Alaska Extended Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
745 PM EDT Wed Oct 12 2022
Valid 12Z Sun Oct 16 2022 - 12Z Thu Oct 20 2022
...A very stormy pattern continues for much of Alaska and
adjoining waters to include a major prolonged heavy precipitation
and flooding threat next week for South-central to Southeast
Alaska...
...Overview and Guidance/Predictability Assessment and
Weather/Hazards Highlights...
The 12 UTC GFS/ECMWF/UKMET and Canadian solutions seem well
clustered into Sunday/Monday and are well supported by ensembles,
bolstering forecast confidence. In this period, lingering low
energies will keep the Bering Sea and Western/Southwestern Alaska
into the Interior unsettled with some periods of wintry
precipitation and some gusty winds. Deep low/frontal genesis
downstream over the western to northern Gulf of Alaska and long
moisture fetch lead inflow will combine with topograhic lift
enhancement in support a pattern with enhanced maritime to coastal
winds/waves and a multi-day heavy rainfall/runoff and elevation
snowfall threats across South-central and Southeast Alaska.
There is only a small break before guidance develops and tracks
another deep low pressure system to work from the west Pacific
back into the Gulf of Alaska by Tuesday in what is proving to be
quite an astonding series of storms so far in October in a highly
energetic pattern. However, forecast spread increases with the
details/timing of this potent storm and an uncertain partial
connection to moisture associated with current Tropical Depression
21 over the southwest Pacific. Accordingly, increasingly added
into forecast equation more run to run consistent 12 UTC
GEFS/ECMWF ensemble mean guidance, but made manual enhancements to
the composite model and ensemble blend to ensure development of a
deep system with stormy seas/gale winds and a renewed threat for
heavy rain/runoff and elevation snowfall threats back into
South-central and Southeast Alaska into next Wednesday.
Meanwhile, there is also a growing guidance signal for yet another
major and large low to flourish and bring widespread high
winds/waves across the Bering Sea through the Aleutians into the
north Pacific along with wrapping heavy rains Tuesday into next
Thursday. This system would also then threaten much of
West/Southwest Alaska and underneath through a stormy Gulf of
Alaska and inland with wrapping inflow into South-central then
Southeast Alaska yet again by next Wednesday/Thursday with
downstream potent energy transition and system progression.
Schichtel
Hazards:
- Heavy precipitation across portions of the Alaska Panhandle and
mainland Alaska, Sat-Wed, Oct 15-Oct 19.
- High winds across portions of the Alaska Panhandle and mainland
Alaska, Tue, Oct 18.
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