Alaska Extended Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
629 PM EDT Sun Oct 09 2022
Valid 12Z Thu Oct 13 2022 - 12Z Mon Oct 17 2022
...Mid-late week South-Central to Southeast Alaska Heavy Rainfall
and Elevation Heavy Snow Threat returns into next weekend with
Aleutians/Bering Sea to Gulf of Alaska Storm...
...Guidance/Predictability Assessment and Weather/Hazards
Highlights...
The 12 UTC GFS/ECMWF/UKMET/Canadian models are well clustered
Thursday into Saturday and a composite blend seems to offer a good
forecast basis. Forecast spread increases into next week, so
included the compatible GEFS/NAEFS/ECMWF ensemble mean solutions
with still useful model data to maintains max WPC product
continuity.
A vigorous closed low exiting through the Pole/high latitudes of
the Arctic Ocean will favor lingering rotation of a series of
progressive troughs underneath into the North Slope and Brooks
Range into Thursday to offer some threat for enhanced coastal surf
and erosion along with some modest Brooks Range snows. The pattern
should also be quite cooled down over the Interior into
south-central Alaska in the wake of system passages.
Model and ensemble solutions strongly favor a similar pattern
evolution aloft and highlight development of an amplified upper
trough from the Bering Sea through the Aleutians and amplified
upper ridging building over the central to eastern Gulf of Alaska
leading into mid-later week. There is a good signal for the
tapping of additional northern stream and mid-latitude Pacific
system energy with long fetch moisture to fuel a renewed threat
for multi-day heavy precipitation enhanced by topography into
south-central to southeastern Alaska given an emerging flow
channel to the state in between the upper trough/ridge couplet,
albeit with slow eastward pattern translation over time with
upstream system approach. There remains an above normal guidance
signal in support of that system. That major storm will develop
and track from the northwest Pacific through midweek to the
Aleutians/southern Bering Sea then Southwest Alaska and the Alaska
Peninsula/Kodiak Island later week. This storm is expected to
strongly transition and reform over the Gulf of Alaska into next
weekend along with mid-latitude influx to rejuvenate the wet
pattern across south-central and southeast Alaska. This deep low
also offers a wind/waves and enhanced rainfall threat into a
region already having significant precipitation from the lead
pattern/systems.
Schichtel
Additional 3-7 Day Hazard Information can be found on the WPC
medium range hazards outlook chart at:
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/threats/threats.php
WPC medium range Alaskan products including 500mb, surface
fronts/pressures progs and sensible weather grids can also be
found at:
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/alaska/ak_5dayfcst500_wbg.gif
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/alaska/akmedr.shtml
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/alaska/ak_5km_gridsbody.html