Wintry Weather Inline with Revised NWS December Forecast

National Weather Service forecasters have revised their December predictions for much of the Lower 48 and Alaska, according to an announcement released Thursday.

Citing what they call a “highly amplified ridge” over the Bering Sea that stretches to the Lower 48 and an Arctic high pressure system with an “anomalous” northerly flow, the Climate Prediction Center is forecasting temperatures to average 5, 10, or more degrees below normal for most of mainland and Southeast Alaska.

Temperatures across the Aleutians and coastal Southwest Alaska should be above normal.

For Kodiak, the northerly winds will bring colder temperatures, but no increased chance of precipitation.

In a more immediate time frame, Kodiak temperatures are expected to drop near 20 as northerly winds pick up through Saturday, with gusts 60- to 75-mph.