Assessment of Current Ice Conditions Relevant to Distribution and Access of Walrus
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Synopsis: A cold low-pressure system over western Alaska and the Bering Sea will shift to the south through Sunday, resulting in temperature rises across the Bering Sea and coastal locations. As this occurs, north winds up to 35 mph (30 kt) will develop across the Bering Sea and last through early the following week, with winds gradually weakening through Thursday. There is lower confidence on the conditions for Friday, but there is a chance for north winds up to 35 mph (30 kt) in some areas to develop before quickly moving through.
Near St. Lawrence Island
Shorefast ice extends up to 7 miles (11 km) off the north shore and up to 3 miles (5 km) off the east shore. On the south side of the island, a polynya has filled in with new ice up to 14 mi (23 km) beyond the shorefast ice. Otherwise, much of the mobile sea ice surrounding the island consists of very close to consolidated pack ice of big to giant floes.
Nome
Shorefast ice along the Nome coastline extends up to 1.5 mi (2.4 km) from the shoreline. A polynya extends up to 4 mi (6 km) beyond the shorefast ice. The remainder of the ice pack in the Nome region is close to very close pack ice consisting of big to giant floes.
Brevig Mission/Port Clarence Area
This area has not begun yet for the 2025 season.
Wales to Shishmaref
Shorefast ice generally extends up to 15 mi (24 km) to 25 mi (40 km) from the Wales to Shishmaref coastline. The mobile ice pack beyond the shorefast ice is consolidated ice consisting of vast to giant floes.
Diomede
Shorefast ice extends between the islands. Open pack ice extends 3 mi (5 km) north of the shorefast ice. Beyond that, the mobile ice pack is consolidated ice consisting of vast to giant floes.
Forecast Discussion
Ice Forecast
Sea ice will generally drift south through Thursday (17 Apr). Polynyas will continue to form off southern-facing coastlines.
Wind Synopsis
Near St. Lawrence Island, north winds will increase from around 10 to 15 mph (9 to 13 kt) during the day Friday (Apr 11) to 17 to 23 mph (15 to 20 kt) overnight. They will further increase to 23 to 29 mph (20 to 25 kt) on Sunday before finally weakening and turning to the northwest on Sunday night through Thursday. Winds could briefly come up to as high as 23 mph (20 kt) on Friday (Apr 18) as a system moves through, although there is low confidence.
Near Wales and Diomede, light north winds early Friday (Apr 11) will quickly strengthen to 21 to 25 mph (18 to 22 kt) during the afternoon and evening before gradually weakening to 17 to 23 mph (15 to 20 kt) by the following morning. Winds will remain northerly and increase again to (25 to 30 kt) by late Sunday morning. They will gradually weaken back to 21 to 25 mph (18 to 22 kt) by Tuesday while turning to the northwest and remain similar in strength through Wednesday night before weakening to 17 to 23 mph (15 to 20 kt) Thursday and Friday (Apr 18).
Near Shishmaref, winds will initially remain light from the north to northwest through the day Friday (Apr 11) before briefly blowing at up to 14 mph (12 kt) in the late afternoon. Thereafter, they will weaken and turn to the northeast before strengthening to 15 to 20 mph (13 to 17 kt) Sunday morning. They will turn to the northwest by Monday morning and the west by Monday afternoon while maintaining strength. Winds will become light and variable by Tuesday evening and remain that way through Thursday. On Friday (Apr 18), winds will become northerly again and could become as strong as 29 to 35 mph (25 to 30 kt), although confidence is low.
Near Nome, winds will remain light and northerly to northeasterly Friday (Apr 11) and Saturday before increasing to 14 to 20 mph (12 to 18 kt) on Sunday. Thereafter, winds will become generally light and northwesterly to westerly through most of the week.
Temperature Trend
Near St. Lawrence Island, highs will remain in the teens and lows in the single digits through Sunday night. Thereafter, the coldest air shifts south, and highs will rise into the 20s and lows into the teens.
Near Wales and Diomede, through the day Friday (Apr 11), highs will likely be in the single digits and lows in the negative single digits. Thereafter, highs rise into the teens and lows into the single digits.
Near Shishmaref, Friday (Apr 11) highs are expected to be in the upper single digits, and overnight lows in the negative single digits. Thereafter, highs are expected to rise into the upper teens and lower 20s and lows into the single digits.
Near Nome, Friday (Apr 11) highs are expected to be in the teens, with lows in the single digits. Thereafter, highs are generally expected to rise into the upper 20s and lower 30s and lows into the teens.
Daily Weather, Wind, and Temperature Updates
The National Weather Service provides twice-daily, text only updates on the weather, wind, and temperature conditions in specific geographical zones. An interactive weather map for access to other Alaskan zones can be found here: http://weather.gov/anchorage/ice
Higher resolution satellite images and wind maps (wind updated daily) can be viewed here: http://www.weather.gov/afg/SIWO_overview
The Alaska Ocean Observing System shares a variety of weather and sea ice related resources in their Bering Sea Portal at https://bering-sea.portal.aoos.org/.
NWS Sea Ice Forecast Maps
Marine forecast for the West Coast and Arctic Coast
Remote Sensing Images
Observations & Comments
Observations of Sea Ice Development
Observations from Gambell
Thursday, 10 April 2025 – Clarence Irrigoo, Jr.
6°, cloudy, wind NNE 15 mph, some boats went out.
Sea ice and weather conditions in Gambell. Photo courtesy of Clarence Irrigoo, Jr.
Observations from Savoonga
Observation from Savoonga coming soon.
Observations from Wales
Observation from Wales coming soon.
Shared by the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) for 1–9 April 2025
The images below show animations of the movement of ice predicted by the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM). Snapshots from the forecast show ice coverage from 0% (black) to 100% (white) and arrows show the relative speed and direction of the ice. A light boundary is drawn at 15% predicted ice cover to highlight the ice edge, but ice may be predicted to extend beyond it. Some bays, lagoons, and areas very close to shore are not covered by the model. (Image produced by the Alaska Ocean Observing System / Axiom Data Science).
These animations show the predicted movement of ice predicted by the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM). Snapshots from the forecast show ice coverage from 0% (black) to 100% (white) and arrows show the relative speed and direction of the ice. A light boundary is drawn at 15% predicted ice cover to highlight the ice edge, but ice may be predicted to extend beyond it. Some bays, lagoons, and areas very close to shore are not covered by the model. (Image produced by the Alaska Ocean Observing System / Axiom Data Science)