Alaska Extended Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
628 PM EDT Thu Jun 08 2023
Valid 12Z Mon Jun 12 2023 - 12Z Fri Jun 16 2023
...Overview...
An upper low is forecast to remain nearly in place over the Bering
Sea next week as the pattern over much of the Northern Hemisphere
is anchored by several persistent anomaly centers; namely, upper
ridging over western Europe and the northeast Pacific with
cross-polar troughing from the Davis Strait to north central
Siberia. Split-flow jet out of eastern Asia will maintain a
mid-latitude storm track/frontogenesis zone after a lead-in day 3
system moves into the southwestern mainland. By the end of next
week, current Typhoon Guchol will likely recurve east of Japan and
across the mid-latitude north Pacific perhaps to the Dateline in
about a week.
...Guidance Evaluation/Preferences...
Overall synoptic agreement is better than average for the period
as the ensembles have been rather consistent in their depiction of
the trough axis across the Bering Sea. Deterministic runs of the
GFS/ECMWF showed the best clustering with the ensembles and least
amount of seemingly errant/overdeveloped system in and near the
Gulf of Alaska compared to the UKMET/Canadian. Thus, a general
blend of the guidance was utilized, with an increasing preference
for the GFS/ECMWF with time at the expense of the UKMET/Canadian
and in concert with the 12Z GEFS mean and 00Z ECMWF EPS.
Highest uncertainty lies in the northern stream flow over the high
latitudes, with a trend toward lifting one system to the northeast
Wednesday while maintaining some semblance of weak ridging over
northeastern Alaska. Over the Gulf, maintained the frontal
boundary on the north side of the upper/sfc high in the
mid-latitudes and south of the Gulf sfc high, but without much
depiction of any coherent sfc wave. Farther upstream, JTWC track
lied closer to the slower ECMWF rather than the quicker GFS in
Guchol's recurvature, but the ECMWF and its ensembles were quicker
to weaken the system than the GFS and its ensembles. With the
system entering the westerlies beneath weak ridging, do not expect
to see much downstream amplification of the flow, so the 12Z GFS
deepening of the system as an extratropical low seems overdone.
Again, relied mostly on the ensemble means by next Friday anyway,
which results in a more modest system around 45N and just east of
the Dateline for now.
...Sensible Weather and Potential Hazards...
Short term (Sunday) system will weaken over the Seward
Peninsula/western mainland on Monday with its surface reflection
well into western Canada, leaving much of the area without strong
forcing for precipitation. Some lingering rain is likely for the
Panhandle early in the period. Precipitable water values are
likely to remain near to below normal over most of the state, so
mainly diurnal showers are expected. The exception may be across
the Brooks Range where lingering moisture may help to promote more
modest rain/snow. Temperatures will be near to well below normal
over the state given the presence of the upper low. Some areas of
the North Slope may see near to above normal temperatures with
offshore flow.
Fracasso
Hazards:
- Heavy rain across portions of the Alaska Peninsula and coastal
Southcentral, Sun, Jun 11.
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