textproduct: Juneau

LONG TERM

/Sunday through Tuesday/...Rainfall rates are expected to taper off through Sunday morning before another front moves along the northern gulf coast Sunday afternoon, forcing the lingering precipitation to shift southeast out of the panhandle. Uncertainty has somewhat improved from yesterday, with models coming more in line with a potential break in rainfall Sunday afternoon before the next frontal band moves into the northeast gulf coast. Locations near Yakutat and along the northern gulf coast will see the most rainfall with this system on Sunday, but the frontal band is expected to spread into the rest of the panhandle by Monday. Due to the northern track of this front, precipitation has the possibility of falling as snow overnight for northern locations near Yakutat and the northern highways. Gusty winds through the outer gulf waters and into the N/S oriented channels will be present with this frontal band. High temperatures look to slightly increase through the period, though low temperatures look to stay relatively consistent around mid 30s. This front looks to push southeastward Tuesday, dragging precipitation through the central & into the southern panhandle through the rest of the period with post-frontal moist onshore-flow showery activity following behind it into the future. For Tuesday, expect an increase in WSW winds up to 35 to 40 kt gales for the southern half of the eastern gulf waters associated with the aforementioned weather system.

AVIATION.../Through 12z Sunday/

Multiple fronts and onshore shower activity between these features will continue to keep flying conditions between MVFR and VFR across much of the panhandle, with the exception of the NE Gulf coastline remaining between low-end MVFR to IFR. As the low to the SW of Haida Gwaii moves a front northeastward this morning through the evening, areas will begin to drop to predominantly low-end MVFR, down to IFR at times in the afternoon for the central panhandle up to Icy Strait Corridor. The southern panhandle will begin to see a drop to low-end MVFR closer to the afternoon hours as the ridging to the SE over B.C. keeps CIGs largely above 3000 ft this morning, with these lower flying conditions lasting into the end of the TAF period. The northern panhandle and central Gulf coastline will begin to clear up to high end MVFR to potentially VFR near the very end of the TAF period as a ridge approaches from the W.

MARINE

Inner Channels...Highest winds this morning are concentrated in Northern Lynn Canal (up to 20 kt S winds at Eldred Rock), and that will likely remain the case through tonight. The rest of the inner channels are seeing 15 kt or less of winds from mainly a S or E direction that will persist through the weekend. Seas are 3 to 4 ft or less mainly from wind wave even in the ocean entrances with very little incoming swell to enhance seas there.

Gulf Waters...The gulf waters are fairly quiet with mainly southerly winds around 20 kt or less. However, the central gulf is already showing a wind shift to NW early this morning and that is expected to spread eastward into Saturday evening. Magnitudes with the NW winds are expected to top out around 20 kt at most. Seas are rather quiet too with combined seas of around 4 to 5 ft mainly from wind wave. Little change expected until Saturday afternoon when some southerly swell of around 4 ft with some wind wave to 4 to 5 ft will start to build combined seas to around 6 to 8 ft for areas south of 58N latitude.