Weather Alerts for Alaska

Recent Locations: Box Springs, GA Richfield, WI Copper Center, AK

1. Blizzard Warning for: St Lawrence Island

2. High Surf Advisory for: SW Kenai Peninsula

3. Special Weather Statement for: Delta Junction; Tanana Flats; Eielson AFB and Salcha; Goldstream Valley and Nenana Hills; Fairbanks Metro Area; Nenana; Northern Denali Borough

4. Special Weather Statement for: Northern Seward Peninsula; Upper Kobuk Valleys; Shishmaref; Bering Strait Coast; Southern Seward Peninsula Coast; Interior Seward Peninsula; Lower Koyukuk Valley

5. Special Weather Statement for: South Slopes Of The Eastern Brooks Range; South Slopes Of The Central Brooks Range; Upper Koyukuk Valley; Yukon Flats

6. Wind Advisory for: Eastern Alaska Range North of Trims Camp

7. Winter Storm Warning for: Eastern Alaska Range South of Trims Camp

8. Winter Storm Warning for: Eastern Norton Sound and Nulato Hills

9. Winter Storm Warning for: Lower Yukon and Innoko Valleys; Upper Kuskokwim Valley

10. Winter Storm Warning for: Middle Yukon Valley

11. Winter Storm Warning for: Yukon Delta Coast; Lower Yukon River

12. Winter Weather Advisory for: Dalton Highway Summits

13. Winter Weather Advisory for: Northern Copper Valley; Northern Susitna Valley

14. Winter Weather Advisory for: Shishmaref; Bering Strait Coast

15. Winter Weather Advisory for: Southern Denali Borough

16. Winter Weather Advisory for: White Mountains and High Terrain South of the Yukon River; Upper Chena River Valley; Chatanika River Valley; Two Rivers; Central Interior

Want more detail? Get the Complete 7 Day and Night Detailed Forecast!

Current U.S. National Radar--Current

The Current National Weather Radar is shown below with a UTC Time (subtract 5 hours from UTC to get Eastern Time).

National Weather Forecast--Current

The Current National Weather Forecast and National Weather Map are shown below.

National Weather Forecast for Tomorrow

Tomorrow National Weather Forecast and Tomorrow National Weather Map are show below.

North America Water Vapor (Moisture)

This map shows recent moisture content over North America. Bright and colored areas show high moisture (ie, clouds); brown indicates very little moisture present; black indicates no moisture.

Weather Topic: What is Precipitation?

Home - Education - Precipitation - Precipitation

Next Topic: Rain

Precipitation can refer to many different forms of water that may fall from clouds. Precipitation occurs after a cloud has become saturated to the point where its water particles are more dense than the air below the cloud.

In most cases, precipitation will reach the ground, but it is not uncommon for precipitation to evaporate before it reaches the earth's surface. When precipitation evaporates before it contacts the ground it is called Virga. Graupel, hail, sleet, rain, drizzle, and snow are forms of precipitation, but fog and mist are not considered precipitation because the water vapor which constitutes them isn't dense enough to fall to the ground.

Next Topic: Rain

Weather Topic: What are Shelf Clouds?

Home - Education - Cloud Types - Shelf Clouds

Shelf Clouds Next Topic: Sleet

A shelf cloud is similar to a wall cloud, but forms at the front of a storm cloud, instead of at the rear, where wall clouds form.

A shelf cloud is caused by a series of events set into motion by the advancing storm; first, cool air settles along the ground where precipitation has just fallen. As the cool air is brought in, the warmer air is displaced, and rises above it, because it is less dense. When the warmer air reaches the bottom of the storm cloud, it begins to cool again, and the resulting condensation is a visible shelf cloud.

Next Topic: Sleet