Ice Forecast
Issued by NWS Anchorage, AK
Issued by NWS Anchorage, AK
707 FZAK80 PAFC 142136 ICEAFC Sea Ice Forecast for Western and Arctic Alaskan Coastal Waters National Weather Service - Alaska Sea Ice Program 136 PM AKDT Friday 14 August 2026 FORECAST VALIDWednesday 19 August 2026 ANALYSIS CONFIDENCEHigh. SYNOPSISSeveral low pressure systems will move through the far western Chukchi Sea into the high arctic. A larger low will develop in the eastern Bering Sea on Sunday, then spawn a new low center in the southeastern Beaufort Sea on Tuesday. -BEAUFORT SEA- PKZ505-Central US Arctic Offshore- PKZ510-Eastern US Arctic Offshore- PKZ813-Point Franklin to Cape Halkett out to 15 nm- PKZ814-Cape Halkett to Flaxman Island out to 15 nm- PKZ815-Flaxman Island to Demarcation Point out to 15 nm- PKZ859-Point Franklin to Cape Halkett from 45 to 80 nm- PKZ860-Cape Halkett to Flaxman Island from 45 to 80 nm- Ice covered. FORECAST FOR THE BEAUFORT SEA (DAYS 1 through 5)... Forecast confidence is high. Southerly winds will prevail through the weekend, then shift to northeasterly Monday through Wednesday. Expect the marginal ice zone to continue to slowly melt/degrade while expanding. The northerly winds will bring the pack ice back closer to the coast 15 to 25 nm. -CHUKCHI SEA- PKZ500-Western US Arctic Offshore- PKZ505-Central US Arctic Offshore- PKZ807-Wales to Cape Espenberg out to 15 nm- PKZ808-Cape Espenberg to Motherwood Point out to 10 nm- PKZ809-Motherwood Point to Cape Krusenstern out to 10 nm- PKZ810-Cape Krusenstern to Cape Thompson out to 15 nm- PKZ811-Cape Thompson to Cape Beaufort out to 15 nm- PKZ812-Cape Beaufort to Point Franklin out to 15 nm- PKZ813-Point Franklin to Cape Halkett out to 15 nm- PKZ855-Kotzebue Sound greater than 10 nm- PKZ856-Wales to Cape Thompson greater than 15 nm- PKZ857-Cape Thompson to Cape Beaufort from 15 to 85 nm- PKZ858-Cape Beaufort to Point Franklin from 15 to 85 nm- PKZ859-Point Franklin to Cape Halkett from 15 to 75 nm- The main ice edge in the Chukchi Sea extends from near 70 58`N 157 26`W to 71 4`N 166 14`W to 70 2`N 167 23`W to 69 57`N 170 60`W to 72 31`N 173 58`W to 68 33`N 171 56`W to 68 56`N 169 40`W to 68 9`N 167 45`W to 65 56`N 169 24`W. From land-based points in Alaska, the main ice edge in the Chukchi Sea extends from 20 nm south-southwest of Utqiagvik to 94 nm northwest of Icy Cape to 110 nm west of Icy Cape to 180 nm west of Icy Cape to 255 nm northwest of Icy Cape to 125 nm west of Cape Lisburne to 73 nm west of Cape Lisburne to 23 nm west-southwest of Point Hope to 15 nm northwest of Diomede. The ice edge is open water. FORECAST FOR THE CHUKCHI SEA (DAYS 1 through 5)... Forecast confidence is high. Light to moderate southerly winds will persist through Saturday. Marginal ice will expand to the northeast around 5-10 nm/day through Saturday while melting. Sunday and Monday, winds will flip to the north and bring ice back toward the Russian coast. In navigational Alaska waters, the ice edge will retreat 5-10 nm day through Saturday while a stream of pack ice moves past Utqiagvik. Monday through Wednesday, northerly winds will move ice back southward into navigational waters, likely staying in the marginal ice range. -BERING SEA- PKZ763-Kuskokwim Delta and Etolin Strait out to 15 nm- PKZ765-North and West of Nunivak Island PKZ801-Etolin Strait to Dall Point out to 15 nm- PKZ802-Dall Point to Kwikpak Pass out to 15 nm- PKZ803-Kwikpak Pass to Cape Stephens out to 15 nm- PKZ804-Cape Stephens to Moses Point out to 15 nm- PKZ805-Moses Point to Sledge Island out to 15 nm- PKZ806-Sledge Island to Wales out to 15 nm- PKZ850-Etolin Strait to Kwemeluk Pass from 15 to 90 nm- PKZ852-Norton Sound greater than 15 nm- PKZ853-Kwemeluk Pass to Kwikpak Pass from 15 to 90 nm- PKZ760-Bristol Bay greater than 15 nm- PKZ761-Bristol Bay from Port Heiden to Cape Chichagof out to 15 nm- PKZ762-Bristol Bay from Cape Chichagof to Cape Pierce out to 15 nm- PKZ764-Kuskokwim Delta from 15 to 80 nm- PKZ767-Saint Matthew Island Waters- PKZ816-South Side of Saint Lawrence Island out to 15 nm- PKZ817-North Side of Saint Lawrence Island out to 15 nm- PKZ851-Southwest of Saint Lawrence Island from 15 to 100 nm- PKZ854-Sledge Island to Wales greater than 15 nm- Ice free. FORECAST FOR THE BERING SEA (DAYS 1 through 5)...Forecast confidence is high. -COOK INLET- PKZ730-West of Barren Islands including Kamishak Bay- PKZ740-Cook Inlet North of Kalgin Island- PZK741-Kachemak Bay- PKZ742-Cook Inlet Kalgin Island to Point Bede- Ice free. FORECAST FOR COOK INLET (DAYS 1 through 5)... Forecast confidence is high. && Lawson