ALASKA EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD 246 PM EST FRI FEB 05 2016 VALID 12Z TUE FEB 09 2016 - 12Z SAT FEB 13 2016 THE LATEST MODELS AND ENSEMBLES STILL OFFER BELOW NORMAL FORECAST SPREAD AND BETTER THAN NORMAL CONTINUITY DAYS 4-8 WITH THE EVOLUTION OF THE WEATHER PATTERN. THIS PATTERN REMAINS HIGHLIGHTED BY AN AMPLIFIED MEAN RIDGE EXTENDING NWWD FROM SERN AK TO THE INTERIOR THAT TENDS TO SHIELD AN ACTIVE FLOW OF DEEPENING LOWS FROM THE NERN PACIFIC UP THROUGH THE ALEUTIANS/SW AK TO THE SRN BERING SEA AND ALSO WORKING INTO THE GULF OF AK WITH TIME. WRAPPING PCPN SHOULD FOCUS ACROSS THESE AREAS AND ALSO INTO COASTAL AREAS/TERRAIN OF SRN/SERN AK WITH PERIODICALLY ENHANCED LEAD LOW LEVEL INFLOW. THE WPC ALASKAN MEDIUM RANGE PRODUCT SUITE WAS PRIMARILY DERIVED FROM THE 00 UTC ECMWF DAYS 4/TUE...THEN GRADUALLY BLENDED THE ECMWF INCREASINGLY WITH A COMPATABLE MIX OF THE 06 UTC GEFS MEAN AND 00 UTC NAEFS/ECMWF ENSEMBLE MEANS DAYS 5-8 CONSISTENT WITH SLOWLY DECREASING FLOW PREDICTABILITY OVER TIME AS PER WFO COORDINATION. SCHICHTEL