


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Anchorage, AK
Issued by NWS Anchorage, AK
299 FXAK68 PAFC 121347 AFDAFC Southcentral and Southwest Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Anchorage AK 547 AM AKDT Sun Oct 12 2025 .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA (Days 1 through 3)... Rain continues spreading across Southcentral through this morning as a shortwave rolls through. The wave is fast moving and precipitation is expected to fizzle for the western Kenai Peninsula north into Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valleys and east into the Copper River Basin into this afternoon. Coastal areas of the eastern Kenai Peninsula, the Prince William Sound and east along the north Gulf coast, as well as along the Wrangell Mountains and Alaska Range will see ongoing precipitation through at least Monday afternoon. A separate front pushes over Kodiak Island this afternoon, bringing another round of rain for the island, before pushing northward, spilling rain back into the rest of Southcentral late tonight. With tonight`s front, another round of small craft winds are expected across the western Gulf of Alaska and along the north Gulf coastal waters. Small craft winds will diminish through Monday afternoon. && .SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHWEST ALASKA/BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS (Days 1 through 3/Tonight through Tuesday)... Key messages: - The forecast remains on track as the remnants of Typhoon Halong continue to bring dangerous High Winds to the Kuskokwim Delta and Storm Surge Flooding to many communities along the Kuskokwim Delta Coast and lower Kuskokwim River. - High Wind Warnings remain in effect for the Kuskokwim Delta until 10 AM this morning. - A Coastal Flood Warning remains in effect for the Kuskokwim Delta Coast until 10 PM tonight. - Another powerful storm system will move out of the Pacific on Tuesday. All signs indicate that this storm will take a more southerly track across the southern and eastern Bering Sea and impact all of Southwest Alaska Tuesday through Wednesday. Stay tuned as we work to hone in on the most likely track and weather impacts. Satellite imagery early this morning shows the remnants of Typhoon Halong at near peak intensity at 960 mb as it continues to track to the north and east towards Norton Sound. This storm has performed as advertised overnight bringing impressive wind gusts to both the Pribilof Islands as well as the Kuskokwim Delta. The forecast and expected weather hazards expected from this powerful storm remain on track as impacts are likely to be felt through this morning and into this afternoon. In addition to the damaging wind threat across the Kuskokwim Delta throughout this morning, the biggest concern continues to be the storm surge and coastal flooding impacts. The favorable storm track has allowed for peak surge of water from the Bering Sea to nearly perfectly align with this morning`s high tide cycle. Tidal gauge observations from Kwigillingok and Kipnuk this morning has led to high confidence that peak water levels are likely on the higher end or exceeding the forecasted range, especially for Kipnuk where this could be the highest water levels seen in the past decade. Significant flooding already occurring coinciding with this morning`s high tide cycle for coastal villages is expected to peak early this morning and slowly decrease throughout the day today but remain elevated through the second high tide cycle this afternoon. The alignment of high tide and storm surge also gives confidence that there will be some minor flooding along the lower Kuskokwim River. A Flood Advisory from Bethel south to the mouth of the Kuskokwim River remains in effect until Monday morning. Communities that often see flood impacts in this scenario include Tuntutuliak and Napakiak. The storm will exit northward up the west coast of Alaska this afternoon through this evening, leading to slowly improving conditions as we head through the day. A long-wave trough will remain over the region, with numerous weak features transiting the Bering Sea, Aleutians, and Southwest Alaska through Monday night. Attention will then shift to the development of another large and strong storm system over the North Pacific on Tuesday. As always, there is fairly large model spread and uncertainty in storm track due to differences in timing of a short-wave digging out of Russia and interacting with a low crossing the North Pacific. The one consistent trend in guidance over the past couple days is to move up the timing of intensification of the low which causes it to slow down and take a more southerly track along the Aleutians and southern Bering Sea. Although this does not look like a repeat of the current storm, there is still potential for significant weather impacts across the eastern Bering Sea and Southwest Alaska, so stay tuned to forecast updates over the next few days. -JH && .LONG TERM FORECAST (Days 4 through 7: Wednesday through Saturday)... The long term forecast starts with weak ridging over the Gulf of Alaska which will recede, allowing a strong frontal system to advance in from the west, delivering heavy coastal rainfall and gusty winds across the coastal regions of Southcentral AK. Down- sloping winds may reduce rainfall in the Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley. However, strong winds could reach Prince William Sound and Anchorage Bowl, depending on the front`s eventual track across the region. Models are in fair agreement with this scenario. Zonal flow will develop as the weekend approaches, decreasing the winds and reducing rain intensity. Scattered showers showers may linger in higher elevations and coastal areas. In the Bering, a low from the North Pacific arrives Wednesday and into Thursday, tracking eastward of extratropical cyclone Halong`s path, towards Bristol Bay and the Alaskan Peninsula, bringing gale-to-storm force wand heavy precipitation to the Kuskokwim Delta to the AKPEN. Coastal flooding and erosion is again possible along this region. As the weekend starts, a more zonal flow will setup across the state, allowing a brief respite from active weather before another possible deep low approaches the Central Aleutians by the end of the weekend. This is quite far out, so the evolution of this event is still somewhat uncertain. It will be important to monitor the forecast as updates are issued. -DD && .AVIATION... PANC...Low-level wind shear is likely this morning with northerly winds at the surface and southeasterly winds aloft until the southeasterly Turnagain Arm winds move into the terminal around midday. Winds will likely gust in the 25 to 30 kt range. Expect VFR ceilings above 5000 ft to prevail, though passing light showers may lower ceilings below 5000 ft. A round of light rain passes through late tonight into Monday morning, which could drop ceilings to MVFR. At the same time, the Turnagain Arm winds are likely to bend out of the terminal, allowing winds to become light. Southerly winds gusting as high as 30 kt arrive late Monday morning into the afternoon. Quesada && $$