Marine Weather and Tide Forecast for Nome, AK

KEY WEATHER MESSAGES
Central and Eastern Interior...

- Today is expected to be the warmest day of the week with highs in the mid 50s in many locations. Highs cool back into the upper 30s by Saturday.

- High winds through Alaska Range Passes have diminished and hazards have been cancelled.

- Mostly cloudy conditions with intermittent rain or snow showers, especially in the afternoons will be the story through Sunday.

West Coast and Western Interior...

- A frontal boundary remains parked from the central Seward Peninsula to the Yukon Delta. West of the front, mostly snow is falling while mostly rain is falling east of the front.
Conditions dry out Saturday night as ridging moves over the area.

- Winds diminish through the Bering Strait overnight tonight with winds turning to be light from the southwest over most of the area through Saturday.

- High temperatures will be mainly in the 20s along the coast and in the 30s inland.

North Slope and Brooks Range...

- Blizzard conditions are occurring and will continue along the Arctic Coast through Friday afternoon. Expect whiteout conditions and near zero visibility in blowing and falling snow at times.

- Snow showers continue along the south slopes of the Brooks Range and north to around Toolik Lake along the Dalton Highway. Most areas can expect 3 to 6 inches through Sunday.

- Temperatures will be steady between 0 and 10 above near the coast and in the teens and 20s in the Brooks Range.

FORECAST ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
An upper level low over Bristol Bay continues to bring southerly Chinook flow over the Interior, though surface winds have mostly weakened as the surface pressure gradient has eased across the Alaska Range. The upper level feature will continue to weaken as it tracks east over the Alaska Peninsula, though a surface low will remain in Norton Sound through Friday morning, bringing additional precipitation to most of the West Coast through the day on Friday. Areas that are currently seeing rain will likely see a slow transition back to snow before precipitation tapers off. A shortwave aloft will rotate into the eastern Interior from the southeast before a surface low develops near Eagle early Friday morning. This will bring intermittent heavy rain and snow showers from Eagle to Circle to Arctic Village Friday morning, though most precipitation will fall east of the Canadian Border. High pressure over the Arctic will continue to bring east winds as a warm front remains parked over the Arctic Coast producing falling snow. This will result in continued blizzard conditions through Friday afternoon.
Weak ridging builds over the area from the southwest beginning Saturday morning bringing quieter weather. Remnant moisture in the Interior will be push north against the south slopes of the Brooks Range Friday-Saturday and localized snow accumulations of around 6 inches are possible.

Models are in good agreement on the general pattern and we will use a blend of models for the forecast today. Most changes will be to Watch/Warning/Advisories.

.EXTENDED FORECAST DAYS 4-7...A broad trough will continue to encompass Alaska through the extended forecast period. This will bring near normal temperatures. The majority of precipitation looks to be south of the Alaska Range next week, though intermittent shortwaves may bring rain showers into the eastern Interior, and along the West Coast. A strong surface high will remain present in the Arctic, leading to periods of strong east winds along the Arctic Coast with blowing and drifting snow possible.

Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None

AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
AK...Blizzard Warning for AKZ801.
Blizzard Warning for AKZ802>805.
PK...Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ801-802-817-850.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ804.
Small Craft Advisory for PKZ805.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for PKZ805.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ806-807-853-854.
Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ810-816-851.
Gale Warning for PKZ811.
Gale Warning for PKZ812-813.
Gale Warning for PKZ814-860.
Gale Warning for PKZ815.
Gale Warning for PKZ856.
Gale Warning for PKZ857.
Gale Warning for PKZ858-859.
Gale Warning for PKZ861.