Nuri may bring enormous seas to the Aleutians Islands by Friday.
A very large storm, the largest Alaska has seen in many years, is heading toward the Bering Sea. KDLG’sThea Card spoke with the National Weather Service and filed this report.
It’s currently brewing on the coasts of Japan. It’s small right now but, by the end of the week, the storm will be absorbed by the jet stream in the Pacific and form Super Typhoon Nuri. NWS meteorologist Matthew Clay says that super typhoon is expected to hit the Aleutians by the end of the week. He says this has the potential to be the biggest storm the Bering Sea has seen in a very long time.
“We’re looking at the low deepening potentially into the 920 millibar range which will likely bring hurricane force winds to the Aleutian Islands. One of the bigger impacts we’re worried about is as that low moves further eastwards towards to Pribilof Islands, we’re going to start seeing southwest winds extended across the Bering Sea and in the Bristol Bay area which will drive seas anywhere from 20 to 30 feet for multiple days which could lead to a minor storm surge as well as coastal erosion.”
However, Clay says those in Bristol Bay, especially in Dillingham, shouldn’t panic. Although the seas are going to be very high, he predicts between 10-15 feet, the bigger weather change in Bristol Bay due to this storm will be rain.
“I wouldn’t say any weird weather, we’re just going to be looking at a very wet period of precipitation probably going to fall in the form of rain fall as we have some warm air from the sub-tropics. So we’re kind of looking at a wet and rainy period that will persist through the middle of next week.”
The Aleutians and Pribilof Islands are the areas Clay says raise concern. He says there is a much higher chance of coastal erosion in those areas, as they will be harder hit. However, Clay mentions other areas that could experience flooding.
“We’re looking at the majority of the coastal flooding to be across the Kuskokwim Delta, off shore near Barrow and in the Togiak area, not so much in the Bristol Bay area itself as it should be sheltered from the majority of the seas.”
The storm is expected to first hit on Friday.