829
FXAK69 PAFG 032327
AFDAFG

Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Fairbanks AK
227 PM AKST Wed Dec 3 2025

.SYNOPSIS...Snow is rapidly ending across Northern Alaska this
afternoon as a strong cold front pushes from northwest to
southeast. High pressure setting in behind the cold front will
bring a prolonged period of windy and very cold conditions. Winter
Storm Watches for cold wind chills, strong winds, and blowing snow
are in effect for much of the CWA to cover impactful weather
expected over the weekend and into next week. Winds are likely to
mix all the way down to interior valley floors at times as well.

&&

.KEY WEATHER MESSAGES...
Central and Eastern Interior...
- Skies continue to clear rapidly this afternoon and evening.
  Patchy fog is possible as skies clear, but will be short lived.

- Temperatures drop dramatically tonight and tomorrow with all
  locations below zero by Thursday morning.

- Strong northeast winds increase as a very cold airmass sets up
  Thursday well into next week.
- In terms of wind, locations over 1000ft may gust upwards of 25
   to 50 mph. Interior valleys (including Fairbanks) have a chance
   to see wind gusts up to 30 mph IF the inversion breaks Saturday
   through Monday.
- This could be a significant wind event and end up being
   impactful as it could lead to tree damage and power outages.
- Blizzard conditions are possible Friday and Saturday along the
   Parks Highway from Carlo Creek to Cantwell and from Trims Camp to
   Fielding Lake along the Richardson Highway.
- Wind chills reaching -40 F to -60 F are very possible Saturday
   and Sunday across much of the Interior. Valleys west of
   Fairbanks are more likely to see wind mix out inversions.

- A cold trend continues through this weekend well into next week.
  Under clear skies and in areas with no wind, temperatures are
  likely to drop to -30F to -45F (potentially -50F in the coldest
  spots).

- Any clouds will limit how cold it gets and the highest chances
  for clouds will be in the Southeast Interior/Upper Tanana
  Valley.

- Winter Storm Watches have been issued for strong winds, blowing
  snow, and very cold wind chills for the Yukon Flats, Dalton
  Highway Summits, White Mountains, and for southwest of
  Allakaket.

West Coast and Western Interior...

- A cold trend continues through the weekend. Expect minimum
  temperatures around or slightly below 0 along the coast and in
  the teens to 30s below zero in the Interior Valleys.

- North-northeast winds increase this weekend and if these winds
  can break through the inverted valleys, it will bump up
  temperatures slightly, but wind chills would still be very cold.
  East wind gusts may be up to 35 to 45 mph along the coast and
  in the higher terrain.

- With temperatures below 0 and wind this strong, it could lead
  to wind chills as low as -50F in some spots.

- Winter Storm Watches have been issued for strong winds, blowing
  snow, and very cold wind chills from Koyuk to Huslia and south
  to the Yukon Delta from Friday night through Monday night.

North Slope and Brooks Range...

- A front moves from the Western Arctic Coast to the Eastern
  Arctic Coast between Thursday to Friday with areas of light snow
  along the coast. Persistent onshore flow follows afterwards with
  much colder temperatures this weekend.

- Expect temps in the negative teens along the coast with -20s
  inland through Thursday night, then widespread temps near the -30s
  with some -40F readings possible in the coldest locations this
  weekend.

- High pressure persists well into next week with dry and very
  cold conditions, as well as northerly winds and wind chills as
  cold as -60 F through Brooks Range Passes.

&&

.FORECAST ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION...As of 1215pm Wednesday, a band
of light to moderate snow stretches from Nikolai to Lake
Minchumina to Nenana to the White Mountains and southeast to the
Alaska Range to Salcha to Circle Hot Springs. This band will
continue to move southeast through tonight with skies clearing
rapidly behind it as snow ends. Patchy fog is possible as clearing
happens, though it should be short lived due to just how rapidly
temperatures will cool. By Thursday morning, many Interior
valleys will be in the 20s below zero, a swing of around 40
degrees in 24 hours. By Saturday morning, the upper level pattern
will feature a closed high over the Chukotsk Peninsula along with
a low over Cook Inlet. This is historically a cold and very
persistent pattern for northern Alaska. The cold and increasingly
windy conditions look to last for over a week. Across the West
Coast, high pressure continues to build with cold and dry
conditions likely to continue well into next week or longer. Winds
will increase mainly southwest of the Seward Peninsula as
multiple low pressure systems move into the Gulf of Alaska,
tightening the surface gradient. For the North Slope, an upper
level low moving south out of the Beaufort Sea will bring clouds
and light snow for Thursday and Friday, but otherwise conditions
will be dry and cold with mainly light winds.

&&

.EXTENDED FORECAST DAYS 4-7...Monday through next Thursday.
High pressure over the Bering Strait with a low in the eastern
Gulf of Alaska looks to continue through next week. This will
bring prolonged cold to Northern Alaska. Winds look to diminish in
the Tuesday-Wednesday timeframe as the gradient eases. This will
allow for valley inversions to strengthen, and with 850 mb
temperatures -20 C or colder, conditions may support temperatures
in the -40s or 50s.

Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AK...Winter Storm Watch for AKZ848-850.
     Winter Storm Watch for AKZ824>826-828>830-832>834-846-847-851-
     852.
PK...Gale Warning for PKZ801-850.
     Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ802.
     Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ803>805-852.
     Small Craft Advisory for PKZ806.
     Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ806-817-854.
     Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ815-861.
     Small Craft Advisory for PKZ816-853.
     Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ816-851.
     Small Craft Advisory for PKZ817-854.
     Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ850.
     Small Craft Advisory for PKZ851.
     Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ853.
&&

$$

Chriest