NWS eases Yakutat frost advisory to 35 degrees before it expires

Yakutat gardeners had until 8 a.m. Thursday to cover tender plants or bring them inside, but the risk eased overnight. The National Weather Service frost advisory for the City and Borough of Yakutat expired at that hour, after forecasters revised it twice in under 17 hours, ultimately raising the expected low from 32 to 35 degrees.

NWS Juneau issued the first version on Sept. 2 at 12:12 p.m., warning of temperatures as low as 32 degrees and frost from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. Thursday. A second version at 7:09 p.m. kept the same threshold and window. A third, issued at 4:35 a.m. Thursday, raised the expected low to 35 degrees and covered only the hours remaining until 8 a.m.

"Frost could harm sensitive outdoor vegetation. Sensitive

outdoor plants may be killed if left uncovered," NWS Juneau said in each version. The office advised covering sensitive plants and shrubs or moving them indoors.

The timing runs early for Yakutat. Alaska News previously covered a frost advisory for the Anchorage Bowl and Lower Matanuska Valley running into the morning of Sept. 1, also ahead of that area's normal first cold snap.

Prince of Wales Island, meanwhile, is under a heat advisory from noon to 7 p.m. Friday, with highs up to 80 degrees and inland locations away from the coast warmest. It is at least the third such advisory for the island this year, following June and August advisories that forecast temperatures in the low 80s. NWS Juneau warns that people not accustomed to such heat may experience heat-related illnesses, and advises residents to drink plenty of fluids and check on elderly and vulnerable relatives and neighbors. The agency also recommends closing curtains during the day, opening windows at night to let homes cool, and using fans or air-conditioned community buildings.