FZAK80 PAFC 222337 ICEAFC Sea Ice Forecast for Western and Arctic Alaskan Coastal Waters National Weather Service - Alaska Sea Ice Program 237 PM AKDT Monday 22 December 2025 FORECAST VALID...Saturday 27 December 2025 ANALYSIS CONFIDENCE...Moderate. SYNOPSIS...A moderate strength low pressure movers from the far northwestern Bering Sea into the Chukchi Sea on Tuesday then the Beaufort Sea on Wednesday. High pressure builds behind that system in all areas. A trough of low pressure stretches into the Gulf of Alaska on Saturday. -BEAUFORT SEA- PKZ505-Central US Arctic Offshore- PKZ510-Eastern US Arctic Offshore- PKZ813-Point Franklin to Cape Halkett out to 15 nm- PKZ814-Cape Halkett to Flaxman Island out to 15 nm- PKZ815-Flaxman Island to Demarcation Point out to 15 nm- PKZ859-Point Franklin to Cape Halkett from 45 to 80 nm- PKZ860-Cape Halkett to Flaxman Island from 45 to 80 nm- PKZ861-Flaxman Island to Demarcation Point from 45 to 80 nm- Ice covered. FORECAST FOR THE BEAUFORT SEA (DAYS 1 through 5)...Forecast confidence is high. Light southerly winds will become westerly on Wednesday. Overall, existing shorefast ice should remain, but further expansion is unlikely without a long-duration compaction event to cause ice to become bottom-fasted. -CHUKCHI SEA- PKZ500-Western US Arctic Offshore- PKZ505-Central US Arctic Offshore- PKZ807-Wales to Cape Espenberg out to 15 nm- PKZ808-Cape Espenberg to Motherwood Point out to 10 nm- PKZ809-Motherwood Point to Cape Krusenstern out to 10 nm- PKZ810-Cape Krusenstern to Cape Thompson out to 15 nm- PKZ811-Cape Thompson to Cape Beaufort out to 15 nm- PKZ812-Cape Beaufort to Point Franklin out to 15 nm- PKZ813-Point Franklin to Cape Halkett out to 15 nm- PKZ855-Kotzebue Sound greater than 10 nm- PKZ859-Point Franklin to Cape Halkett from 15 to 75 nm- PKZ856-Wales to Cape Thompson greater than 15 nm- PKZ857-Cape Thompson to Cape Beaufort from 15 to 85 nm- PKZ858-Cape Beaufort to Point Franklin from 15 to 85 nm- Ice covered. FORECAST FOR THE CHUKCHI SEA (DAYS 1 through 5)...Forecast confidence is high. Light and variable winds will become easterly on Tuesday as an approaching low pressure system moves over the southern Chukchi Sea. Behind that system, northwesterly winds will compact against the coastline of northwest Alaska. -BERING SEA- PKZ765-North and West of Nunivak Island PKZ801-Etolin Strait to Dall Point out to 15 nm- PKZ802-Dall Point to Kwikpak Pass out to 15 nm- PKZ803-Kwikpak Pass to Cape Stephens out to 15 nm- PKZ804-Cape Stephens to Moses Point out to 15 nm- PKZ805-Moses Point to Sledge Island out to 15 nm- PKZ806-Sledge Island to Wales out to 15 nm- PKZ850-Etolin Strait to Kwemeluk Pass from 15 to 90 nm- PKZ852-Norton Sound greater than 15 nm- PKZ853-Kwemeluk Pass to Kwikpak Pass from 15 to 90 nm- Ice covered. PKZ760-Bristol Bay greater than 15 nm- PKZ761-Bristol Bay from Port Heiden to Cape Chichagof out to 15 nm- PKZ762-Bristol Bay from Cape Chichagof to Cape Pierce out to 15 nm- PKZ763-Kuskokwim Delta and Etolin Strait out to 15 nm- PKZ764-Kuskokwim Delta from 15 to 80 nm- PKZ767-Saint Matthew Island Waters- PKZ816-South Side of Saint Lawrence Island out to 15 nm- PKZ817-North Side of Saint Lawrence Island out to 15 nm- PKZ851-Southwest of Saint Lawrence Island from 15 to 100 nm- PKZ854-Sledge Island to Wales greater than 15 nm- The main ice edge in the Bering Sea extends from near 56 34’N 159 41’W to 57 41’N 158 17’W to 57 37’N 161 53’W to 58 38’N 167 34’W to 61 15’N 169 45’W to 62 4’N 173 43’W to 63 52’N 171 52’W and continues into Russian waters. The ice edge is open water. From land-based points in Alaska, the main ice edge in the Bering Sea extends from 50 nm northeast of Port Moller to 25 nm west of Pilot Point to 60 nm south of Cape Newenham to 95 nm south of Cape Mohican to 105 nm west of Hooper Bay to 100 nm south of Gambell to 10 nm northwest of Gambell and continues into Russian waters. The ice edge is open water. FORECAST FOR THE BERING SEA (DAYS 1 through 5)...Forecast confidence is moderate. Westerly winds will continue to compact the ice edge between Saint Lawrence Island and Nunivak Island through Wednesday. Late in the week, northerly winds will develop along Alaska's coast which will get the ice pack back to an advancing state with a continental arctic air mass streaming off of the mainland. The ice edge will advance 10-20 nm/day during this time period, moving ice into warmer waters to melt. However, this air mass should cool temperatures in Bristol Bay through the Kuskokwim Delta quite rapidly. By the time the winds lay down, the ice edge could be at the furthest extent in these area in the last decade. -COOK INLET- PKZ740-Cook Inlet North of Kalgin Island- PKZ742-Cook Inlet Kalgin Island to Point Bede- The main ice edge in Cook Inlet extends from near Anchor Point to Kalgin Island to Tuxedni Bay. The ice edge is open water. FORECAST FOR COOK INLET (DAYS 1 through 5)...Forecast confidence is high. Northerly winds continue through the forecast period which will continue to advect ice in the upper Inlet southward to the southern Inlet. By the end of the week, the upper Inlet should be most frozen with pack ice and the ice edge in the southern Inlet should be at the greatest point that we've seen in a few years, especially at this point of the season. && Lawson