Marine Weather and Tide Forecast for Hollis, AK

Aviation
/through Saturday afternoon/ VFR flight conditions across the panhandle this morning with an underlying FEW to SCT deck around 2000 to 5000ft, OVC 5000ft in the N Gulf near Yakutat.

Not anticipating too many aviation concerns through this TAF period, but outflow winds will continue so marginal LLWS would be a concern for places like Taku Inlet near Juneau, Alsek River near Yakutat, and Stikine Delta region near Wrangell. JAWS for Junea showing N to NE-ly winds around 2000ft near 10kts, increasing to 30kts at 3000ft. VFR conditions will continue through the TAF period, with CIGS AOA 5000ft and no precipitation expected through Friday night. The strongest surface winds will remain near Skagway and Haines through the afternoon, sustained around 15 to 20kts with gusts up to 35kts at Skagway. Aviation conditions beging to detiorate for southern panhandle TAF sites by 12z Saturday as a front pushes inland, with increasing snow chances by 18z Saturday for Ketchikan and Klawock.

PREV DISCUSSION
ISSUED AT 449 AM AKST Fri Dec 12 2025...

SYNOPSIS...

Key Messages:

- Cold temperatures continue, with many areas seeing single digits to teens for overnight lows. Northern Lynn Canal is still expected to dip below zero. Dangerously cold wind chills continue along White Pass.

- Continued strong outflow winds will keep the cold air in place through the weekend for the northern panhandle. Marginally warmer air moves into the southern panhandle this weekend with snow becoming likely.

- A point of uncertainty in the weekend snow forecast is how far north the moisture will be able to push. The farther the moisture travels, the more colder and drier air it has to contend with. But if the moisture is able to push through, significant snowfall is possible as far north as the Icy Strait corridor.

- Farther south, there is a possibility that enough warmer air could push far enough north that the snow could switch to rain for areas south of Sumner Strait.

SHORT TERM.../ Through Friday night / Cold dry outflow pattern continue to be the main short term impact feature across the southeast panhandle. Light snow has ended in the Sitka area. Most of Southeast Alaska has mostly clear weather skies based on Satellite imagery. Moisture stream south of panhandle will start moving north towards the southern panhandle so light snow will begin for the southern snows towards Saturday morning, just as the active watch across the southern panhandle winds up and starts

LONG TERM
/Saturday through Tuesday/
Cold and windy weather continues through the long term. The arctic boundary is sitting just south of the panhandle, keeping below freezing temperatures through much of the extended forecast. A low jumping into the southern gulf Saturday is expected to send a high precipitation- producing front into the southern panhandle this weekend. This front will steadily climb northward through the weekend, starting to pull back through early next week. Cold temperatures combined with the ample moisture being carried in with this system should result in widespread snowfall spreading up the panhandle through the period.

Strong outflow winds begin picking back up Saturday, persisting through next week reaching at least gale force through the northern inner channels and out of Cross Sound. Gaps and drainage channels along the gulf coast will serve as outlets for strong winds to funnel through, with pockets of storm force sustained winds looking possible Sunday into Monday. Freezing spray will remain an issue in the inner channels and along the NE gulf coast with these elevated winds, which could become heavy at times.
These outflow winds pose a challenge for the forecast, as the strong northerly flow will attempt to force the front to stay more south and keep higher snow accumulations confined to the southern panhandle. Another uncertainty in the forecast is the temperatures in the southern panhandle Sunday and Monday, as models are starting to depict the arctic boundary shifting just north of this area allowing the front to bring temperatures in the mid to upper 30s to some southern locations. This would halt snow accumulations down south, impacting totals and increasing icy conditions.

If things play out as currently intended, the front will move into the southern and parts of the interior central panhandle Saturday night when temperatures are still below freezing, bringing snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches into Sunday morning.
The front will continue to shift northward through early Sunday morning, spreading snow accumulations to the rest of the central panhandle and into the Icy Strait Corridor, which includes Juneau, by midday. Totals still widely vary this far out, though moderate to heavy rates still remain possible. Confidence largely decreases on the front reaching further north than that, though the possibility still remains of communities in northern Lynn Canal receiving very light snow accumulations from this system.

Hyder is the odd one out with this system, as the location may allow for cold air to stick around longer. A weak atmospheric river directed into BC south of the panhandle may hook up along the southern parts of the coastal range, drastically increasing QPF amounts for Hyder in particular. If they are able to hold onto their cold temperatures in combination with such increased moisture making it that far inland, total snow accumulations between 20 and 30 inches through Saturday and Sunday may be possible.

Precipitation chances currently last for Monday at similar rates, though are expected to quickly diminish into Tuesday with a lack of available moisture. Though final snowfall totals may widely vary from place to place, the longer duration of this event could lead to impactful accumulations by the beginning of next week.
Another system looks to queue up behind this one, and combined with the arctic boundary shifting back southward, may keep active winter weather in the forecast through next week.

MARINE...
Outside: Northeasterly outflow wind speeds decrease tonight.
Then, outflow gap winds increase again, up to around 35-45 kt, for the same areas for the weekend. Some freezing spray is possible for the northeastern gulf.

Inside: The outflow pattern continues through Friday with an overall weakening trend. The tighter pressure gradient in the north will keep wind speeds up to 30 to 35 kt for most of Lynn Canal. Near the Icy Strait area and south, wind speeds will decrease tonight and Friday as the gradient weakens. Friday night into Saturday, wind speeds pick back up to 25 to 35 kts, with near 35 to 40 kts back in Lynn Canal as a low pressure system tracks northward, tightening the pressure gradient over SE AK. Wind directions will, more-or-less, go unchanged through this time frame. These winds will also be accompanied by fully-developed seas up to 14 ft subsiding as the winds weaken.

AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
PUBLIC...Winter Storm Watch from Saturday morning through Sunday morning for AKZ326>330-332.
Winter Storm Watch from Saturday morning through Monday morning for AKZ331.
MARINE...Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ031.
Gale Warning for PKZ012.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ011-013-031-032-053-641-642-651-661- 662-671.