May 9, 2026 - Alaska Weather

Added: 2026-05-10

[00:00:01]And now, the general weather around Alaska.

[00:00:06]Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of Alaska weather on this Saturday, May 9th, 2026.

[00:00:13]I'm National Weather Service Meteorologist Peter Chan coming to you from the National Weather Service in Anchorage, Alaska. And on the Alaska weather related headlines, we are now a week into river breakup season and it is underway with the threat of ice jam still continuing on some of the main stem rivers. There is a flood warning for ice jams that remains in effect at Aniak until at least mid-morning Sunday.

[00:00:38]Advisories are in effect where the Tanana and Cosna rivers come together, as well as on the Chatanika River, which is a tributary of the Tanana. But, we still have flood watches for the Koyukuk River now, Huslia to Hughes, and then Aniak downstream to Kalskag. We're watching the potential for ice jams to form there, as well as possibly up in the vicinity on the upper Kuskokwim River around McGrath. But, the one thing I've been watching is just this parade of low pressure systems in the North Pacific and it looks like this pattern is not going to shift out much now into Memorial Day weekend. There's going to just be one after another low pressure.

[00:01:22]The track may have shifted just a little further south from the Bering down into and below the Aleutians. However, that's going to tend to push things up into the Gulf. So, the Gulf of Alaska and the Gulf Coast Panhandle may be under the gun for occasionally wet and breezy weather as we head through the next couple of weeks. In the far north, New Exit, overcast, little light fog, patchy flurries, 19°. There's some cold weather holding up there and brisk east northeast winds because of high pressure up in the Arctic Ocean with the low pressure now in the Gulf. Huslia uh flood watch is in effect there along the Koyukuk River, mostly cloudy 36°.

[00:02:06]Aniak, mostly cloudy 35. It's been rather cool out there across the western interior and even seen a little light shower pop up because any bit of sun just enhances the instability during the daytime. And then look at Homer. Uh I have friends this weekend down there for the Shorebird Festival and light snow and fog, yes. Uh the snow started coming down because of that low pressure that's out over the lower Gulf right now. It's going to be pulling northwestward and crossing the Kenai Peninsula Sunday morning. So, let's first look at weather-related before flooding-related hazards.

[00:02:47]There is a wind advisory above Trims Camp in the Alaska Range for some gusty winds upwards of 55 to 65 mph come Sunday afternoon into Monday. But, the rest of this stuff here is hydrologically related to the river breakup and potential for either ice jam or snowmelt flooding. So, uh I guess first things first, let's talk about upper Yukon.

[00:03:13]There was a bigger ice jam couple days ago just below Dawson City. That's broken up and has come on downstream.

[00:03:20]We've also had the breakup front past Fort Yukon and the upper uh Yukon and work its way now uh down past Beaver.

[00:03:30]And then we have the Porcupine River opening up as well up at Old Crow in uh Canada there, the river ice is flowing downstream. So, along the Porcupine River, we don't have any warnings or advisories at the moment as of mid-afternoon Saturday, but expect water level rises with ice flowing down.

[00:03:51]The potential could be for an ice jam to form, but at this point the areas we're watching confluence of the Tanana and the Cosna rivers.

[00:04:00]And then the area on the Koyukuk around Huslia and Hughes and then down here in the Kuskokwim there is a flood watch from Aniak downstream to Kalskag and then upstream around McGrath there's the potential that some of the ice there could jam up, but the the area of main concern where there is a flood warning until at least mid-morning Sunday is because there have been the water levels are increasing in and around Aniak and the Aniak Slough. So that's the current kind of trouble spot to keep an eye on where the warning is in effect.

[00:04:37]Something else I just haven't had a time to talk about this past week was actually it's wildland fire preparedness and prevention week, but we've been it happens also coincides often with the river breakup and river breakup takes precedence just because we have that immediate threat of ice jams and flooding. Well, I just wanted to pass on I know it's kind of hard to imagine it being hot and dry and you know, wildfires, but that season will be here soon enough especially as we get further along into June and early July.

[00:05:11]Main thing is just with your property is to clear any brush away any type of structure.

[00:05:18]Make it defensible area so that if you are threatened by wildfires it makes it possible especially for the firefighters to get at that and to snuff it out quickly with whatever means they have at hands. And of course using fire resistant landscaping construction materials especially on the roof there important because you get that you know, when you have the wildfires you get that where the embers are carried by the wind and then start uh fires. And then always have emergency supplies in a safe place.

[00:05:49]But, the other important one is know what your escape route is, especially if you have a a more uh remote type cabin situation. And always have a chainsaw on hand in case you have to cut uh if trees fall across the uh road who have been blown down, or just make sure that escape route is passable. So, those are some things to think about here as fire season will be coming up soon enough.

[00:06:13]And looking at the satellite here this afternoon, there is the low pressure.

