739 
FXAK69 PAFG 251038
AFDAFG

Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Fairbanks AK
238 AM AKDT Sat Oct 25 2025

.SYNOPSIS...Light snow tapers off across most of Northern Alaska
by Sunday and dry and quiet conditions set in through most of next
week. The one exception will be for St. Lawrence Island and the
Yukon Delta on Sunday and Sunday night where a tightly wound low
pressure system will bring a bring burst of wind and snow showers
with southeast winds gusting to 35 mph. Temperatures will be near
to above normal with periods of clearing and mostly light winds.
North winds increase through the Bering Strait and across Western
Capes (Hooper Bay, Wales, St. Lawrence Island) late next week
along with increasing snow showers.

&&

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

- Light snow continues across the interior through Saturday then 
  gradually ends Saturday night. An event total of around 1-2" of 
  snow is expected in most places.

- Mainly dry conditions Sunday through most of next week.

- Breaks in the clouds spread eastward on Sunday and continue at
  times through next week. Fresh snow allows for cooler 
  temperatures perhaps in the single digits under clear skies, but
  generally above normal temperatures prevail.

- The next chance for 1+" of snow looks to be late next week when
  another frontal boundary spins north into the interior from a
  Gulf of Alaska low. Increasing chances for snow next weekend and
  early next week.

West Coast and Western Interior...

- Light snow east of Galena and over the NWAB tapers off today.

- Mostly clear skies follow the light snow with fresh snow cover 
  allowing for cooler temperatures perhaps in the single digits 
  under clear skies. However, generally above normal temperatures 
  prevail with lows in the teens and highs in the 20s.

- Mainly dry for most of next week.

- Increasing north winds to small craft or Gale force Thursday and
  Friday along with snow showers through the Bering Strait and 
  over St. Lawrence Island and Western Capes.

North Slope and Brooks Range...

- Generally 1-3" of snow through Sunday night across the area,
  except locally higher amounts of 5-6" from Point Hope to Cape
  Lisburne.

- Winds everywhere continue to decrease then turn offshore on
  Sunday as a weak frontal system arrives from the south.

- Temperatures hold steady with highs in the 20s across the North
  Slope and single digits and teens in the Brooks Range. Lows
  mostly in the teens and 20s, with single digits above and below
  zero in the Brooks Range Sunday into Monday when less clouds are
  expected.

&&

.FORECAST ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION...A messy and disorganized
pattern with weak features engulfed within a broad trough will
bring mostly quiet weather to Northern Alaska through most of next
week. Remnant moisture from a Gulf of Alaska low that moved inland
is moving northward across the state as colder air filters in from
the west. This is squeezing light snow out of what is left of the
moisture. The moisture will move north of the Arctic coast by
Sunday afternoon, leaving dry conditions across the area through
much of next week. The one exception will be over St. Lawrence
Island where a tightly wound low will bring snow and wind on
Sunday. The Yukon Delta will also be impacted mainly Sunday night.
Fortunately this looks like a brief event with winds 20-25 mph and
gusts 30-35 mph. Areas of blowing snow may reduce visibility at
times. Otherwise, high pressure building over the state and in the
Arctic will bring cooler temperatures and periods of clearing. A
couple of strong surface lows look to move into the Gulf of Alaska
late in the week. This will cause increased northerly winds
through the Bering Strait and likely snow showers over western
capes and St. Lawrence Island.

&&

.HYDROLOGY...No concerns. Freezeup is beginning across the area
and expected to continue as temperatures drop next week. Lakes 
across the Yukon Delta have been reported as frozen, and an
observer in Emmonak reports they are starting to see frazil ice in
the river and lakes have 1-2" of ice. Main stem rivers further 
north may begin to see pan ice flowing downstream.

&&

.EXTENDED FORECAST DAYS 4-7... Overall pattern will remain fairly quiet 
over northern Alaska with the majority of the state continuing to
be under a "troughy" pattern. All global models are hinting at 
multiple well defined low pressure systems to rotate along the 
bottom of the overall trough axis and into the Gulf of Alaska. The
beginning of the period will start off with southerly flow 
dominating the eastern portion of the state. This will allow for 
potentially clearer and calmer conditions, which may allow for 
temperatures to get down to normal for this time of year. The
ECMWF and Canadian are in agreement for 960mb low to move into 
the northern portion of the Gulf late Wednesday night. If the 
strength and structure of this system were to remain as models are
showing, it could bring a good chance for scattered snow showers 
across the Interior beginning Thursday. This would be along a 
front that would progress from the SE to the NW. The overall 
troughy pattern is looking to continue well into next weekend, 
accompanied by scattered snow showers across the state. 

Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AK...None.
PK...Small Craft Advisory for PKZ816-817-851-854.
     Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ861.
&&

$$

Chriest