As predicted, a massive storm has formed northwest of Alaska’s westernmost Aleutian Islands over the cold and turbulent waters of the Bering Sea.
The storm is intensifying explosively in a process known to meteorologists as “bombogensis.” When it reaches peak intensity on Friday night into Saturday morning, the storm could set an all-time minimum air pressure record for the Bering Sea, and may rival the all-time global record for the lowest pressure ever recorded in a non-tropical storm.
Hurricane force wind warnings are in effect for the western Aleutians, including Shemya, Attka and Aggatu. Strong winds, high waves and a potentially damaging storm surge is also expected in the more populated Pribilof Islands.
Luckily, the storm is forecast to weaken while still well west of the Alaskan mainland, and it therefore poses little danger to villages on the west coast, let alone population centers such as Anchorage and Juneau.
