Alaska Extended Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
600 PM EDT Thu Oct 13 2022
Valid 12Z Mon Oct 17 2022 - 12Z Fri Oct 21 2022
...Multi-storm heavy precipitation and high wind/wave maritime
threat with impact from the Aleutians to South-central/Southeast
Alaska to continue next week...
...Overview and Guidance/Predictability Assessment and
Weather/Hazards Highlights...
The 12 UTC GFS/ECMWF/UKMET and Canadian solutions seem well
clustered Monday into Tuesday and are well supported by ensembles,
bolstering forecast confidence. In this period, lingering low
energies will keep the eastern Bering Sea and Western/Southwestern
Alaska into the Interior unsettled with some periods of wintry
precipitation and some gusty winds. Low/frontal genesis downstream
into the northern Gulf of Alaska and long moisture fetch lead
inflow will combine with topograhic lift enhancement to support a
lingering 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.
Expect 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/Wednesday 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 current Tropical Depression 21 over the southwest
Pacific. The 12 UTC GFS/GEFS are much slower to lift the storm
into the Gulf of Alaska than the 12 UTC ECMWF/UKMET/Canadian and
ECMWF ensembles. Given uncertainties and run to run continuity
variance in the GFS/GEFS recently with this system, agreed in
collaboration with Alaskan offices to maintain WPC guidance
continuity with a solution closer to a composite of the 12 UTC
ECMWF/UKMET/Canadian and ECMWF ensemble mean. The resultant
depiction of a deep system track offers a renewed threat of stormy
seas/gale winds and heavy rain/runoff and elevation snowfall
threats into South-central and Southeast Alaska Tuesday/Wednesday.
Meanwhile, there is also a growing guidance signal for yet another
major/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 AKpen/Kodiak Island into the Gulf of
Alaska and inland with wrapping inflow into South-central then
Southeast Alaska yet again by next Wednesday-Friday with
downstream potent energy transition and system progression.
Schichtel
Hazards:
- Heavy precipitation across portions of the Alaska Panhandle and
mainland Alaska, Sun-Thu, Oct 16-Oct 20.
- High winds across portions of the Alaska Panhandle and mainland
Alaska, Tue-Wed, Oct 18-Oct 19.
- High winds across portions of mainland Alaska and the Aleutians,
Tue, Oct 18.
- High winds across portions of mainland Alaska, Sun, Oct 16.
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