High Pressure

The upper trough that brought cold and wet weather to much of the state over the last week is weakening as it moves east into Canada and the SE Panhandle.  Rain showers and cool temps associated with the trough will remain for today in SE. The big story around the state is the warm and dry air mass that is building in.  An upper ridge of high pressure is strengthening over western Alaska.  It will nudge eastward and anchor itself over the...

Beautiful, sunny weather will persist today for Southcentral and inland Southwest AK.  Northerly winds to 25 mph may develop over west Anchorage and the Matsu as Gulf low pressure and high pressure over the state move closer to one another.  Areas of the northern and western Interior will also see partly to mostly sunny skies.  Highs will range from the teens and 20s along the Slope and Brooks Range to the 30s over the Interior and West.  The...

The dominant weather feature in Alaska is a strong dome of high pressure.  Bitterly cold air and patchy fog and ice fog will continue around most of the state. Beneath this high pressure ridge is a surface temperature inversion.  Warmer air is sitting on top of dense cold air near the surface and acting as a lid holding in the very cold air.  This is typical in the case of strong high pressure.  This inversion will aid in the development of fog and ice fog for areas of the Interior, Slope, Southcentral and Southeast.

An upper level low that's been lingering over the Alaska Panhandle is moving out of the way. A shortwave associated with this system over the Copper River Basin is responsible for the snowfall on Wednesday. Reports of 4+ inches of snow around Copper Center this morning. Glennallen also reporting 2+ inches of snow. Highs today should get rid of most of it with Glennallen looking for a high near 50 degrees. Still rain showers in Southeast. A jet streak just off the west coast of the state is steering a low into Bristol Bay and bringing another shot of cold air to the Alaska Peninsula.

The primary feature on the weather map is an upper low centered just south of Seward.  This is the same upper level low that moved out of the northern Yukon at the beginning of the week and has brought moderate to heavy rainfall to the majority of the mainland. This low will sag south slightly, then stall and continue to weaken.  Ahead of it, rain is coming onshore into PWS and the SE Panhandle.  On the backside of the low, rain is ending and dry air at the mid and upper levels is trying to punch into the Inlet region.  Clouds will continue to gradually break up into the afternoon in Anchorage and the entire Cook Inlet area.  Highs will rebound into the upper 50s and low 60s. With rain and rain showers forecast today, highs will be cool in PWS and SE.  Expect upper 40s to mid 50s. Widespread sunshine is forecast elsewhere thanks to a broad upper ridge of high pressure smack-dab over the Bering Sea.  Weak, dry northerly flow aloft is suppressing cloud development for a big chunk of the state.  The Alaska Peninsula, Bristol Bay region, western Interior, all of the west coast, and the Arctic coast will have mostly sunny to sunny skies.  Clouds will continue to decrease over the central and eastern Interior.

A weak area of low pressure has moved into the lower Kuskokwim and is making it's march to the east.  It is also continuing to weaken along the way.  Clouds are scattered about most of the state as a result.  Since atmospheric dynamics and moisture are limited with this disturbance, snowfall is not expected to be heavy around the state. A couple of inches are possible in Southwest with light accumulations over the Interior and the rest of the West Coast.  Southcentral will see clouds increase and scattered snow showers but only light accumulations, in general, are expected.

An upper ridge of high pressure is taking shape over the Bering and will continue to build into mainland Alaska today.  Mostly to partly sunny skies will be widespread---the Interior, West, Southwest, and Southcentral regions of the state will get generous doses of sun with above-normal temperatures. Southeast is contending with a weak upper trough and associated surface disturbance over the Gulf.  Clouds and isolated showers are back for today.  40s and 50s are expected for highs.  Periods of sun will mix in with the cloud cover for some areas.

We don't often see this type of pattern this time of year...and no one is complaining. Mild temperatures will combine with plentiful sunshine in Southcentral and the eastern half of the mainland, making for another lovely winter day. The reason for the mild air is an upper level jet streaming northward out of the Pacific into western Alaska.  A high pressure ridge over western Canada is helping out, as well.  This ridge is forcing a...

Let's do yesterday all over again. Sunshine and highs in the the 40s are back for the Interior and Southcentral.  Mostly cloudy skies and isolated showers will continue over SE.  It will be warm again today with upper 40s and 50s across the Panhandle. A strong 980 mb low is south of the Aleutian Chain this morning.  Clouds and moisture are rotating around it to the north into SW Alaska.  Rain and snow will remain throughout the day in the Aleutians, Kodiak Island, and AK Peninsula.  Showers will end for Bristol Bay and the lower Kuskokwim by late morning.  Highs across the West will stay in the 30s to near 40. The low currently over the north Pacific is moving to the east/southeast, away from mainland Alaska.

