118
FXAK69 PAFG 300020
AFDAFG

Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Fairbanks AK
320 PM AKST Thu Jan 29 2026

.SYNOPSIS...
Blizzard conditions will continue across the Eastern Arctic Coast
through tonight, with areas of blowing snow further west across
the North Slope, ahead of winds gradually subsiding tonight into
Friday morning. While a break in widespread blowing snow is then
expected through the weekend for most of the North Slope, gusty
winds are expected to return to the Western Arctic Coast late
Saturday into Sunday and also to the Eastern Arctic Coast by late
Sunday into Monday. A weak shortwave trough lifting north along
the Alcan Border today into Friday will bring isolated snow
showers to the Eastern Interior in addition to wind gusts of 30-45
mph through Alaska Range Passes and Middle Tanana Valley around
Delta Junction. Elsewhere across Northern Alaska, an overall quiet
weather pattern is expected to continue as temperatures remain
largely above normal in the Interior and near normal to below
normal along the West Coast and Arctic Coast into next week.

&&

.KEY WEATHER MESSAGES...

Central and Eastern Interior...

- Isolated snow showers will continue across the Eastern Interior
  today into tonight as dry conditions prevail elsewhere.

- Wind gusts up to 30-45 mph will continue for the Middle Tanana
  Valley around Delta Junction through Friday with periods of gap
  winds through Alaska Range Passes through Saturday morning.

- A mix of snow and clouds are expected through the weekend as an
  overall quiet weather pattern continues with above normal
  temperatures for most. The increasing sun angle brings a return
  to daily diurnal temperature curves.

West Coast and Western Interior...

- Isolated snow showers will continue across the West Coast
  through the weekend as dry conditions prevail for the Western
  Interior.

- Wind gusts up to 40 mph will continue across the Y-K Delta and
  Bering Straight through Friday.

- Temperatures moderate through the weekend with highs in the
  single digits and teens above zero. The increasing sun angle
  brings a return to daily diurnal temperature curves.

North Slope and Brooks Range...

- Blizzard conditions continue for the Eastern Arctic Coast
  through tonight with areas of blowing snow elsewhere. Conditions
  will gradually improve overnight into Friday morning.

- Light snow showers are expected across the eastern Arctic Coast
  and Arctic Plain late Friday through the weekend.

- Temperatures begin to moderate with most areas around 0 and -20F
  through Saturday. Temperatures cool to the -10F to -30F range
  Sunday into early next week.

- Another extended period of blowing snow and low visibility
  possible early to mid next week, but as early as Sunday from
  Point Lay to Point Hope.

&&

.FORECAST ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION...Today through Saturday Night.
Early afternoon satellite imagery shows a 980 mb low working west
through Southcentral Alaska, a 985 mb low working northwest through
the Western Bering Sea, and a 1040 mb high in the High Arctic.
Blizzard conditions continue across portions of the Arctic Coast
as of 230 PM AKST this afternoon as overall conditions continue to
gradually improve, following an extended 48+ hour period of wind
gusts of 40- 50 mph+ and 1/4 mile or lower visibility. Blizzard
Warnings that were in effect for the Arctic Coast have been
extended for the Eastern Arctic Coast and downgraded to Winter
Weather Advisories for the Western/Northern Arctic Coast minus
Wainwright and Atqasuk, all of which have been continued through
700 AM AKST Friday. These conditions will continue to be monitored
and may end up being cancelled early dependent on how quickly
conditions improve. Wind gusts up to 60 mph will continue for the
Eastern Arctic Coast overnight, leading to persistent blizzard
conditions.

Elsewhere across Northern Alaska, quiet and dry conditions prevail
with a mix of sun and clouds as isolated snow showers continue
across the Eastern Interior and along the West Coast. An elevated
pressure gradient over the Southern Interior will work to support
wind gusts up to 30-45 mph for the Middle Tanana Valley around Delta
Junction through Friday with periods of gap winds through Alaska
Range Passes through Saturday morning. Wind gusts up to 40 mph will
also continue across the Y-K Delta and Bering Straight through
Friday. Temperatures will moderate heading into the weekend,
remaining largely above normal in the Interior and near normal to
below normal along the West Coast and Arctic Coast.

&&

.EXTENDED FORECAST DAYS 4-7...Sunday through next Thursday.
A ridge will build from the southeast over northern Alaska beginning
Saturday. Models are in poor agreement on what happens after that.
In the last 24 hours, all deterministic solutions have weakened the
strength of the ridge, and some have introduced a similar upper
level low feature moving from Mackenzie Bay to Kotzebue Sound Sunday
through Tuesday with snow falling south of this feature. Ensemble
solutions generally still favor the ridge persisting and this upper
low feature remaining over the Canadian Archipelago, though
confidence is not as high as yesterday. Otherwise, a milder weather
pattern continues for the Interior and West Coast into next week as
southerly flow ramps up at times as strong lows and fronts push
northward in the Gulf of Alaska. Periods of snow showers possible
over the next week as fronts move northward into the interior, but
overall nothing very concerning at the moment. Southerly flow with
intermittent Chinook conditions should keep Fairbanks and areas
along the north side of the Alaska Range drier and warmer than
surrounding areas. A strong Arctic High redevelops early next week
which will likely bring another round of strong winds and blowing
snow through the Bering Strait and across the Arctic Coast. Near
blizzard conditions return to the NW Coast as early as Sunday,
specially from Point Hope to Point Lay, then spread east by early
next week to encompass the rest of the Arctic Coast.

Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AK...Blizzard Warning for AKZ805
     Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ801
     Winter Weather Advisory for AKZ804
PK...Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ811.
     Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ812.
     Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ813-859.
     Gale Warning for PKZ814-860.
     Gale Warning for PKZ815-861.
     Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ856.

&&

$$

SYNOPSIS...MacKay
KEY WEATHER MESSAGES...MacKay
SHORT TERM...MacKay
LONG TERM...Chriest