


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Juneau, AK
Issued by NWS Juneau, AK
156 FXAK67 PAJK 111357 AFDAJK Southeast Alaska Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Juneau AK 557 AM AKDT Mon Aug 11 2025 .SHORT TERM... Heavier rain looks to be moving into the panhandle shortly. Checking out MIRS rain rate product, a swathe of rain rates around 0.20 to 0.25 in/hr from Yakutat to Cape Spencer is moving east into the panhandle. Still expecting Baranof Island to take the brunt of this moisture, with Gustavus, Hoonah, and Juneau receiving the brief, upper portion of the moisture. As an upper level trough advecting colder and drier air pushes in from the NW, expecting the stream of moisture to shift southward and exit by this evening. Currently have the QPF forecast unchanged, and based on current observations, no significant changes are expected to be made. Looking towards Tuesday, the upper level trough will have successfully pushed out moisture from the area, clearing skies and inviting warmer temperatures. 850 mb temperatures around 9 degrees Celsius, typical with the cooler air advected over the panhandle, look to increase highs for the upper 2/3 of the panhandle to a maximum of the low 70s. .LONG TERM... Key messages: - Light an diminishes as a Ridge builds in the gulf on Tuesday. This allows for drier conditions for the midweek. - Winds diminish throughout the inner channels and are expected to remain light into Thursday. - Rain returns Thursday into the weekend as another low pressure system moves throught the gulf. Details: Times of light rain will continue into Tuesday morning before an upper level ridge brings drier air toward the panhandle. This drier pattern is expected to remain through Wednesday into early Thursday morning. A decrease in moisture through the atmosphere will in turn decrease cloud cover starting Tuesday. In response, day time temperatures will increase to high 60s to low 70s across the panhandle. On Thursday into the weekend, a change in pattern occurs once again, as an upper level trough and surface low pressure system moves toward the panhandle. Associated with the surface low a front will move over the panhandle once again bringing widespread rain. Currently no significant rain amounts are expected with around a 60% to 70% chance of greater than 0.5 inches of rain in 24 hours from Friday into Saturday. The greatest precipitation totals are expected along southern areas due to the track of the low. && .AVIATION...Fairly widespread IFR to MVFR conditions, with LIFR conditions for some locations. Ceilings of 400 to 3000 feet across most of the panhandle, and rain will be the story of the morning hours, alongside visibilities fluctuating between 2 and 6 miles. The wave impulse moves the rain through the north central panhandle and southward during the morning hours on Monday with the front moving through the southern panhandle later in the day. Expect some improvement in conditions across the northern half of the panhandle during the afternoon hours, although fog may develop Monday night into Tuesday morning. Expecting LLWS for central and southern panhandle sites through 00z Monday with this front with strongest LLWS around 25 to 35kts for TAF sites along and south of a line from Sitka eastward to Petersburg through Monday morning. By late Monday night, the front will have departed, giving a chance for clearing skies, and with them, the potential for fog development. && .MARINE... Outside: A warm front has successfully pushed into the panhandle, increasing winds south of Sitka to a fresh breeze from the southwest. Wave heights have been tamed somewhat with the relaxed swell, with buoy 46184 reporting heights just under 7 ft. Looking to see these heights increase slightly during the morning hours to 8 ft with the consistent 20 knots, then diminish in the evening. As ridging builds Tuesday, look to see winds to shift to the NW continuing strong at a fresh breeze south of Sitka. Inside: Stronger winds are building in the inner channels from another low pressure system pushing into the NE gulf coast, and is expected to redevelop in Canada. This is expected to be very similar to yesterday morning, with Cross Sound starting out as easterly, then as the low jumps inland, a burst of SW winds into Icy Strait this evening. Beyond Monday night, clearing skies and westerly flow will keep east west channels heightened. Not expecting any marine layer to develop during the day in the outer coast, limiting the thermal gradient influences in common areas like Icy Strait and Peril Strait. Earliest chances of development will be later in the afternoon and evening time frame, which may keep westerlies elevated into the night, but confidence is low at this time. && .AJK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PUBLIC...None. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory for PKZ641>644-661>664. && $$ SHORT TERM...NC LONG TERM....EAB AVIATION...GFS MARINE...NC Visit us at http://www.weather.gov/Juneau