Alaska Extended Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
729 PM EDT Mon Aug 12 2024
Valid 12Z Fri Aug 16 2024 - 12Z Tue Aug 20 2024
...Bering Sea Storm Heavy Rainfall/Wind Threat for Western to
Interior Alaska/Brooks Range Thursday/Friday...
...Heavy Rainfall Threat for the Southern Alaskan Tier/Alaska
Range Thursday into the Weekendâ€
...Deep Extratropical Low from current West Pacific Tropcial Storm
Ampil may threaten Aleutians in a week...
...Guidance Evaluation/Preferences...
A composite of best clustered guidance from the 12 UTC
GFS/ECMWF/Canadian seems to offer reasonable detail Friday into
Saturday, but it seems more prident to then quickly switch to best
compatible guidance from the GEFS/ECMWF/Canadian ensemble means
through longer time frames amid growing uncertainties.
...Weather/Hazards Highlights...
Guidance continues to strongly herald a highly stormy/complex and
transitional pattern over the next week. Forecast spread and
predictability has improved for later this week with a leading
storm in this forecast period forecast to develop and track up
through the Bering Sea to the Arctic Ocean that may significantly
impact Western to Interior Alaska and the Brooks Range. This storm
offers a maritime/coastal wind/wave threat with inland impacts to
include heavy rainfall/runoff issues and potential for Chinook
winds off the Alaska and Brooks Ranges.
Forecast uncertainty quickly grows heading into the weekend with
subsequent moist systems to potentially work into the Gulf of
Alaska that offer a potential threat over the Alaskan southern
tier. Pacific and more northern stream energy interactions and
overall progressive nature of the transitional flow remain
guidance challenges. Model cycle to cycle continuity has been less
than stellar, but the overall pattern seems favorable for
progression of the focus for later week to weekend heavy
rainfall/runoff issues from the Alaska Peninsula/Kodiak Island
through SouthCentral and the Alaska Range, possibly working later
into the Southeast.
Meanwhile upstream, there is some continuity into early next week
with a deep extratropical low track toward the Aleutians and
Bering Sea in about a week to monitor. This system originates from
current west Pacific Tropical Storm Ampil, and these types of
transitions often lead to quite a wet and windy storm.
Schichtel
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