Ester, Alaska 7 Day Weather Forecast

Wx Forecast - Wx Discussion - Wx Aviation

169
FXAK69 PAFG 051233
AFDAFG

Northern Alaska Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Fairbanks AK
433 AM AKDT Sun Apr 5 2026

.SYNOPSIS...
Clear skies, light winds, and seasonable temperatures continue across
the majority of our area Sunday. On Monday, a system arriving in
the Gulf of Alaska will cause light, wrap-around precipitation in
the southeast Interior and eastern Alaska Range. Scattered
flurries are possible in the southwest Interior on Monday, ahead
of a more substantial front arriving in the YK Delta Monday night.
This system brings widespread precipitation to the YK Delta and
Western Interior on Tuesday which should begin as snow, but turn
to a rain/snow mixture as temperatures warm above freezing Tuesday
afternoon. Light mixed precipitation continues east into the
Interior on Wednesday. In the latter half of the week, calmer
conditions look to return, with chances for another round of
precipitation in the West by next weekend.


&&

Central and Eastern Interior...

- Seasonable temperatures continue across the Interior, with highs
  remaining in the upper 20s to low 40s. Lows will also trend to
  being above zero regionwide, with localized colder spots below
  zero.

- Starting Sunday evening, scattered snow showers are expected to
  move into Fortymile Country, Upper Tanana Valley, and Eastern
  Alaska Range with light accumulations possible.

- By early to mid next week, highs are expected to climb well into
  the 30s to mid 40s, with lows in the teens/20s as cloudier
  conditions return.

- Southerly gap winds through Alaska Range Passes will see an
  increase Tuesday into Wednesday, with gusts up to 40 mph
  possible.

- Increasing confidence supports a front moving into the Interior
  Wednesday into Thursday with a mix of rain and snow showers as
  even warmer temperatures build in.

West Coast and Western Interior...

- Isolated snow showers will continue across the YK Delta and
  Southwest Interior region as the remnants of an upper-level low
  track back northeast.

- Highs in the teens and 20s to low 30s further inland will
  continue through the weekend, trending warmer in the Western
  Interior to the mid to upper 30s by Sunday. Lows look to also
  stay above zero in the single digits and teens.

- A front will arrive in Southwestern Alaska late Monday into
  Tuesday and Wednesday. Precipitation will begin as snow Tuesday
  morning, with a mix of rain and snow showers as even warmer
  temperatures build in Tuesday afternoon.

- By early to mid next week, highs are expected to climb well into
  the 20s and 30s to low to mid 40s further inland, with lows in
  the teens/20s to low 30s further inland as cloudier conditions
  return.

North Slope and Brooks Range...

- Mostly clear skies and dry conditions with light winds will
  continue across the North Slope and Brooks Range into early next
  week.

- Highs will mostly be in the single digits and teens through the
  weekend on the Arctic Plains/Coast and teens/20s/30s in the
  Brooks Range, trending warmer into next week.

- Overnight lows will continue to be coldest across the Arctic
  Plains/Coast around -10F to -20F through early next week, with
  above zero lows further south shifting north by midweek.

&&

.FORECAST ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION...
We begin Sunday morning with a 548 decameter high over Mackenzie
Bay and a 525 dam low over the YK Delta. This pattern is resulting
in clear and calm conditions across the majority of Northern
Alaska. However, the low over the YK Delta becomes diagonally
stretched, extending from the Gulf of Alaska to the Bering Strait
Sunday night. The part of the upper low that that drops into the
Gulf becomes stacked on top of a deepening 1012 millibar surface
low moving north, pulling moisture along with it. As a result, we
see wrap-around precipitation make it up into the southeast
Interior Sunday night into Monday. Parts of the Tanana Valley
southeast of Delta Junction will see up to an inch of snow through
Monday. We may see scattered snow flurries in the southwest
Interior as well on Monday, as an upper-level ridge over the
Bering pushes the remnants of the YK Delta low farther inland.

Coming in from the southwest behind that ridge is a warm front. A
series of lows from the north Pacific are pulling warm moist air up
from the tropics. That moisture will be arriving in Southwest
Alaska sometime Monday evening. Initially, the precipitation type
should be predominantly snow, as temperatures in the YK Delta and
southeast Interior remain at or below freezing through Tuesday
morning. However, it should transition to rain or a rain/snow mix
as temperatures rise Tuesday afternoon. the front continues north
into the Western Interior and Seward Peninsula on Tuesday. High
pressure pulls a good portion of the moisture towards Anchorage
and the rest of South Central Alaska, reducing the overall impact
on Western Alaska.

Winds behind the front will be easterly and gusting into the mid
20s for areas in the YK Delta and likely above 30 mph for areas
along the Coast and for St. Lawrence Island. Southerly winds
through the eastern Alaska Range swell Tuesday, up to 40 mph.

&&

.EXTENDED FORECAST DAYS 4-7...
At the start of the extended, on Wednesday, the front from the
southwest will continue eastward into the Interior, providing
slight chances for mixed precipitation. High pressure quickly
reestablishes itself over mainland Alaska in the wake of this
system. Ensemble models are in relatively good agreement on
keeping this high pressure anchored over Alaska. As a result,
another low moving into the Bering on Friday takes a northerly
track through the Bering Strait. Precipitation should be limited
to the West Coast, and the gradient between the low and the high
pressure over Alaska creates strong southerly winds through the
strait.

Uncertainty surrounds exactly how much precipitation will move
from Western Alaska further northeast, with overall accumulations
regionwide expected to remain light. Warmer temperatures will
accompany this front as most locations south of the far northern
Arctic Coast see highs build well into the 30s to mid 40s with
overnight in the teens/20s.

The overall pattern change appears to shift high pressure farther
east from the Bering to mainland Alaska, potentially allowing
weak systems to travel up along the West Coast more easily.

Coastal Hazard Potential Days 3 and 4...None

&&

.AFG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AK...None.
PK...Brisk Wind Advisory for PKZ851.
&&

$$

Troyke