


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Juneau, AK
Issued by NWS Juneau, AK
867 FXAK67 PAJK 172305 AFDAJK Southeast Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Juneau AK 305 PM AKDT Fri Oct 17 2025 .SHORT TERM...Showers continue this afternoon across the panhandle while the low that has been bringing showers to the area continue to weaken near Prince William Sound. These showers are expected to dissipate as the low continues to weaken before merging with the next low moving into the Gulf later this and into the morning hours tomorrow. This low is expected to bring gale force winds to the outer coast as well as another surge of moisture. Rainfall amounts from this low will be around 1 inch for the southern panhandle with potentially between 1- 1.5 inches around Ketchikan. Farther north, rainfall amounts from around Sitka northward to the Icy Strait corridor including Juneau could see half an inch to an inch of rain. North of Juneau, rainfall amounts are expected to be less than half an inch. Heading into Sunday, the low is then expected to dive south as high pressure returns to the area. .LONG TERM.../Sunday through Tuesday/...The low that was previously impacting the SE gulf & southern panhandle will continue to weaken & push away from the region, coming ashore south of Haida Gwaii, diminishing winds over the SE gulf to only as high as around 15 to 20 kt into Sunday evening. After a decent break in the rain & wind between weather systems on Sunday, another borderline gale force low pressure system moves in for Sunday night through the early portion of next week, which will bring enhanced wind & seas & mainly light to moderate rainfall for the panhandle with heavy rain rates possible for areas in the southern panhandle on Monday, especially areas at higher elevations as they will be experiencing topographic enhancement of the precipitation. The low will come ashore, moving from SW to NE through the central & northern panhandle while weakening late Monday night into Tuesday. Additionally, for Sunday night & into Monday & also Tuesday, some light snow accumulations are possible, primarily at the higher elevations along the Klondike Highway & potentially some lighter accumulations along the Haines Highway near the border as snow levels will be low enough & low SFC temperatures will be cold enough. && .AVIATION...CIGs are fighting to stay above 3000 ft this Friday afternoon as scattered showers continue to push onshore. These short showers are bringing light to moderate rain rates and gusty winds as they pass over, lowering CIGs and VIS to MVFR conditions periodically. As flow continues to push northeast over the panhandle, the small pockets of showers are beginning to weaken and allow for more breaks in the cloud deck to appear. There is still a chance to see some isolated thunderstorms through the rest of the day, though confidence continues to weaken. LLWS has diminished throughout the panhandle, but will pick back up as the next low pressure system approaches. The next system jumping into the southeastern gulf will send a gale force front N to NE through the panhandle overnight Friday and through Saturday. At the peak of the front, the southern panhandle can expect gusty winds to 35 kts with moderate rain rates and LLWS between 30 to 40 kts, while the northern panhandle will stay more calm with light rain, winds below 10 kts, and LLWS up to 25 kts. MVFR conditions will stick around through most of the day Saturday before improving as the system dissipates over the central panhandle, with areas of the northern panhandle seeing CIGs rise to VFR earlier in the morning. && .MARINE...Outside (Gulf and Coastal Waters): Onshore flow continues for the area with moderate to fresh breezes. Waves this afternoon continue to remain high as SW swell continues to bring significant wave heights up. These waves are expected to diminish as the swell height starts to decrease and swell direction starts to shift from WSW to S as the next gale force low approaches the area. This low is expected to bring easterly and northerly gale force winds to the outer coast as it approaches from the south and west. It is expected to linger briefly off the coast of Prince of Wales and Baranof Islands through Saturday before diving back to the south late Saturday. High pressure is then expected to return to the Gulf for Sunday before the next low moves into the area for late Sunday night into Monday. Inside (Inner Channels): Winds across the Inner Channels continue to range between gentle to fresh breezes this afternoon. These winds are expected to continue through the evening before the next low approaches from the south. This low will bring gale force winds to Clarence Strait while strong breezes to near gales are expected for the rest of the Inner Channels. This low is expected to work part way up the panhandle before diving back to the south bringing high pressure and northerly winds to the Inner Channels for the weekend. && .AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PUBLIC...Strong Wind Saturday morning for AKZ323. Strong Wind from late tonight through Saturday morning for AKZ330-332. MARINE...Gale Warning for PKZ036-641-642-661>664. Small Craft Advisory for PKZ012-013-022-033>035-053-643-644-651- 652-671-672. && $$ SHORT TERM...SF LONG TERM...JLC AVIATION...ZTK MARINE...SF Visit us at http://www.weather.gov/Juneau