


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Juneau, AK
Issued by NWS Juneau, AK
334 FXAK67 PAJK 140550 AAA AFDAJK Southeast Alaska Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Juneau AK 950 PM AKDT Sat Sep 13 2025 .UPDATE...Update aviation section for 6z taf issuance. && SHORT TERM.../Through Sunday Night/...For tonight through early Sunday morning, a mixture of remnant marine layer low stratus & fog as well as some radiation fog are possible, once again, for portions of the central & southern Panhandle & Inner Channels as we remain under a relatively dirty ridge of high pressure through the day on Sunday with some breaks in the clouds & light winds expected. The fog is expected to be a bit less widespread & less dense over the aforementioned area, because a BKN to OVC deck of clouds from a trough to the east is expected to build into that area tonight, potentially insulating those areas that saw dense fog last night enough to keep their temperatures more above their dewpoints. For late Sunday night, a storm force frontal system approaches the Panhandle from the southwest starts pushing into the Panhandle, which will bring prolonged widespread moderate to heavy rainfall & windy conditions to the area. The heavier rainfall & windy conditions will start late Sunday night for areas nearer to the Outer Coast & the southern half of the Panhandle. See the Long Term section for more details as this system is split between the tail end of the Short Term & Long Term sections with most of it spanning the Long Term Section. LONG TERM...Key messages: Very active pattern continues with multiple systems anticipated. The steering pattern will remain directly over the area for the foreseeable future. - A storm force low sweeps North bringing storm force winds to the NE Gulf, and heavy rain and strong winds to the rest of the panhandle through much of Monday. -Another system moving North on the heels of the first system delivers another round of rain through the first half of Tuesday. -A gale force low spins up and moves across the outer Gulf Coast Tuesday night into Wednesday, this could bring a brief period of drier weather to parts of the Southern panhandle and inner mountain areas through the day on Tuesday. -Another front arrives from the West on Thursday. -A gale force system enters the panhandle Friday into Saturday. Details: A much more active weather pattern continues to show no sign of abating anytime soon, as a broad area of longwave trough across the Gulf (Rossby Wave) sees continued systems sweeping into the panhandle. Forecaster confidence has increased that winds along the gulf waters will increase to storm force or near storm force winds of 45 - 50 kt along the northern gulf and northeast gulf coast Sunday evening into Monday morning. Guidance has come into better agreement on the low staying further west into the Gulf of AK. This solution will allow for less rain across the panhandle with the heaviest rain falling along the north and central panhandle and rain totals around 1 to 3 inches. Alongside gulf winds strengthening to 45-50 kt across much of the NE Gulf Coast, also anticipate inner channel winds to strengthen to 25 - 30 kt, especially for the southern and central inner channels. It is looking increasingly likely that winds over land may also be a little stronger than previously forecast, with sustained winds for many overland locations likely to reach 20 to 25 kt, with the strongest winds likely to occur across the Outer Gulf Coast, the southern panhandle, and Juneau. The front will continue to plague the panhandle, as after initially pushing inland, its eastern flank will begin to retrograde westward, slowly moving back across the panhandle, and sending abundant moisture streaming north Monday night into Tuesday, resulting in additional rainfall. In the wake of the now-westward moving front, a brief period of drier weather is likely for parts of the panhandle through the day on Tuesday, especially as moisture that would otherwise be flowing northward is briefly pulled back to the south by a developing triple point low. This triple point low is looking increasingly likely to bring at least gale force winds to the outer coastal waters as it races northward late Tuesday into Wednesday, and bringing onshore flow in its wake - leading to more rain across the panhandle. Through the second half of the week, another front will move into the panhandle Thursday into Friday, followed by another, significantly stronger gale force system Friday. This latter system could bring with it a plume of moisture, and periods of moderate to heavy rain, especially to the NE Gulf Coast. Ensembles have also begun to lock onto the chance of a strong system for the latter half of next weekend, though the timing and location of the feature remain murky this far out. AVIATION...VFR conditions prevail across the panhandle this evening so far. The possibility of fog returning over night mainly for the central inner channels remains likely. Klawock is already seeing a lower cloud layer developing with 800 ft ceilings observed there as of 9 pm. In areas that see fog or low clouds, IFR or lower vis and ceilings are likely which could last into the mid to late morning hours of Sunday before improving to VFR. For areas that don`t see fog, VFR conditions and lighter winds will rule into Sunday evening. MARINE... Outside Waters: A storm force frontal system begins pushing its way through the eastern Gulf of Alaska from the southwest Sunday afternoon. As it approaches the Outer Coast, expect high end gales to low end storm force sustained winds into Monday. The highest winds will be centered over the eastern Gulf between near Cape Edgecumbe & Cape Suckling as the front approaches & moves through. Expect significant wave heights to peak out at around 20 to 28 ft as the frontal system pushes through late Sunday night through Monday. As the front drifts back westward as we approach midweek, a wave will develop along the front as it reenters the eastern gulf & push northward, bringing more gale force winds to the eastern gulf waters. Inner Channels: As the aforementioned front pushes through late Sunday night through Monday, expect between small craft(23 to < 33 kt) & up to low end gale force(35 to < 40 kt) winds across the Southeast Alaskan Inner Channels. The strongest winds will be the farther south and west you go. Significant wave heights of between around 4 and 7 ft are likely with higher values near ocean entrances. Up to small craft winds are expected through midweek from the aforementioned wave, as well. && .AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PUBLIC...None. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory for PKZ661. && $$ SHORT TERM...JLC LONG TERM...GFS AVIATION...EAL MARINE...JLC Visit us at http://www.weather.gov/Juneau