain by the National Weather Service. It can be found in its original form here.
SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA (Days 1 through 3)
Key Message: Winds will increase again this weekend, especially through the Matanuska Valley, Thompson Pass, and Valdez. Gusty conditions could also make it into North/West Anchorage.
We are now in the third week of this same cold, dry and windy pattern which is increasing winds every few days as short waves drive stronger winds aloft toward the surface. This means that for the third weekend in a row there will be strong winds in the Matanuska Valley and Valdez where there are high wind watches in effect for parts of this coming weekend. The good news for the Matanuska Valley, is that winds do not appear likely to reach the same magnitude as either of the past two weekends. At this time, it looks likely that maximum wind gusts will reach speeds of 65 to 75 mph as opposed to the 90 mph+ that occurred the past two weekends. In addition, the duration should be shorter with the warning level winds expected from Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon. Even so, 65 to 75 mph winds are quite strong, so prepare for winds of this magnitude for this third weekend in a row.
Valdez to Thompson Pass is the other location that is under a High Wind Watch for this weekend. While winds remain gusty there today, this is the reprieve in the high winds before they increase again Saturday into Sunday night.
ANother area of interest will be the Copper River Basin for the potential for a significant drop in temperatures or wind chills for the early part of next week. For the next two days the ambient temperature will drop into the 20 to 30 below zero range when the wind is not blowing and then increase instantly when some wind mixes out the inversion some. However, the resulting wind chills will be close to what the ambient temperature was. By Sunday night, the winds should have diminished as even colder air moves into the region which may drop temperatures to 40 below which could even approach 50 below in the colder areas of the Basin for Monday and Tuesday.
AVIATION
PANC...VFR conditions and light winds will persist.
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