Just over a year after finishing second in her hometown race, Fairbanks musher Josi Shelley returned triumphant, crossing the finish line at 8:11 p.m. Monday to win her first Yukon Quest Alaska in a total time of 9 days, 9 hours, 11 minutes over the 750-mile distance.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Coast Guard has changed the contact information for Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic staff offices and other units throughout Western Alaska as part of a service-wide telephone modernization directive, Thursday, Feb. 12.

The main phone line for the sector can now be reached at (206) 815-7100. 

Callers will be presented with a phone tree, providing them with options to contact one of the following:

• Search and Rescue Command Center
• National Response Center
• Command Executive Assistant
• Response Department
• Prevention Department
• Logistics Department
• Emergency Management Division 
• Other Coast Guard units in Alaska

These other units can be reached directly at the numbers listed below or by dialing the main phone line for Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic and pressing 8 at the automated menu. 

Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic remains physically located on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. 

The sector Search and Rescue Command Center watchstanders are available 24 hours a day at (866) 396-1361 and VHF Channel 16.

For media inquiries, please contact uscgalaska@uscg.mil.

-USCG-

ANCHORAGE, AK (Alaska’s News Source) – A Winter Storm Watch has been issued from Monday morning across the Western region just shortly after a Winter Storm Warning expired following Friday’s storm.

Across the Western coastline from Kotzebue to Dillingham, weather alerts will be active Monday morning as the next storm will make landfall Monday afternoon, with the second stage of this storm moving in Tuesday night. Heaviest snowfall amounts are likely in Norton Sound, Yukon Valley, and Upper Kuskokwim Valley. Snow totals from this next storm are likely from 6 to 12 inches of snow across the Winter Storm Watch region with wind gusts as high as 60 MPH adding to reduced visibility and white out conditions. Dillingham is under a Winter Weather Advisory as less snow accumulation is anticipated with 3 to 5 inches Monday. Bethel will be under a blizzard warning from Monday morning to Monday night as 3 to 7 inches of snow are likely paired with gusts up to 55 MPH.

The Aleutian Chain will get moderate rainfall, about 0.4 to 0.6 inches, as early as Sunday night into Monday morning with heaviest rainfall from Unalaska up the Alaska Peninsula.

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Interior Alaska had a snowy weekend, making Valentine’s Day feel a little more like Christmas. Around noon Sunday, Fairbanks reported about 10.1 inches of snowfall but more is expected into the evening hours across the region. By Monday, it’ll feel like the snow never even happened as mostly sunny to clear skies will brighten your day. Temperatures will plummet nearly 20 degrees from Sunday to Monday, but a return in this winter weather should be expected by Tuesday night to Wednesday morning.

The North Slope is staying out of the way of these winter storms as the Brooks Range protects the region from snow, however, the main concern continues with colder temperatures. Lows nearly 25 to 30 degrees below zero will feel a bit colder as wind chill will reach -55 to -60 degrees.

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In Southcentral, mostly sunny skies are closing out the weekend and kicking off the work week, but colder temperatures are returning as a result of a cooling trend impacting most of the state. Strong wind gusts up to 50 MPH will affect Seward, Valdez, Cordova and Whittier on Monday.

Southeast is on the brink of a high pressure system which will cool temperatures roughly 10 to 15 degrees, also shifting in mostly sunny skies. High wind is a concern for Juneau and Skagway Monday as wind gusts could reach up to 40 and 45 MPH.

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