textproduct: Fairbanks

KEY MESSAGES

Central and Eastern Interior... - Breezy in the AK Range, particularly Isabel Pass today with south gusts to 65 mph through the evening.

- Easterly winds around 25 to 45 mph expected in Delta Junction this morning, gradually weakening this afternoon and Thursday.

- Mostly dry for the Interior through Friday, but a weak front today brings light snow and flurries to the Interior, mainly in the terrain with a coating to an inch of snow possible.

- Light snow also possible Friday into Saturday with most being in the Eastern Interior. Accumulations will be 1 inch or less.

- Following the highest temperatures today, they will be dropping to the teens and 20s across the Interior to finish out the week.

West Coast and Western Interior... - Dry in most spots, but a few rain/snow showers persist in the Yukon Delta and St. Lawrence Island through Thursday. Isolated snow showers expected from the Bering Strait south Friday, isolated snow showers in the Western Interior this weekend. * Little to no notable snowfall accumulation expected.

- East winds turn northeast Wednesday night with the highest gusts, up to 45 mph expected in the Bering Strait and Gambell through Friday morning. Winds weaken to 15 to 25 mph thereafter.

- Temperatures will be mild through Friday and drop to near normal levels Saturday. Continued cooling is likely on Sunday.

North Slope and Brooks Range... - Areas of light snow and wind gusts between 30 and 50 mph expected from Utqiagvik to Kaktovik through Friday night. The strongest wind gusts occur Thursday AM through Friday PM. * Visibility may drop to 1/2 mile or less at times due to blowing snow.

- These strong winds move to the Chukchi Sea Coast late Thursday night but most of the snow remains to the north and east. Wind gusts to 50 mph are possible from Point Hope to Point Lay Friday through the weekend.

SYNOPSIS

The weather will remain fairly quiet through the rest of the week and into the weekend. The main concern will be wind gusts along the Arctic Coast and isolated snow showers in conjunction causing reduced visibility through the week. Otherwise, wind gusts through the Alaska Range will increase and persist through today. Light snow will be possible for the Interior through the week, leading to light accumulations possible. On the West Coast, light rain/snow showers will be possible through the week with gusty winds from Gambell through the Bering Strait.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/

A 535 decameter high over the Arctic and a 517 decameter low over the North Slope is creating a tight pressure gradient throughout the Arctic Coast and North Slope. This tight gradient will cause gusty winds throughout the North Slope at least through the weekend. As the low travels westward, light snow showers will be possible through the week. This will lead to blowing snow conditions where visibility could be as low as a half mile at times. This low will move into the Chukchi Sea by Thursday morning and into Siberia Friday morning, leading to broad troughing over the state. As this low moves out, snow showers are expected to decrease, leading to visibilities increasing. However, since the pressure gradient and gusty winds are expected to persist through the weekend, an isolated snow shower, if one occurs, visibilities may be reduced again.

For the Interior, southerly flow is expected to bring wind gusts as high as 65 mph through the Alaska Range passes through the day today. Easterly flow through the Tanana Valley will also allow the wind gusts in Delta Junction to remain gusty through the day as well. Our next low will be traveling north through the Gulf of Alaska and it won't necessarily reach our area of concern, but it will likely bring some wrap-around snow showers on Friday, especially for the Eastern Interior and the higher terrain. Generally light accumulations are expected, but the higher terrain, including the eastern Brooks Range, could see as high as 3 inches through the weekend. Temperatures will continue to be on the downward trend through the weekend with today being the warmest day.

The West Coast is expected to see gusty winds from Gambell through the Bering Strait to the edge of the Lisburne Peninsula to Friday. The strongest gusts for the Bering Strait as high as 35 mph are expected Thursday morning and as high as 45 mph for Gambell Thursday evening. As shortwave energy moves through the YK Delta and St. Lawrence Island associated with a 507 decameter low in the Bering Sea, isolated rain/snow showers will be possible through the week.

LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/

Fairly calm and benign weather continues for Northern Alaska in the long term as broad troughing situates itself over the Gulf of Alaska. The trough axis for this feature will gradually shift over Western Alaska sometime around Monday afternoon as a few embedded surface features circle around the base of this trough into the beginning portions of next week. Although there is a bit of uncertainty surrounding these embedded lows, each look to be fairly unimpactful, keeping southeasterly flow around for the Interior. This will support a few isolated wrap around snow showers, but accumulators will be light, up to an inch or so, mainly in the Eastern Interior. Up on the North Slope, easterly winds will continue to gust up to 50 mph, mainly from Point Hope to Point Lay, with winds gusting up to 40 mph along the Beaufort Sea Coast. Otherwise, temperatures will gradually drop through next week across the state, with some Interior locations potentially seeing their first sub-zero temperatures this year dependent on cloud cover.

Coastal Hazard Potential... No significant concerns as the storm track remains south.

AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

AK...Winter Weather Advisory until 3 PM AKST Friday for AKZ803>805. Wind Advisory until 6 PM AKST this evening for AKZ849. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 9 PM AKST this evening for PKZ805. Small Craft Advisory until noon AKST Thursday for PKZ806. Small Craft Advisory from 3 PM to 6 PM AKST Thursday for PKZ806. Small Craft Advisory until 6 PM AKST this evening for PKZ807. Small Craft Advisory from 9 PM this evening to 6 PM AKST Thursday for PKZ807. Small Craft Advisory from 6 PM this evening to 6 AM AKST Thursday for PKZ810. Gale Warning until 3 PM AKST this afternoon for PKZ811-857. Small Craft Advisory until noon AKST Thursday for PKZ811. Small Craft Advisory until 6 PM AKST Thursday for PKZ812>815- 854-857>861. Brisk Wind Advisory until 6 PM AKST Thursday for PKZ813. Brisk Wind Advisory until 6 PM AKST Thursday for PKZ814-815- 860-861. Gale Warning from 9 AM to 6 PM AKST Thursday for PKZ814. Small Craft Advisory from midnight tonight to 6 PM AKST Thursday for PKZ816-851. Small Craft Advisory until 6 PM AKST Thursday for PKZ817. Small Craft Advisory from 6 PM this evening to 3 PM AKST Thursday for PKZ856. Brisk Wind Advisory from 6 PM this evening to 6 PM AKST Thursday for PKZ859. Heavy Freezing Spray Warning until 6 PM AKST Thursday for PKZ860. Gale Warning from 3 PM to 6 PM AKST Thursday for PKZ860. Heavy Freezing Spray Warning from 3 AM to 6 AM AKST Thursday for PKZ861.