Bristol Bay

Officials with the Enviornmental Protection Agency took public comment Thursday in Seattle concerning the potential environmental impacts of a possible mining project on the watershed of Bristol Bay. The main topic of discussion was the Pebble Mine project. Nearly a thousand Washington State fishermen are licensed to work in Bristol Bay, and several voiced opposition to the mine. Another hearing is scheduled to be held Monday in Anchorage. It's the first in a series of Alaska public forums at which concerns about Pebble and the Bristol Bay watershed will be discussed.

A broad stacked low pressure system south of Kodiak Island is responsible for gray skies and areas of persistent rain over southern Alaska. Some of the heavier rain has been in PWS and the eastern Kenai.  Gusty winds in excess of 50 mph through channeled terrain have accompanied the wet weather.  Rain will continue today with highs in the upper 40s to low 50s. Rain and rain showers will continue in SE, also.  Look for highs in the 50s. ...

The Coast Guard rescued four people from an 18-foot skiff that drifted across Bristol Bay for three days in the ice. The skiff's crew originally departed from Platinum, AK to make a 23 miles trip to Bird Rock to collect gull eggs for subsistence use. Officials say they had to duck into an ice flow to avoid a storm. They ran out of gas and drifted with the ice and wound up more than 170 miles from their home port. The boaters were reported missing Friday. An Alaska State Trooper plane spotted a skiff with the same number of people in it, and the search was called off....

Warm and sunny---that is today's weather in a nutshell for much of the state.  The upper level ridge responsible for the dry and warm air mass will move into Canada and flatten out, allowing clouds to increase by tomorrow. Expect highs near 60 to the low 60s in Anchorage and the Mat Su.  60s to near 70 in the Interior will make for the warmest day of the season so far.  Even some areas of the Arctic Coast will warm to near 40, which is near record warmth for that part of the Alaska.

Weather in the southern half of the state is dominated by a vertically stacked low near Bristol Bay. Strong wind gusts moved through Portage Valley (70 mph) and Cordova (60 mph) overnight. The high winds are expected to last through late Thursday night. Areas around Turnagain arm and the higher elevations around Anchorage could see gusts to 65 miles per hour through tonight. The strong front associated with this same system is driving moisture in to the Gulf coast. Expect heavy rain today around Cordova and Yakutat.

Homer Police say 57-year-old Dave Boone died in a construction accident on Friday, when the excavator he was operating flipped over. According to a press release, police and Homer volunteer firefighters responded to the accident off West Hill Rd. on Reber Dr.  They pronounced Boone dead at the scene. In a phone interview, his son Corey, tells Channel 2 that Boone was helping a friend clear some property to build a house.  "He was doing what he always did.  Helping people out," said Corey.  "We will always cherish the memories and adventures we shared over the years.

A surface low is embedded within an upper level trough over the Bering Sea.  At the base of the trough is a strong jet stream.  Moisture is wrapping around the low into Kodiak, Bristol Bay and the Alaska Peninsula.  Snow has been reported in Cold Bay and the Pribilofs.  Snow may mix in with rain this morning around Dillingham and King Salmon.   Clouds are found along the West Coast.  St. Lawrence will get in on a few snow showers but...

Alaska's unemployment rate remained at 7.0 percent in March, unchanged from February's rate, according to the state's department of labor workforce development. In March 2011, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 7.6 percent in Alaska. The report also said the state's most populated areas - Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau - typically have lower than average jobless numbers and seldom change throughout the year. State economists said the Hoonah-Angoon area had the highest unemployment rate with 25.8 unemployment rate that was not seasonally adjusted, and that the area never dipped below double digits in 2011.

Rain and snow showers remain over the southern and western parts of the state thanks to a low pressure area in the southern Bering, just west of Bristol Bay.  Flow around the low is drawing moisture out of the Gulf of Alaska into southern Alaska.   Clouds overnight keep temps in the teens and 20s.  While temperatures will not climb as dramatically as in past days due to the cloud cover, near average highs will be widespread.  Look for 30s and 40s from SE through Southcentral, with 20s and 30s in Southwest.  Moderating temps with scrappy clouds are in store for the Interior.  Highs will be in the teens to near 30. North of the Brooks Range, cold dry air and winds to 20 mph will make for yet another day of brutal wind chills.  Wind chill advisories for wind chills to 65 below are in effect along the Arctic coast.

Today and the weekend will continue mild with scattered to isolated showers throughout Southcentral.  Highs in Anchorage will be near freezing.  Expect highs in the Valley in the mid to upper 30s. Several weak disturbances will round the base of an upper trough over the Bering and and bring clouds and showers to the Aleutians, Bristol Bay region and Southcentral through Sunday.  A stronger storm system will make its way into Southcenral Monday,...