Assessment of Current Ice Conditions Relevant to Distribution and Access of Walrus
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Synopsis: There will be a few waves of low pressure making their way through the Bering Sea that will cause southerly flow, potentially gusty winds, and rain/snow showers for much of the day on Friday and Saturday. Another low pressure will set up in the Bering Sea on Sunday morning and will cause the winds to shift southeasterly, easterly by early Monday morning, and finally northerly by late Monday evening and should persist throughout the rest of the week. Winds will stay gusting into the 25–30 mph (22–26 kts) range through Monday. Winds could begin gusting again through the Bering Strait by Tuesday afternoon through the day on Thursday. Scattered showers may accompany these low pressures and impact much of the area for the week but should dwindle off by the end of the week. High temperatures will generally rise throughout the weekend and stay steady throughout the week.
Near St. Lawrence Island
Shorefast ice extends offshore between Gambell and Savoonga up to 5 miles (8 km) and 0.5 mile (1 km) offshore north of Savoonga. Between Ataakas Camp and Camp Kulowiyi, shorefast ice extends up to 6 miles (12 km) offshore. Ice beyond the shorefast ice north of the island is close to very close pack ice mostly consisting of small to big floes, with some isolated vast floes up to 16 miles (26 km) offshore. South and west of the island is open water and sea ice-free water. East of the island, close to very close pack ice consisting of small to big floes extends 10 miles (16 km) west and 23 miles (37 km) southeast of Camp Kulowiyi. There is an area of open water along the southeast side of the island, and beyond that is open pack ice consisting of small to big floes with a few isolated vast floes.
Nome
Sea ice-free conditions exist along the Nome coastline and extends to the west, south, and east of Nome.
Brevig Mission/Port Clarence Area
Shorefast ice extends up to 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Brevig Mission near Port Clarence, then waters are open beyond that.
Wales to Shishmaref
Shorefast ice extends from 28 miles (45 km) north of Wales to 18 miles (29 km) offshore Ikpek. Shorefast offshore Shishmaref extends 14 miles (23 km). Beyond the shorefast ice west and northwest of Wales is open pack ice to close pack ice consisting of small to vast floes extending 12 miles (19 km) west and 37 miles (59 km) north.
Diomede
Very close pack ice consisting of medium to vast floes extends between the islands and then 8 miles (13 km) northwest, 7 miles (12 km) south-southwest, and 28 miles (45 km) west of Diomede. Much of the remainder of the waters near Diomede contain very open ice pack with medium to big floes.
Forecast Discussion
Ice Forecast
Sea ice will generally drift north to northeast through Friday (May 30), west on Saturday (May 31), and then south to southwest from Sunday (June 1) through Thursday (June 5). Sea ice across the Bering Sea will continue to melt and areas of sea ice-free waters will expand. Shorefast ice will continue to degrade.
Wind Synopsis
St. Lawrence Island/Wales/Diomede:
Winds remain primarily westerly/southwesterly into Friday morning between 10–15 mph (9–13 kts) sustained. Winds then shift abruptly to a southerly direction into Friday afternoon and are accompanied by an increase in speed up to 25 mph (22 kts) sustained and 30–35 mph (26–30 kts) gusts with Gambell seeing the higher end of this range. Between Friday morning and Monday morning, winds will gradually transition to blow out of the east around 25–30 mph (22–26 kts) sustained and 35–40 mph (30–35 kts) gusts for St. Lawrence Island. Wales and Diomede remain approximately 10 mph (9 kts) weaker than the island throughout late Monday/early Tuesday. On Wednesday and Thursday, this region is expected to see calmer winds around 10–15 mph (9–13 kts) from the north/northeast.
Shishmaref area:
Shishmaref is expected to see relatively light and variable winds into Saturday morning around 5–10 mph (4–9 kts) with 10–15 mph (9–13 kts) gusts. Winds then begin to pick up Saturday from the east/southeast, sustained around 10–15 mph (9–13 kts) and gusting to 15–25 mph (13–22 kts). For the remainder of the forecast period, sustained winds tend to reside between 5–15 mph (4–13 kts) with gusts between 15–20 mph (13–17 kts), shifting gradually from an east/northeast direction to a northwest direction towards the end of the week.