[00:06:16]That's a nice curly cue there in the clouds, and it's brought gusty winds and rain along the Gulf Coast, including the panhandle, and pulling that moisture now back into the Kenai Peninsula, where again, on the back edge of it, it's just cold enough, we're just getting enough dynamic cooling on the backside of this low pressure northwest quadrant. And yes, Homer's getting some wet snow. Oh, fun. And that's And that's uh uh going to be this low is going to cut right across the Kenai uh Kenai Peninsula Sunday morning, and then be absorbed up along the central Alaska Range in in a trough that's just kind of lying in this area. Meanwhile, further west, here comes the next low pressure and front that'll be working its way eastward across the Aleutians on Sunday and Monday. So, the low Sunday morning will be just off the eastern Kenai coast and pulling inland, joining up with this low that's kind of just west of the Alaska Range. And that system by Sunday afternoon will then gradually pull off to the east and northeast. And then, here comes the next low, below 980 millibars, uh crossing approaching there through the western Aleutians. And that feature will just work its way east, and this front will spread more rain and gusty winds into the western Gulf by Tuesday. And And it certainly spread it up along the Alaska Peninsula into Kodiak Island on Monday afternoon and Monday night. Little weak ridge of high pressure over the panhandle, but you'll still have enough residual moisture there for some scattered uh lighter showers. And then, as we go into Tuesday, there's that low now pulling up from the Eastern Aleutians into the tip of the Alaska Peninsula. And this occluded front is actually going to generate another front here as that pulls up. So, this initial push of moisture will be working its way up through Cook Inlet and along Prince William Sound, Eastern Kenai into the northern northeastern Gulf Coast Tuesday. And then we'll find that will spread into the panhandle for Wednesday into Thursday. So, again, more wet and showery weather along southern areas of the mainland and along the Gulf Coast back toward the Eastern Aleutians.

[00:08:15]This is the kind of pattern that's going to keep going for that at least the next couple of weeks taking us up into Memorial Day weekend. It doesn't mean your particular location yet is going to be a washout, but there's going to be weather around we'll keep an eye on as we get up toward the holiday weekend. In the meantime, cold temperatures in the far north, uh still some lows getting down near just below 10° and uh we still have some low cloudiness, ice fog and few uh patchy areas of light snow or flurries. West side of the state, cold.

[00:08:47]You're getting below freezing in the lower Yukon-Kuskokwim uh deltas Sunday morning. And then for Sunday afternoon, could be 60° plus Fairbanks on along areas like Eagle and approaching 60° at uh Northway, but in the heart here of uh Utqiagvik down into the North Slope, highs only in the teens, upper teens.

[00:09:09]And we could see readings maybe lower 50s southern panhandle, generally 40s in South Central, though maybe 54° at Gulkana. And then on Monday morning, we still have some lows in that 5° to 10° range in the central North Slope up toward Utqiagvik. Uh otherwise, uh temperatures staying above freezing middle upper Yukon-Tanana valleys and into South Central and certainly the panhandle. Uh near freezing out there toward St. Paul, but still chilly along the West Coast. Temperatures getting down mid and upper 20s below freezing.

[00:09:42]Monday afternoon highs though, we're looking generally at 40s and 50s in the central interior with a possibly a 60° reading again around Eagle if you get any sun. It tends to want to build some scattered showers or even a rumble of thunder.

[00:09:59]And looking at the temperature outlook mid-month now, May 15th through the 19th. Near normal temperatures across the mainland with maybe a little above normal around the Bering Strait, Kotzebue Sound, Lisburne Peninsula.

[00:10:14]These are areas that have been cooler than normal for a while. And then taking that leading up into the early Memorial Day weekend cuz that's right Friday's the 22nd, 23rd would be Saturday. So, we're finding temperatures are going to come up. We're going to see our temperatures are warming up a little bit each week, but still behind you know, the curve from where we would like to be after such a long and cold winter. Near normal temperatures eastern southern mainland panhandle with it warming there along the West Coast. And then here's the thing though, I don't want to see this anymore.

[00:10:50]We have a potential for above normal precipitation mid month and beyond because of this low pressure track. Now, the only thing I've seen a little different as we go further into the month is that instead of the lows coming up into the Bering, they're going to be staying just south of the Aleutian chain. So, they'll brush the Aleutians, but the problem is when they're going northeastward, guess where they want to go up into? The lows want to come into the Gulf. So, that is why we're seeing this signature in the extended outlook for precipitation to be above normal southern mainland, Gulf of Alaska into the panhandle. And if we push that uh into leading up into the early Memorial Day weekend, this is the area from the Alaska Peninsula, southern uh mainland into the panhandle and all along the Gulf Coast.

[00:11:37]This could cause precipitation to average above normal for and again, where this is normally the driest time of year. So, that's the best I can tell you as of this point as to what we can expect coming up the next couple of weeks and hopefully after Memorial Day, we can start to turn a new chapter towards some warmer and sunnier weather as we get into June, but for right now, at least the next couple of weeks, looks like we're stuck in this particular pattern.