textproduct: Juneau

UPDATE

Update to the Aviation Section to include the 06z TAFs.

PREV DISCUSSION......ISSUED AT 353 PM AKDT Sat May 16

SYNOPSIS...

Key Messages:

- Our break from the rain will come to an end on Sunday. - A gale force front with winds 35 kt to 45 kt moves into the northeastern Gulf of Alaska Sunday. Gale Warnings are posted for the open gulf north of 57 degrees north latitude and from Cape Spencer north through Cape Suckling.

SHORT TERM.../THROUGH MONDAY/...Our short stint of drier weather today comes to an end by tomorrow as a gale force front over the Gulf works northeastward...bringing a swath of widespread rain to SE Alaska Sunday into Monday. No big changes were made on the day shift products, keeping rainfall amounts across SE Alaska generally in the half inch or less category...not enough for a significant hydrologic response for flooding issues. it will bet breezy along the outer coast, although not to wind advisory criteria. Main impacts from the front over the Gulf tonight into Sunday will be across the marine area...and mainly offshore. /Garmon

LONG TERM.../TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...

Moisture lingering from Monday's precipitation looks to stick around the northern panhandle through the day on Tuesday, bringing cloudy skies and chances for rain. However, the central and, especially southern panhandle will see more clearing though the day Tuesday before another front moves across the area early or mid Wednesday morning. This will bring more widespread rain to the panhandle, with higher accumulation totals aimed at the northern panhandle, mainly Yakutat and Juneau. Rain is anticipated to diminish again through the day Thursday across the entire panhandle which also brings the chance for clearing skies going into late next week. /Perez

AVIATION...Cloud cover continues to increase this evening as clouds from the next system work closer to the panhandle. Some periods of MVFR ceilings have been reported this evening around the Sitka area. VFR ceilings are expected to persist through most of the overnight hours before the rain moves closer to the outer coast and we start to see ceilings drop down MVFR conditions. As the rain spreads across the panhandle, some visibility drops down to MVFR are possible. With the front moving closer to the coast, some areas of LLWS will be possible during the daytime hours tomorrow starting around mid morning and lasting through the afternoon. Heading into the latter half of the TAF period, some ceilings could drop down to IFR near the evening hours.

MARINE...No big changes were made for the afternoon marine forecast issuance. We still expect to see the gale force front to move northeast into the northeastern Gulf tonight into Sunday. Strongest sustained winds 35-45 kt and seas 15 to 20 ft are still expected from Cape Cape Sucking to Just off Cape Spencer and north of the 57th parallel. Over the inside waters, we generally expect less of a pressure gradient and winds, although increased general southwest to southeasterly flow is expected by Sunday lingering into Monday before the front dissipates. Another front moves across the Gulf on Wednesday, however winds speeds look to be less...generally 25 to 30 kts max. /Garmon

AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

PUBLIC...None. MARINE...Gale Warning for PKZ644-651-652-664-671-672. Small Craft Advisory for PKZ022-036-053-641>643-661>663.