WARNING FOR NEAR HURRICANE FORCE WINDS

Update 20131107-08

AWAK88 PAVW 070034 RWSAK ALASKA WEATHER SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VALDEZ AK 400 PM AKST WED NOV 6 2013 THE MOST POWERFUL STORM OF THE SEASON IS STEAMING NORTH ACROSS THE BERING SEA...WITH A TIGHTLY WOUND FRONT WRAPPED AROUND THE LOW PRESSURE CENTER OF VERY LOW PRESSURE FROM THE BACKSIDE OF THE STORM AROUND TO THE FRONT AND SOUTH OVER THE EASTERN ALEUTIANS INTO THE NORTH PACIFIC. TO THE EAST OF THIS STORM A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE EXTENDING FROM A HIGH CENTER OVER THE NORTH PACIFIC NORTH OVER THE INTERIOR OF ALASKA TO ANOTHER CENTER OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE CENTRAL BEAUFORD SEA COAST. A WEAKENING FRONT STRETCHED FROM THE NORTHERN SLOPES OF THE ALASKA RANGE EASTWARD INTO THE YUKON TERRITORIES OF CANADA. A WEAK AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WAS LOCATED OFFSHORE OF SITKA WITH A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE EXTENDING SOUTH ALONG THE COASTAL ARCHIPELAGO. SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW WAS FOUND OVER THE ALEUTIANS WITH SNOW REPORTED AT SHEMYA...LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN AT DUTCH HARBOR AND HEAVY RAIN AT COLD BAY. LIGHT RAIN WAS SEEN OVER THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS AT SAINT PAUL WITH LIGHT SNOW OBSERVED ALONG THE BERING SEA COAST FROM CAPE NEWENHAM TO KIPNUK TO SCAMMON BAY AND BLOWING SNOW AT KOTZEBUE. ALONG THE BEAUFORD SEA COAST LIGHT SNOW WAS OBSERVED AT BARTER ISLAND AND DENSE FOG AT NUIQSUT. LIGHT SNOW WAS REPORTED OVER PARTS OF THE INTERIOR AT GALENA...BIG DELTA AND EAGLE WITH SNOW SHOWERS IN THE FAIRBANKS VICINITY. HIGH PRESSURE OVER MOST OF THE INTERIOR RESULTED IN MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND DRY CONDITIONS FROM MCKINLEY PARK TO SOUTH CENTRAL ALASKA AND EAST TO THE COPPER RIVER BASIN. THE SOUTHEAST PANHANDLE HAD CLOUDY AND WET CONDITIONS WITH FAIRLY WIDESPREAD RAIN FROM HOONAH AND JUNEAU TO SITKA...KLAWOCK... PETERSBURG AND WRANGELL. NEAR HURRICANE FORCE WINDS BATTERED SHEMYA DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS WITH WINDS GUSTING TO 69 MPH AND ATKA EXPERIENCING WINDS OF 54 MPH. STRONG WINDS WERE WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE ALEUTIANS...THE PRIBILOFS AND THE BERING SEA COAST WITH WINDS OF 71 MPH AT SAINT GEORGE AND AT SAINT PAUL...58 MPH AT SAVOONGA ON SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND...55 MPH AT UNALASKA...52 MPH AT COLD BAY AND FREQUENT GUSTS OVER 50 MPH ALONG THE BERING SEA COAST WITH 68 MPH AT HOOPER BAY. STRONG WINDS IN EXCESS OF 30 MPH WERE COMMON TO THE NORTH ACROSS NORTON SOUND AND THE SEWARD PENINSULA. UNRELATED TO THE STORM OVER THE BERING SEA...BRISK WINDS WERE SEEN OVER PARTS OF PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND WITH THE OUTFLOW FROM THE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE OVER THE INTERIOR WITH WINDS GUSTING NEAR 40 MPH AROUND VALDEZ AND WINDS OF 47 MPH AT WHITTIER AND OUT OF THE PASSES ALONG THE COASTAL CHUGACH RANGE. HIGH TEMPERATURES AROUND THE GREAT LAND THIS AFTERNOON RANGED FROM THE SINGLE DIGITS BELOW ZERO ALONG THE NORTH COAST FROM WAINWRIGHT TO DEADHORSE AND ON ANAKTUVUK PASS...WITH OTHER PARTS OF THE NORTHWEST AND NORTH SLOPES GETTING UP TO THE LOW 30S. OVER THE INTERIOR HIGHS WERE BETWEEN 1 ABOVE IN ARCTIC VILLAGE TO 20 AT EAGLE. ACROSS THE WEST AND ALEUTIANS HIGHS WERE FROM 10 IN ANVIK UP TO THE LOW 50S... WITH SAND POINT AT 46...DUTCH HARBOR AT 47 AND COLD BAY AT 51. HIGHS AROUND THE SOUTHCENTRAL WERE IN THE TEENS TO LOW 40S...WITH LOW 30S ACROSS THE ANCHORAGE BOWL. FOR THE SOUTHEAST PANHANDLE TEMPERATURES WERE ALL IN THE 40S AT 3 PM...WITH JUNEAU AT 40...WHILE ANNETTE ISLAND HIT 51 EARLIER IN THE AFTERNOON. $$ MB/SE