For the first time this year, Anchorage hit the 70s for a high temperature yesterday.  And there's a lot more where that came from. High pressure dominates the Bering Sea and north Pacific.  This ridging extends into the rest of Alaska and strengthens over the far northeast corner of the state.  This is providing a warm and stagnant weather pattern to most areas.  Temps will top out in the 50s to near 60 along the west coast with partly...

An easterly upper wave is moving over SE into Southcentral Alaska.  It is brought rain showers to PWS but, as it encounters drier air in the Cook Inlet region, it's only influence is scattered clouds.  Showers and clouds will continue throughout the day in the Panhandle, with the heavier showers over the northern half of SE. Rain has made its way back onshore over the West.  A weak upper ridge is holding together over far SW AK.  It will eat...

A ridge of high pressure is strengthening over the Gulf of Alaska.  It will nudge into southern Alaska as the day goes on.  While cool, moist air will endure through most of the morning, it will gradually be overtaken by the drier air and sunshine will begin to pop over much of the state's southern half. Status layer and fog will be tough to burn off over coast areas from SW into the SE Panhandle.  The southern inner channels of SE will be less impacted and, therefore, warmer.

If you were up early this morning in Anchorage, you might have figured we are in for a soaking wet day.  Not so fast... An easterly wave swung through Southcentral last night bringing widespread, steady rain to the Inlet region.  An area of rain will sag southwest along the Inlet and clear Kenai and Soldotna later this morning.  Skies will partially clear this afternoon and temps will push into the low 60s. A stalled upper low over the...

For the first time this year, Anchorage hit the 70s for a high temperature yesterday.  And there's a lot more where that came from. High pressure dominates the Bering Sea and north Pacific.  This ridging extends into the rest of Alaska and strengthens over the far northeast corner of the state.  This is providing a warm and stagnant weather pattern to most areas.  Temps will top out in the 50s to near 60 along the west coast with partly...

The primary feature on the weather map is an upper low centered just south of Seward.  This is the same upper level low that moved out of the northern Yukon at the beginning of the week and has brought moderate to heavy rainfall to the majority of the mainland. This low will sag south slightly, then stall and continue to weaken.  Ahead of it, rain is coming onshore into PWS and the SE Panhandle.  On the backside of the low, rain is ending and dry air at the mid and upper levels is trying to punch into the Inlet region.  Clouds will continue to gradually break up into the afternoon in Anchorage and the entire Cook Inlet area.  Highs will rebound into the upper 50s and low 60s. With rain and rain showers forecast today, highs will be cool in PWS and SE.  Expect upper 40s to mid 50s. Widespread sunshine is forecast elsewhere thanks to a broad upper ridge of high pressure smack-dab over the Bering Sea.  Weak, dry northerly flow aloft is suppressing cloud development for a big chunk of the state.  The Alaska Peninsula, Bristol Bay region, western Interior, all of the west coast, and the Arctic coast will have mostly sunny to sunny skies.  Clouds will continue to decrease over the central and eastern Interior.

Anchorage and the Valley are benefiting from the effects of downsloping flow.  While most of the southern half of the state remains cloudy to mostly cloudy with rain showers, we have cleared beautifully this morning and already warmed into the 50s.  I did not expect as rapid and widespread of clearing, especially during the morning, but we have lucked out.  As a result, highs will push toward 60 in the Mat Su and upper 50s in the Anchorage Bowl....

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. ...

We tend to think of Memorial Day weekend as the first unofficial weekend of summer but we're not seeing a summery blast across much of the state.  An area of low pressure is south of the Alaska Peninsula. The jet stream is south of the state and guiding that system into the Gulf of Alaska.  With the flow of the jet going almost due east, the push from this system won't send much rain too far inland.  Coastal areas can expect to see the brunt of this rain. Mostly cloudy and scattered rain showers through the weekend for Anchorage, the Mat-Su Valleys and the Kenai Peninsula.

The upper trough that brought cold and wet weather to much of the state over the last week is weakening as it moves east into Canada and the SE Panhandle.  Rain showers and cool temps associated with the trough will remain for today in SE. The big story around the state is the warm and dry air mass that is building in.  An upper ridge of high pressure is strengthening over western Alaska.  It will nudge eastward and anchor itself over the...

An upper level low that's been lingering over the Alaska Panhandle is moving out of the way. A shortwave associated with this system over the Copper River Basin is responsible for the snowfall on Wednesday. Reports of 4+ inches of snow around Copper Center this morning. Glennallen also reporting 2+ inches of snow. Highs today should get rid of most of it with Glennallen looking for a high near 50 degrees. Still rain showers in Southeast. A jet streak just off the west coast of the state is steering a low into Bristol Bay and bringing another shot of cold air to the Alaska Peninsula.