


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Fairbanks, AK
Issued by NWS Fairbanks, AK
367 FXAK69 PAFG 022231 AFDAFG Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Fairbanks AK 231 PM AKDT Tue Sep 2 2025 .SYNOPSIS... The wet pattern continues for the region into the foreseeable future. A series of lows will move across the state bringing waves of rain with brief relatively drier days between. The next wave is expected Wednesday through Thursday with the one following Saturday and Sunday. && .KEY WEATHER MESSAGES... Central and Eastern Interior... - Showery conditions from this morning are continuing to scatter and diminish through the afternoon. - Additional rain showers return to the Central Interior Wednesday morning and move east into the Eastern Interior Wednesday night into Thursday. Generally 0.10 to 0.25 inches of rain expected for most valley locations Wednesday through Friday. - Occasional southwest wind gusts expected in the Yukon Flats and elevated terrain north of Fairbanks today. Gusts of 20 to 30 mph will diminish through the afternoon. - Southerly flow increases through Alaska Range passes Wednesday morning with gusts up to 45 mph possible Wednesday through early Thursday. West Coast and Western Interior... - Rain showers continue along the West Coast through this evening with rain accumulations up to 0.10 inches for most valley and coastal locations and 0.20 to 0.40 inches expected for the south facing slopes. - Another round of rain moves into Southern Interior Wednesday morning, and into the northern Interior by Wednesday evening. Rain is expected to last through Thursday. - Additional 0.50 to 1.00 inches of rain possible. - Up to an inch possible for elevated areas, especially south facing slopes. - Gusty southerly winds along the coast diminish this afternoon and evening. North Slope and Brooks Range... - Periods of rain continue in the Brooks Range through Thursday. - 1 to 2 inches of rain through Thursday. - Atigun Pass will see up to 0.75 inches of rain through Friday with the heaviest rain on Thursday. Overnight Tuesday and Wednesday could see snow mix in with the rain creating a rain/snow mix. Rising snow levels Thursday will help melt any accumulations. - Warm temperatures continue through Thursday along the North Slope. Cooling towards normal expected Friday before additional warming occurs Saturday and Sunday. && .FORECAST ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION... Very progressive pattern continues with a ridge over Western Canada and the Gulf of Alaska that keeps lows moving through the pattern flowing further north into the West Coast. The most recent wave of showers moves east and continues to scatter through tonight. The next low in the pattern will move through Bristol Bay Wednesday, north along the West Coast Wednesday night, and into the Western Brooks Range Thursday. This low will bring half an inch to an inch to most of the Western Interior, leaning on the higher end of that range along south facing slopes. It will also be the cause of the increased pressure gradient along the Alaska Range bringing gusty southerly winds to Alaska Range passes. Friday the next system moves into the Western Bering as the previous system exits to the northeast. Model disagreement begins to increase with the timing and positioning of this next system. Models are in relatively good agreement on its strength at around 986mb, but the differences in positioning and timing make estimations of impacts more uncertain. The ensemble mean has this low move northeast into the Norton Sound Saturday night bringing rain to most of the West Coast and Western Interior Saturday and Sunday. && .FIRE WEATHER... Wet conditions continue for most of the region. The exception is the Upper Tanana Valley where warmer temperatures, with highs in the 70s, and drier conditions, with minimum RHs in the upper 30s to upper 40s, remain. Increased southerly flow over the Alaska Range Wednesday and Thursday will keep conditions dry in the Upper Tanana Valley. Additional rain showers will move into this area Thursday night into Friday, but are expected to remain scattered with low chances of wetting rain. && .HYDROLOGY... A flood watch remains in effect for the Noatak, Kobuk, and Koyukuk rivers. Flood advisories remain in effect for Kobuk and Allakaket. The wet pattern with multiple rounds of rain continues through the weekend with 0.5 to 1.0 inches of rain expected with the next large system Wednesday through Thursday and another round expected Saturday and Sunday. Additional rain will slow the rate that water levels receed, with river levels improving, but remaining high. The wet pattern looks to continue into next week with additional rounds of rain possible. For the most up to date forecasts and flood products, visit: weather.gov/afg and weather.gov/aprfc && .EXTENDED FORECAST DAYS 4-7... There will be scattered showers over the interior with some rain or snow showers over the North Slope on Friday. There will finally be a dry period for the West Coast overnight into Friday. However, another low will begin to approach the West Coast with the YK Delta being the first to see rain as early as late Friday morning. Unfortunately for the West Coast, this low will be slow moving and drop an additional 0.25-0.75" through the weekend. That low will work its way into the Interior by Saturday morning in the form of scattered rain showers again and persist through Monday. -Lewis Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None && .AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AK...Flood Watch for AKZ813-814-819-828-831. PK...Small Craft Advisory for PKZ801-802-811>813-850-853-859. Small Craft Advisory for PKZ803-805-814-852. Small Craft Advisory for PKZ804-860-861. && $$ Stokes