Nome/Brevig Mission area:
Nome and Brevig Mission are expected to see westerly/southwesterly winds into Friday morning between 5–10 mph (9–13 kts) sustained in the Brevig Mission area and 10–15 mph (9–13 kts) sustained in the Nome area. Gusts begin to pick up over this entire region into Friday afternoon along with a change in direction to south/southeast. SE gusts are expected to reach their peak between 25–30 mph (22–26 kts) around Saturday morning, with gusts on the higher end of the range sticking closer to the Nome area. Following the gusty conditions on Saturday, Sunday through the remainder of the week is expected to see lower sustained winds from the east/northeast between 5–10 mph (4–9 kts).
Temperature Trend
At St. Lawrence Island and Wales/Diomede, highs will begin in the lower-to-mid 30s on Friday (May 30) and steadily rise the following day into the upper 30s to lower 40s, while lows will fall into the upper 20s to lower 30s.
Shishmaref will see highs in the mid-30s on Friday (May 30) and begin to rise, with Saturday and the rest of the forecast period rising into the upper 30s and the lower 40s. The end of the week may see the highs drop slightly into the upper 30s. The lows will fall into the mid-20s on Friday (May 30) and steadily rise to near 30 by Saturday onward.
At Nome, highs will rise into the upper 30s on Friday (May 30) and rise steadily to the mid-40s by Saturday and will stay near 50 from Sunday onward. Lows at Nome will drop into the lower 30s on Friday (May 30) and rise steadily to near 40 by Saturday onward.
Brevig Mission will follow a similar temperature trend to Nome, with highs in the mid-to-upper 30s on Friday (May 30) and rise to the lower-to-mid 40s on Saturday and near 50 from Sunday through Tuesday. Highs will drop to the mid-40s for the rest of the week. Lows will fall into the lower 30s on Friday (May 30) and rise to the mid-to-upper 30s for the rest of the week.
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
Friday, 30 May 2025 – Clarence Irrigoo, Jr.
Observation from Gambell coming soon.
Observations from Savoonga
Friday, 30 May 2025 – Aqef Waghiyi
East wind 19, temp 39.1, humidity 89.9, dew point 38.6, baro 29.36. Too wet out to take pictures, took readings at the beach. I’m glad I got a waterproof note pad. Pic from my shed.
Weather and sea ice conditions in Savoonga. Photo courtesy of Aqef Waghiyi.
Observations from Brevig Mission / Port Clarence
Friday, 30 May 2025 – Marcus Barr
Wind SE @13mph, 32.2F DP 26.1
Couple miles west of Brevig Mission. The channel is getting further out. Shorefast ice is breaking off closer to Brevig about 3-4 miles west.
Weather and sea ice conditions in Brevig Mission. Photos courtesy of Marcus Barr.
Observations from Shishmaref
Thursday, 29 May 2025 – Christopher Ningeulook
Strong north winds for the last few days are expected to let up and switch to mostly easterly winds into the weekend which is exciting because our offshore winds that move ice come from the south and east! Warmer temperatures getting as high as 40+ degrees with just a slight chance of rain and maybe snow but not much. Mostly clear skies should give us some interesting satellite pics by Sunday as we hope to tow our boats as seen sitting in front of town to the hopefully closer ice edge if it opens up.
Weather and sea ice conditions in Shishmaref. Photos courtesy of Christopher Ningeulook.
Observations from Diomede
Friday, 30 May 2025 – Odge Ahkinga
Photo taken by my boat crew the other day of four big ugruqs on the sea ice four miles north of Diomedes on the international dateline.
Weather and sea ice conditions near Diomede. Photos courtesy of Odge Ahkinga.
Shared by the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) for 27 May–4 June 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)