Alaska Extended Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service College Park MD
656 PM EDT Wed Sep 3 2025
Valid 12Z Sun 07 Sep 2025 - 12Z Thu 11 Sep 2025
...Rain and wind threat across the Aleutians into the weekend
followed by widespread moderate rainfall across the Southwest and
western Mainland next week...
...Guidance Evaluation/Preferences...
Models continue to show good agreement both with timing and
placement of a cyclone which looks to move into the western
Mainland by early Sunday. This system should quickly weaken early
next week with shortwave energy progressing across the state. By
Monday into Tuesday, a second deep cyclone will approach the
western/central Aleutians and the models over the past day have
generally shown better agreement. There is a strong consensus now
for a deeper closed low (possibly with connection to Tropical
Cyclone Peipah currently near Japan) crossing the Aleutians into
the Bering Sea early in the week and reaching Southwest Alaska by
next Wednesday/day 7. The GFS, however, is still noticeably weaker
advertising a weaker shortwave and surface cyclone that tracks
south of the Aleutians and into the Gulf. The WPC blend used a
non-GFS consensus for this system. Uncertainty increases by late
in the period as this system moves inland, with the ECMWF wanting
to pull the system more northward, and the CMC slower and more
eastward. Also a lot of uncertainty with another wave towards the
Aleutians late period, which the ECMWF at this point is the most
aggressive with.
The WPC blend used a general model consensus for the first
system/Day 4, and a non-GFS consensus with the second Days 5-6. By
Days 7 and 8, increased the weighting of the ensemble means into
the blend to account for increased uncertainty.
...Weather/Hazards Highlights...
A prevailing storm track from the Aleutians toward western Alaska
will continue to bring active weather with frequent rounds of
wind and rain across these areas through the forecast period.
The first cyclone crossing the Aleutians into the Bering Sea and
eventually reaching the western Mainland by Sunday will continue
to bring a period of possibly gale force winds and moderate to
locally heavy rain to the western and central Aleutians into
Saturday. The system will weaken as it moves inland, but will
still bring windy and rainy conditions across parts of the
Mainland from Sunday into Monday with some enhancement near
favorable mountain ranges.
The second cyclone behind this one will approach the Aleutians
with another heavy rain and high wind threat for Sunday into
Monday. Precipitation will advance eastward with time through the
Peninsula and into the Mainland. Moderate to locally heavy
rainfall is possible across parts of the eastern Peninsula and
Southern Coast regions, with some mixed precipitation or snow in
the highest elevations. Models remain very uncertain on how much
rain will fall but at this point it looks to remain below criteria
for including on the WPC hazards map. Rain will also be
widespread next week across western and northern portions of the
Mainland associated with this system.
Temperatures will be above normal on Sunday across much of the
state, with the highest anomalies over the North Slope region and
Eastern Alaska. Temperatures across the North Slope will moderate
and trend much colder by mid next week, with below normal
temperatures more common across the state next week underneath of
upper level troughing. Southeast Alaska and the Panhandle region
will be dry and warm through much of the period.
Santorelli
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