Kotzebue, Alaska 7 Day Weather Forecast

Wx Forecast - Wx Discussion - Wx Aviation

898
FXAK69 PAFG 102343
AFDAFG

Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Fairbanks AK
343 PM AKDT Thu Apr 10 2025

.SYNOPSIS...Another shortwave will bring more heavy snow showers
to the Interior on Friday. Fairbanks can expect intermittent heavy
snow showers, and areas north of the Yukon River can expect an
additional 3-5 inches, with 7-10 inches expected between Allakaket
and Kobuk. A low pressure system tracking along the ice edge
south of St. Matthew Island will bring snow and blowing snow to
the Yukon Delta on Friday afternoon and Friday night. Expect
breezy conditions Saturday night and Sunday across Interior
Summits and through the Tanana Valley. Temperatures warm across
the area over the weekend with drier conditions as weak ridging
builds aloft.

&&

.KEY WEATHER MESSAGES...
Central and Eastern Interior...

- Another shortwave will bring more heavy snow showers on Friday.
  Areas from Allakaket to Gobbler`s Knob and up the Dalton Highway
  to Atigun Pass can expect 3-5 additional inches of snow through
  Saturday. Locally heavy snow showers are possible in Fairbanks
  on Friday as well.

- High temperatures warm into the mid 30s to upper 40s with drier
  conditions expected over the weekend.

- South winds will gust to 40 mph through Alaska Range passes
  Friday night and Saturday morning.

- Expect breezy conditions Saturday night and Sunday across
  Interior Summits and through the Tanana Valley.

West Coast and Western Interior...

- Below normal temperatures persist through the week with highs in
  the single digits and teens and lows from 5 above to 15 below.
  Interior locations will gradually warm through the week with
  highs reaching the 30s by Saturday.

- A low pressure system tracking near the sea ice edge will bring
  snow and blowing snow to the Yukon Delta Friday and Friday
  night. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued. This low has
  the potential to bring Blizzard conditions if it intensifies.

- Winds will otherwise be 10 mph or less through Friday. Near
  Gale force northerly winds are likely through the Bering Strait
  over the weekend.

North Slope and Brooks Range..

- Snow showers are likely through Saturday across the south slopes
  of the Brooks Range, with up to 3-5 additional inches.

- High temperatures will be in the teens and 20s with lows between
  0 and 10 above through the weekend.

- Easterly winds increase to around 25 mph along the Arctic Coast
  late Friday night and continue through Saturday.

&&

.FORECAST ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION...A persistent pattern continues
across northern Alaska, but is slowly evolving as a very cold core
upper level low just north of the Bering Strait begins to move
southward. Weak south/southeast flow exists over most of northern
Alaska with shortwaves moving through the flow aloft. At the
surface, a 999 mb low in Prince William Sound continues to
support northward advection of moisture with the shortwaves. Weak
high pressure exists over the Arctic. The most impactful surface
feature will be a 1010 mb low that is currently moving SE along
the sea ice edge south of St. Matthew Island. This feature will
strengthen as it moves to near Nunivak Island. Have issued a
Winter Weather Advisory for the Yukon Delta Coast from Scammon Bay
to Chevak for blowing snow and low visibility from Friday
afternoon through Saturday morning. Blizzard conditions are
possible as well depending on how strong this system gets. The
next significant shortwave will move through the southeast flow
over the Interior on Friday. This will bring another round of snow
showers from the Alaska Range north to the Brooks Range. Locally
heavy snow showers are possible through Friday, but the highest
accumulations will be north of the Yukon River and in the hills
east of Kobuk. Weak ridging will build aloft over the weekend,
bringing mostly quiet weather and dry conditions to Northern
Alaska for the weekend.

For forecast changes today, we will increase PoPs to likely from
Fairbanks northward on Friday with the shortwave moving through
aloft. We will bump winds along the Yukon Delta Coast above model
guidance to account for uncertainty in low strength as it tracks
along the sea ice edge. We will increase snow amounts from
Allakaket to Shungnak to follow model trends in moving the
heaviest snow with the Friday shortwave to the west.

&&

.EXTENDED FORECAST DAYS 4-7...A large upper level low in the Bering Sea
gets pushed further southeast into the Gulf as an upper level
ridge builds in from the west. As southeasterly flow increases,
large amounts of moisture are brought inland, increasing
precipitation chances across the state. An initial wave of
precipitation is expected Monday from Fairbanks north and to the
West Coast on Tuesday. A shortwave wraps around the low and into
the Eastern Interior Wednesday. The latest model runs have this
shortwave band of precipitation looking showery in nature, but
confidence is low right now regarding precipitation timing and
intensity. As models come into better agreement, highs for the
Interior are looking to settle in around the low 40s. Temperatures
across the West Coast continue to look below normal with highs in
the upper 20s to low 30s. Across the North Slope, temperatures
are expected to steadily decrease throughout the period, with
temperatures starting in the upper 20s and decreasing to the upper
teens.

Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AK...Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ825.
PK...Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ811-814-850.
     Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ851.
&&

$$

Chriest/Santiago