Marine Weather and Tide Forecast for Whittier, AK

.SHORT TERM FORECAST SOUTHWEST ALASKA/BERING SEA/ALEUTIANS (Days 1 through 3: Today through Sunday)...

The low pressure system moving inland into Southwest Alaska has continued to bring widespread rain and snow across much of the region this afternoon. Rain has become the predominant precipitation type across much of Southwest except for the Kuskokwim Delta Coast and Western Capes as they remain in the cold air advection regime. As the low continues to weaken as it exits to the east, precipitation will begin to clear out through this evening and overnight. Expect any lingering precipitation throughout tonight and the early morning hours of Friday to transition back to snow as colder air on the back side of the trough spreads back over the region. Gusty westerly to northwesterly winds along the Alaska Peninsula will also continue to decrease throughout this evening and tonight as weak ridging currently over the central Aleutians slides to the east. This strengthening ridge will make its way over Southwest Alaska for the weekend, leading to drier and warmer conditions through Saturday.

A weak front currently passing over the central Aleutians continues east to the Eastern Aleutians before falling apart Friday morning, bringing light precipitation to the island chain and ushering in a warmer airmass. By Saturday morning, a North Pacific low lifts across the western and central Aleutians into the Bering, driving a front into the central/eastern Aleutians by Saturday afternoon, bringing increased wind speeds and precipitation mostly in the form of rain. The front pushes into the Southwest mainland by Sunday morning, with precipitation falling in the form of rain apart from the Kuskokwim Delta coast where precipitation may begin as a rain/snow mix before quickly transitioning to rain.

.LONG TERM FORECAST (Days 4 through 7/Monday through Thursday)...

A broad upper level low dominates the Alaska Weather map moving from the Bering to cover Interior Alaska by midweek and flexing through the end of the forecast period. A few upper level low centers and several shortwaves moving through the flow keeps the overall pattern fairly unsettled, but most of the active weather will occur across the Southern portions of the state. A well clustered mix of GFS / ECMWF / UKMET and Canadian models support large scale feature movements and strengths, with the greatest uncertainty bundled in the smaller surface details.

On the surface, a large area low center in the West-Central Bering extends a front across Southwest Alaska and the Alaska Peninsula into the Gulf of Alaska on Monday. Areas of snow or rain mixed with snow move over the Northern Bering and Southwest Alaska, with all rain spreading over Kodiak Island, Southcentral Alaska Coast and the Gulf of Alaska on Monday. This low weakens as it moves into Bristol Bay and dissipates early Tuesday. A low forming South of the Aleutians picks up the slack Tuesday, bringing another round of rain across the Gulf of Alaska and Southcentral Alaska through Thursday. Developing in the West, a strong North Pacific low pushes a front over the Western Aleutians and Bering Tuesday. Locally heavy rain and gusty winds spread Eastward through Thursday.

- Kutz

AVIATION

PANC...The gusty southeasterly winds are expected to continue through the evening and then diminish more toward morning. VFR conditions are expected to persist though there may be some showers in the vicinity this evening into the overnight hours.