Alaska's Aleutian Islands targeted from remnant of Typhoon Nuri as 'intense Sea Storm possible'

While the former Super Typhoon Nuri sent meteorological jaws dropping earlier this week, its remnant may have another impressive chapter in store in the Bering Sea and Alaska's Aleutian Islands. The remnant of Typhoon Nuri is expected to join up with the polar jet stream and a very strong disturbance in the mid-latitude belt of westerly winds, as highlighted above.

Forecasts from both the European (ECMWF) and American (GFS) computer models continue to predict an extremely powerful non-tropical storm to develop from this merger over the Bering Sea, near the western Aleutian Islands of Alaska Friday into Saturday.

In fact, both models have suggested the pressure of that post-tropical storm could go as low as 915 to 920 millibars late Friday into Saturday -- almost as low as its estimated pressure was as a super typhoon. If that happens, it would be the strongest low-pressure system ever observed in or near Alaska, and potentially one of the lowest sea-level barometric pressures ever observed on Earth outside of tropical cyclones and tornadoes.

For reference, the lowest central pressure of Hurricane Andrew (1992) was 922 millibars and Hurricane Hugo (1989) dipped to 918 millibars.

Potential Impacts

The map below shows the European model wind speed forecast for Friday night, with the darkest red colors showing the strongest wind speeds in the western Aleutians and east of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula.

That model is forecasting a large swath of very strong sustained winds, possibly hurricane-force, over the western Aleutian Islands of Alaska.

Fortunately, the storm is forecast to lose some of that ferocity later in the weekend, but may remain somewhat stalled over the Bering Sea into Sunday or Monday.

These strong winds, coupled with the potential long duration of this storm, will whip up giant waves over parts of the Bering Sea and north Pacific Ocean.

Average wave heights may top 45 feet near the western Aleutian Islands Friday night into Saturday, making for very dangerous conditions for all marine vessels not protected.

Swells from 22 to 30 feet may reach the eastern Aleutians and Pribilof Islands, including , Saturday into Sunday. St. Paul (population: 453) is notorious for intense storms, with a harbor that is susceptible to southwest winds, according to the .

Keep in mind these forecast wave heights are just a mean of all the wave heights expected. Some waves may be higher, at times.

As these large swells finally reach the coast of western Alaska, some minor coastal flooding and erosion is possible Sunday into Monday.

Areas farther east, including the city of Anchorage will see a band of rain and snow with the cold front Sunday, along with some occasional wind gusts over 40 mph particularly on the southern coast of the Kenai Peninsula, the mouth of Prince William Sound, and Kodiak Island.