Alaska Extended Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
504 PM EDT Sun Jun 04 2023
Valid 12Z Thu Jun 08 2023 - 12Z Mon Jun 12 2023
...A stalled deep layer low will continue bringing rain to much of
Alaska mid-late week through this weekend...
...Overview/Guidance Evaluation/Preferences...
A deep layer cyclone over the eastern Aleutians/Alaska Peninsula
will be the main weather feature going into next week/weekend
across the Alaska region. With such a blocky pattern and such a
large system, there is relatively good model agreement and higher
confidence in the bigger picture details. Details around the
broad low remain problematic, as the 12z GFS shows the low
tracking farther east than the remainder of the guidance. Given
the blocky June pattern, a slower track holding the low west may
be more likely. As shortwaves round the large low, upper ridging
will get beaten down/worn away with time, which allows frontal
systems to steadily push eastward across AK. Overall a
multi-model deterministic blend of the 12Z GFS/ECMWF/UKMET/CMC was
able to be used for the WPC forecast early on in the 500 hPa
heights, pressures, winds, and QPF with slowly increasing amounts
of the GEFS and EC ensemble mean guidance as the period
progressed, while keeping the GFS contribution low. The remainder
of the grids are more evenly distributed amongst the deterministic
and ensemble guidance, as usual.
...Sensible Weather and Potential Hazards...
The heaviest precipitation amounts associated with the stacked low
may take place early next week in the short range period when
moisture anomalies are highest, possibly channeling moisture from
what was Mawar in the western Pacific. Mainly rain is likely,
increasingly statewide, though some precipitation could be snow in
the highest elevations and some mixed precipitation is possible in
the North Slope. Rain amounts over time could accumulate to
several inches next week for parts of the Alaska Peninsula and
Southcentral Alaska.
Warmer than normal temperatures remain in the cards north of the
Alaska Range on Wednesday underneath the brief upper ridge, with
lows in the 50s and highs in the 70s for the lower elevations of
the Interior. Wednesday and perhaps Thursday may be warmer than
normal for parts of Southeast Alaska as well before a cooler
trend. The upper low and the coincident rain and cloudiness
chances should keep high temperatures down below normal along the
southern coastal regions. As rain becomes increasingly entrenched
across the state, temperatures across the interior should fall
back towards average values for early to mid June.
Roth/Tate
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