Marine Weather and Tide Forecast for Craig, AK

AVIATION UPDATE
Not a whole lot of change for this forecast update. Generally expect MVFR dropping to IFR (if not already)
through the next 6-10 hours as a storm force front moves across the eastern Gulf of Alaska and into SE Alaska. Main concern is the wind forecast...with low level wind shear values increasing significantly from 1-2 thousand feet AGL...generally from the southeast to south at 45 to 65 kts. Generally we expect deteriorating conditions through this evening and through the overnight period.

PREV DISCUSSION
ISSUED AT 613 AM AKST Tue Jan 13 2026

SYNOPSIS...

Key Messages:

-High Wind Warnings remain in effect for majority of the panhandle from Tuesday afternoon til Wednesday evening with gusts up to 65 mph expected as a strong system pushes inland.

-Winter Storm Warning remains in effect for the upper elevations of the Klondike Highway and near White Pass with total snow accumulations of 12 to 20 inches through Wednesday morning.

-Moderate to heavy rainfall is expected over most of SEAK Tuesday and Tuesday night with accumulations of 1 to 3 inches.

-Significant increase in seas up to 20 to 30ft with southerly swell for the eastern Gulf of Alaska and coastal panhandle with the fast moving system Tuesday.

-Major aviation hazards expected Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning with greatly reduced flight conditions, very strong surface winds, and low level wind shear between 50 to 70kts across the panhandle.

SHORT TERM.../through Tuesday night/ Few changes made to the inherited short term forecast as a quick moving storm force system takes shape this Tuesday morning.

The primary impacts from the system are still expected to be the high winds as it traverses the eastern gulf, with winds increasing from south to north through the morning and afternoon Tuesday, remaining elevated in many areas into Wednesday. High wind warnings remain in effect for a majority of the panhandle Tuesday into Wednesday for wind gusts as high as 65 mph. Strong southerly winds will begin pushing up through N/S oriented channels later Tuesday morning, lasting into Wednesday. Once the low center jumps onshore somewhere between Yakutat Bay and Mt Fairweather, the strongest inner channel winds will push through Stephens Passage and Lynn Canal, lingering in northern Lynn through Wednesday.
Another important note is the expected wind shift in Cross Sound, with the strongest winds and gusts expected late Tuesday night into early Wednesday, sometime after midnight. Winds are expected to abruptly shift from NE to SW as the southern edge of the elongated low center slides north of Cross Sound. The speed of this transition will likely depend upon how closely the low tracks towards the eastern gulf coast before pushing inland.

These strong southerly and eventually southwesterly winds will raise snow levels significantly once more, from 7 to 8000 ft in the southern panhandle to around 4500 ft along the Icy Strait corridor. This means that once more, communities at sea level can expect to see primarily rain from this system. While some minor snow accumulations remain possible for the highest portions of the Haines Highway near the border, the upper reaches of the Klondike are more likely to see prolonged snow as snow levels there are only expected to reach between 2000 to 2500 ft. A winter storm warning has been issued for the upper portions of the Klondike Highway, particularly near White Pass, for accumulations of 12 to 20 inches of snow as well as strong winds gusting as high as 65 mph.

In terms of precipitation, the panhandle south of Kake and Petersburg is expected to get around 1 to 1.5 inches over the next 24 hours. North of that, communities can expect from 1.5 to 2.5 inches, with locally higher amounts possible, especially along the outer coast and for communities along the southeastern edge of where the initial front jumps onshore. Onshore flow and showers will continue behind the low heading into Wednesday as it pushes inland to BC and the Yukon.

LONG TERM.../Wednesday through Sunday/ For the start of the long term period, the low affecting the panhandle will continue to work inland into the Yukon and Interior Alaska. With this low working inland, there is an expected jump in the winds through the Inner channels. With this, some areas could see some strong winds behind the low before onshore flow returns to the area. With the onshore flow, precipitation is expected to continue for most of the panhandle keeping the wet weather going. Most of the precipitation with this onshore flow is expected to remain on the lighter side compared to what we have been seeing previously. Heading into the latter half of the week, high pressure is expected to become the more dominant pattern for the SE area. With this high pressure, temperatures should become fairly stable but we could also see the development of fog across the panhandle. The likelihood of this is greater for the southern panhandle but could be possible farther north too. The one exception to this will be for the Yakutat area and farther to the west of Yakutat Bay where an atmospheric river is expected to impact the area over towards Prince William Sound and portions of the Anchorage Forecast Office CWA For the Yakutat area, 24 hour precipitation could jump up to 2- 2.5" of precipitation by Friday.
As we head into the weekend, conditions look to be fairly quiet for the area, even more so when compared to the weather that SE has experienced over the past month. CPC guidance for the 6 to 10 day and 8 to 14 day outlook show SE AK moving towards a near normal for temperatures and below normal for precipitation.

AVIATION.../through 12z Wednesday/ Major aviation hazards expected through 12z Wednesday include significant LLWS, IFR flight conditions, and very strong surface level winds.

