Stubborn cool and wet pattern here to stay for now

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - It’s almost like Mother Nature forgot June was here, as the wet season arrived on July 15 of last year and seemingly never left. While we have seen a handful of days where sunshine and warmth provided nice weather, it’s been few and far between.

An area of low pressure anchored in near the Aleutians shows little sign of movement. A large reason for this has to do with the blocking pattern we have setting up to our east, as high pressure continues to fuel fires in Canada. While fires have been limited in Alaska, we did see a few fires spark yesterday due to thunderstorms. However, as a whole, fires are down in Alaska; only 11 fires have occurred this year, with less than 1,000 acres burned. We can thank the ongoing cool and wet weather pattern for helping suppress a lot of the wildfire potential.

As usual, rain and clouds will stick around coastal regions. The heaviest rain today will fall near Whittier and Portage Valley, where up to two inches is possible through tomorrow morning. Due to the nature of the heavy rain, it’s likely we could see some areas of Western Prince William Sound see over two inches of rain. Inland locations will only see isolated to scattered showers, with most of today and Friday remaining dry. There are signs that parts of Southcentral Alaska could see some peeks of sunshine today, with partly sunny skies into Friday.

This low is not only impacting Southcentral, as the flow around the low is keeping unsettled weather for most locations. Southeast Alaska is catching a break today outside of Yakutat, as ridging out west tries to shift east. This will keep some sunshine around through today, with clouds and rain returning in the days ahead.

Interior Alaska is another warm spot, as highs will climb back into the 70s. Much like yesterday, we could see some spotty to isolated thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours.

Looking ahead into next week, the cool weather remains. Highs likely will drop back into the mid-50s by Monday, as widespread rain makes a return.

Have a wonderful Thursday!

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