Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Juneau, AK

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775 FXAK67 PAJK 232333 AFDAJK Southeast Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Juneau AK 333 PM AKDT Thu May 23 2024 .SHORT TERM...
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/Through Friday night/...Unsettled weather will persist through this entire short range forecast period. Showers from the front currently passing over the Panhandle will diminish overnight and Friday features only scattered to isolated shower activity. No widespread sun breaks however. The next front will enter the eastern Gulf from the west late Friday afternoon with rain beginning on the outer coast late evening. By late Friday night, all locations west of Clarence Strait and points north should be back in steady rain for the beginning of the holiday weekend. The current cold front will advect in a slightly cooler airmass, so overnight lows Thursday night will be a few degrees cooler than Wednesday night and some locations may see lows down into the upper 30`s, but frost is not a concern. Highs for Friday ranging from the lower 50s to the upper 50s. Public zone winds continue to be non-impactful. Marine winds generally non-impactful as well with the exception of Clarence Strait this afternoon. Winds there have been 25 kts out of the southeast all morning but began to relax by mid afternoon. Am expecting a shift to the northwest as the front pushes through early this evening. .LONG TERM.../Saturday through Memorial Day/...This Memorial Day Weekend is marked by a stacked low in the Alaskan Gulf slowly filling and drifting south. From this system, constant onshore flow from the south to southwest will move into the panhandle, generating rain, cooler temperatures, and breezy marine conditions. The southern panhandle looks to be hit the hardest relatively, with steady light rain for the entire weekend. The northern half of the panhandle has the highest likelihood of seeing periods of no rain, with increased chances the further north one is. However, these areas will not be able to escape the clouds as the entire AOR looks to be overcast with not a hint of sun, except for the extreme northern panhandle. Southerly winds over marine look to max out at 20 knot sustained winds, mainly focused on the southern panhandle and outer coast throughout the weekend. One note of uncertainty in the forecast is the potential for quick moving systems tracking from the south along the gulf coast. Ensemble and deterministic models are having trouble determining when, where, and how strong these mesoscale features will be. If they do develop, the predominantly southerly flow in the inner channels will likely take an increasingly easterly component as they traverse northward. Areas such as Fredereck Sound, Sumner Strait, Icy Strait, Cross Sound, and Peril Strait to name a few could see increased wind speeds, possibly up to 25-30 knots.
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&& .AVIATION...
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Mostly MVFR to occasional IFR conditions as front moves over the panhandle producing steady rain and low ceiling with periods of heavier rain and low cloud cover. Short break for a few hours later this evening but MVFR conditions expected to persist, with IFR CIGS and BCFG looking more likely by early Friday morning. when fog lifts more favorable flying weather Friday. Some low level turbulence but not enough to warrant LLWS.
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&& .AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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PUBLIC...None. MARINE...None.
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&& $$ SHORT TERM...Fritsch LONG TERM....NC AVIATION...PRB Visit us at http://www.weather.gov/Juneau