Predominate MVFR to VFR flight conditions across the panhandle this morning with CIGS AoB 6000ft. Isolated areas of IFR conditions near PAYA due to visbys due ongoing showers and at PAKT due to persistent CIGS below 1000ft. These will be the best flight conditions we will see through Tuesday as a potent system pushes northward out of the Pacific towards the coastal panhandle with predominate MVFR to IFR expected by early Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday. Conditions will deteriorate from S to N as associated front from parent low tracks inland, starting around 15 to 17z for PAKW and PAKT, reaching PAJN by 23 to 01z, continuing northward to Haines and Skagway around 06z this evening. In coordination with the Alaska Aviation Weather Unit, main aviation hazard will be widespread very strong surface winds and SE-ly LLWS for southern and central Panhandle TAF sites increasing through the afternoon, with maxima 00z to 09z around 70kts between 1000 to 2000ft for PASI, PAKW, PAKT. TAF sites further north should still expect LLWS values up to 50kts, potentially higher as the low tracks along the western coast of Baranof Island through Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning 12z with a shift to SW-ly LLWS behind the departing front. Surface winds will increase through the TAF period, with a rapid increase to sustained 30 to 40 kts with gusts 50 to 60kts by 00z to 06z for TAF sites along and south of the Icy Strait Corridor. These winds will spread northward towards Yakutat, Haines, and Skagway by 06z this evening.

Aviation Forecast Confidence: -Low to Medium on Ceilings and Visibilities -High on Wind Speed, Wind Direction, LLWS

MARINE...
Inside Waters: A prefrontal moving through the area has brought some elevated winds of 20 to 30 kt to the northern inner channels this Tuesday morning. These are expected to diminish ahead of the big show later today.

The next system moves in from the south Tuesday morning, with gale force winds pushing into Clarence and southern Chatham becoming storm force by Tuesday night. The associated front will push northward following behind the first wave, bringing gale force winds to strong gales northward across the rest of the inner channels into Wednesday morning. Storm force winds will impact parts of Cross Sound, Stephens Passage, and Lynn Canal as the front pushes through to the north with a strong surge of southerly winds, with the highest winds in channels exposed to southerly flow and parts of the channels that may see some convergence, such as around Point Arden as well as into northern Lynn Canal near Eldred Rock as the wind funnels into the northern channels. Gusts as the main front moves through are likely to reach above 60 kt.
For Icy Strait and Cross Sound, winds will gradually build out of the east for most of the day, before quickly reversing out of the west once the low jumps inland Tuesday night. Seas will begin to build Tuesday into Tuesday night from S to N to between 6 and 10 ft at the highest.

Outside waters: Storm force winds are expected to move rather quickly up the coastline from S to N as a storm force low travels northward, reaching the northern coast by Tuesday night before wind speeds begin to diminish slightly into Wednesday. The highest speeds are expected right along the outer coastline to the east of the low, with near gales up to strong gales further west offshore. As the front passes, the winds will shift from a southerly to SE-ly direction to a SW-ly direction as onshore flow follows the system as it moves inland by Wednesday. Seas tonight remain between 10 and 12 ft, before building from S to N beginning with the waters off of PoW and near Haida Gwaii. Seas will build to 25 to 32 ft along the coast as the low moves northward Tuesday into late Tuesday night, before beginning to subside into Wednesday. This is mostly being driven by a 25 to 30 ft S swell with a period of around 15 sec.

HYDROLOGY...
Another fast moving and wet system is expected for Tuesday into Tuesday night, bringing more moderate to heavy rain and strong winds. Total rainfall amounts will be around 1 to 3 inches over the central and southern panhandle, with gusty winds up to 65 mph possible during the event. The heaviest rainfall rates will occur during the morning and afternoon hours, tapering off during the evening hours. Strongest wind gusts will follow the heaviest rain, occurring during the late afternoon into the evening hours, then tapering off overnight. Expect rapid rises on smaller area rivers and streams Tuesday into Tuesday night, but we are not expecting flooding at this time for the central and southern panhandle.
Additionally, freezing levels will be rising to 4000 to 6000 ft on Tuesday, leading to additional snowmelt.

Additionally, moderate to heavy rains will reach the northern panhandle by late Tuesday morning and continuing through Tuesday night. Total rainfall amounts will be around 1.5 to 3.5 inches with gusty winds up to 65 mph possible during the event. The heaviest rainfall rates will occur during the afternoon and evening hours, tapering off during the overnight hours. Strongest wind gusts will follow the heaviest rain, occurring during the evening and overnight hours, then tapering off Wednesday morning.
Freezing levels will be rising to 2000 to 5000 ft. Any areas that are continuing to see drainage issues or ponding will likely see additional pooling of water. A Flood Advisory remains in effect for Jordan Creek in Juneau through Wednesday morning due to snowmelt and recent rainfall. Winds and rain will continue to diminish through the day Wednesday.

AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
PUBLIC...High Wind Warning from 9 PM this evening to 9 PM AKST Wednesday for AKZ317>319.
Winter Storm Warning from noon today to 9 AM AKST Wednesday for AKZ318.
High Wind Warning from 6 PM this evening to 9 AM AKST Wednesday for AKZ320>322-324-325.
High Wind Warning from noon today to 6 AM AKST Wednesday for AKZ323-326>330-332.
MARINE...Storm Warning for PKZ012-013-022-031-033-036-641>644-651-661>664- 671.
Gale Warning for PKZ011-021-032-034-035-053-652-672.