FZAK80 PAFC 242249 CCA ICEAFC Sea Ice Forecast for Western and Arctic Alaskan Coastal Waters National Weather Service - Alaska Sea Ice Program 300 PM AKDT Friday 24 April 2026 FORECAST VALID…Wednesday 29 April 2026 ANALYSIS CONFIDENCE…Moderate to high. SYNOPSIS…An unseasonably strong low pressure system tracks into the western Bering Friday night into the weekend. Low pressure becomes stationary roughly 200 nm west of the Pribilof Islands on Sunday before undergoing steady weakening through Monday. Downstream of the low a shortwave trough tracks northward into Cook Inlet late Sunday into Monday. Persistent south to southeasterly flow will linger across the eastern Bering and far western Gulf into early next week. For areas further north, primarily north of Saint Matthew Island or the 60N latitude winds will remain easterly or even northeasterly up into the Chukchi Sea. -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- Ice covered. FORECAST FOR THE BEAUFORT SEA (DAYS 1 through 5)...Forecast confidence is high. East to northeast winds of 5 to 15 knots will continue through the period with high pressure remaining over the Arctic Sea to the northeast. The region should remain unaffected by passing low pressure systems through the Bering through early next week. -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-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-PKZ859-Point Franklin to Cape Halkett from 15 to 75 nm- Ice covered. FORECAST FOR THE CHUKCHI SEA (DAYS 1 through 5)...Forecast confidence is high. Northeast winds of 15 to 25 knots will diminish into the weekend with a second round of stronger northeasterly winds forecast late Sunday into Monday as an expansive area of low pressure stalls to the west of the Pribilof Islands. Fast ice will remain largely unchanged. A pre-existing polynya south of Point Hope may expand in coverage. -BERING SEA- PKZ763-Kuskokwim Delta and Etolin Strait out to 15 nm-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-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 35'N 160 22'W to 57 15'N 159 35'W to 59 28'N 163 33'W to 57 50'N 164 22'W to 57 49'N 165 52'W to 60 50'N 179 57'W. From land-based points in Alaska,the main ice edge in the Bering Sea extends from 35 nm north of Port Moller to 85 nm north-northeast of Port Moller to 65 nm northwest of Cape Newenham to 85 nm southwest of Cape Newenham to 150 nm northeast of Saint Matthew Island to 285 nm southwest of Gambell and continues north in Russian waters. The ice edge is marginal strips of ice. FORECAST FOR THE BERING SEA (DAYS 1 through 5)...Forecast confidence is high. The ice edge will continue to retreat northward as southerly flow, strong at times, persists into early next week. Light easterly flow becomes stronger with the approach of a low pressure system to the south, which will support some westward advancement of the ice edge north of Saint Matthew Island, particularly from Saint Lawrence, westward to the coast of Russia. Ice on the east side of Saint Lawrence Island will pack against the coast, while westward facing coasts will likely see new polynyas develop and expand westward. -COOK INLET- PKZ730-West of Barren Islands including Kamishak Bay-PKZ740-Cook Inlet North of Kalgin Island-PZK741-Kachemak Bay-PKZ742-Cook Inlet Kalgin Island to Point Bede- The main ice edge in Cook Inlet extends from Anchor Point to Augustine Volcano. There is also ice in Kamishak Bay flowing into Shelikof Strait. FORECAST FOR COOK INLET (DAYS 1 through 5)...Forecast confidence is high. Ice free waters are expanding northward through Cook Inlet and this should continue into early next week with generally warm and southerly flow continuing. Please note that ice motion in Cook Inlet is highly influenced by tides. && BLaw