Alaska Extended Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
657 PM EDT Thu Sep 14 2023
Valid 12Z Mon Sep 18 2023 - 12Z Fri Sep 22 2023
...Stormy pattern continues with a heavy rain threat for Southeast
Alaska to persist through next week...
...Guidance Evaluation/Preferences...
The latest 12 UTC GFS/ECMWF/UKMET/Canadian model solutions have
become better clustered overall for much of next week, bolstering
forecast confidence. A favored composite provides good detail.
However, there remains later weekend/early next week uncertainty
with connection to West Pacific Subtropical Disturbance 93W and
associated long fetched deep moisture plume and eastern Asian
jet/system energy phasing.
Growing forecast spread and uncertainty as well as worsening run
to run continuity by later next week prompted transition to
primarily the ECMWF ensemble mean whose higher amplitude upper
flow blends better into this later time frame as an extension from
model guidance than lower amplitude GEFS/NAEFS solutions.
...Pattern Overview and Weather/Hazards Highlights...
There is high confidence that a very stormy weather pattern will
continue next week on the heels of several potent systems this
week. The next storm in the series is expected to cross from off
Kodiak Island and the northern Gulf of Alaska to the Southeast
Monday into Tuesday and again feature enhanced winds/waves and
heavy rainfall both as maritime risk and inland with focus from
southern coastal areas into especially Southeast Alaska. This
system has origins from a strong east Asian jet and may also
entrain long plume tropical moisture to further fuel activity in
an already wet pattern, so runoff issues are possible.
Farther north, predictability is closer to average that a closed
upper low settled over northwest/western Alaska through early-mid
next week may slowly weaken and eject eastward over the North
Slope later next week. This system seems amplified enough to
combine with surface system reflection to support daily unsettled
conditions to include mainly light scattered precipitation in
proximity of the system.
Upstream of Alaska, there is also now a growing guidance signal
supporting additional deep low development and track into/across
the southern Bering Sea/Aleutians early next week along with an
enhanced maritime risk and wrapping heavy rainfall/winds. Steady
downstream deep energy transfer should lead to the potential storm
and associated risks spreading into southwest Alaska/AKpen/Kodiak
by Tuesday then Southcentral to Southeast Alaska by Wednesday into
next Thursday.
Yet another deep low in this powerhouse series may meanwhile work
back upstream into the Bering Sea next Thursday/Friday that could
again spread threatening weather to the the mainland, perhaps with
a farther northward track/effect than the previous stream of
systems.
Schichtel
Hazards:
- Heavy rain across portions of the Alaska Panhandle and mainland
Alaska, Sun-Mon, Sep 17 -Sep 18 and Wed-Thu, Sep 20 -Sep 21.
- High winds across portions of the Alaska Panhandle and mainland
Alaska, Sun, Sep 17.
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