The November 2011 Bering Sea cyclone was one of the most powerful

extratropical cyclone Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...

s to affect

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

on record. On November 8, the

National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...

(NWS) began issuing severe weather warnings, saying that this was a near-record (or record) storm in the

Bering Sea The Bering Sea ( , ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre, p=ˈbʲerʲɪnɡəvə ˈmorʲe) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasse ...

. It rapidly deepened from to in just 24 hours before bottoming out at 943 mbar (hPa; 27.85 inHg), roughly comparable to a Category 3 or 4 hurricane. The storm had been deemed life-threatening by many people. The storm had a forward speed of at least before it had reached Alaska. The storm began affecting Alaska in the late hours of November 8, 2011. The highest gust recorded was on

Little Diomede Island Little Diomede Island or Yesterday Island (, formerly known as Krusenstern Island, ) is an inhabited island of Alaska. It is the smaller of the two Diomede Islands located in the Bering Strait between the Alaskan mainland and Siberia. The islan ...

. One person was reported missing after being swept into the

, and he was later pronounced dead.

Meteorological synopsis

In early November 2011, an

developed over the western

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. Gradually intensifying, the system moved rapidly northeastward at and reached the southern

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands ( ; ; , "land of the Aleuts"; possibly from the Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', or "island")—also called the Aleut Islands, Aleutic Islands, or, before Alaska Purchase, 1867, the Catherine Archipelago—are a chain ...

by November 8, with a

barometric pressure Atmospheric pressure, also known as air pressure or barometric pressure (after the barometer), is the pressure within the atmosphere of Earth. The standard atmosphere (symbol: atm) is a unit of pressure defined as , which is equivalent to 1,013.2 ...

estimated at 960 mbar (hPa; 28.35 inHg). Though still intensifying, winds associated with the storm were already estimated in excess of hurricane-force. By 9:00 p.m. AKST, the system had attained a pressure of around 943 mbar (hPa; 27.85 inHg) while it was near the

Gulf of Anadyr The Gulf of Anadyr, or Anadyr Bay (), is a large bay on the Bering Sea in far northeast Siberia. It has a total surface area of Location The bay is roughly rectangular and opens to the southeast. The corners are (clockwise from the south) Cape ...

. This made it one of the most powerful storms on record in the region, comparable to the November 1974 storm in Nome, Alaska, which was regarded as "the most severe in Nome in 113 years of record keeping." According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the system was forecast to have sustained winds of over an area the size of

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

. After weakening somewhat, the storm crossed the Chukotsk Peninsula around 9:00 a.m. AKST on November 9 before moving over the

Chukchi Sea The Chukchi Sea (, ), sometimes referred to as the Chuuk Sea, Chukotsk Sea or the Sea of Chukotsk, is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is bounded on the west by the Long Strait, off Wrangel Island, and in the east by Point Barrow, Alaska, ...

later that day. Once back over water, the extratropical cyclone turned towards the northwest and was last noted as a 975 mbar (hPa; 28.80 inHg) low on November 10, about north of

Wrangel Island Wrangel Island (, ; , , ) is an island of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It is the List of islands by area, 92nd-largest island in the world and roughly the size of Crete. Located in the Arctic Ocean between the Chukchi Sea and East Si ...

, before dissipating on the next day.

Preparations

On November 7 and 8, the NWS issued hurricane wind warnings, flood warnings and blizzard warnings for most of Western Alaska. The storm came after almost 7,000 people in the

Kenai Peninsula The Kenai Peninsula ( Dena'ina: ''Yaghenen'') is a large peninsula jutting from the coast of Southcentral Alaska. The name Kenai (, ) is derived from the word "Kenaitze" or "Kenaitze Indian Tribe", the name of the Native Athabascan Alaskan tribe ...

lost power in a previous storm the week before. An Alaskan village called Kivalina built a wall to protect waves from flooding the village. The storm was expected to test the walls sturdiness. In case the wall fell down, people who live in Kivalina would be evacuated. Storm surges were expected to be up to 8–10 feet. The U.S. Coast Guard staged helicopters around the western coast of Alaska in case of any emergencies. People in Unalakleet, Alaska began to board up their windows on November 8. The Alaskan Homeland Security helped villages prepare for the storm.

Impact

From November 8, temperatures around Alaska began decreasing. In Anchorage, temperatures the previous day were , but temperatures began decreasing to during the afternoon. In Nome, AK, tides had risen up to , with waters moving up to bases of people's homes. Windchill temperatures south of Kivalina were with winds gusting to . Many low-lying areas experienced flooding, including Nome. Across much of western Alaska's coastline, the storm caused widespread erosion and

coastal flooding Coastal flooding occurs when dry and low-lying land is submerged (flooded) by seawater. The range of a coastal Flood, flooding is a result of the elevation of floodwater that penetrates the inland which is controlled by the topography of the coas ...

from a combination of

storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the ...

and waves estimated between . The most significant effects were felt in and around Nome where sea levels rose above normal, flooding low-lying areas. The Cape Nome Jetty sustained approximately $500,000 in damage. Although the surge did not over-top the

seawall A seawall (or sea wall) is a form of coastal defense constructed where the sea, and associated coastal processes, impact directly upon the landforms of the coast. The purpose of a seawall is to protect areas of human habitation, conservation, ...

, water from breaking waves washed over and inundated a sewer and water treatment plant. The pumps at the facility were overwhelmed and 165,000 gallons of raw wastewater was discharged into a small harbor. Several other buildings in the area had basement flooding but no significant losses took place. A significant portion of the Nome-

Council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

road was washed out or severely damaged by the storm, and damage was estimated at $24 million. Coastal damage throughout the city of Nome was estimated at $80,000. The storm caused widespread damage to approximately 37 communities on the Western Alaskan coast. Damage included

coastal erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of Wind wave, waves, Ocean current, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts ...

caused by

, roof and other structural damage to homes and businesses, and loss of heat and electricity. A fishing vessel was lost in the severe weather after the crew was ordered to abandon ship. The crew was rescued by the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

Aftermath

Forecasters at the NWS predicted a second strong storm; however, the forecasted storm was not expected to cause as much damage. Other low-pressure areas spawned by this storm were expected to bring heavy rain to

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

and the

West Coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast and the Western Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the Contiguous United States, contig ...

. On November 11, 2011, the National Weather Service issued hurricane-force wind warnings and storm warnings for Western

with coastal flood warnings for the

Alaska Peninsula The Alaska Peninsula (also called Aleut Peninsula or Aleutian Peninsula, ; Sugpiaq language, Sugpiaq: ''Aluuwiq'', ''Al'uwiq'') is a peninsula extending about to the southwest from the mainland of Alaska and ending in the Aleutian Islands. T ...

. The second storm attained a minimum central pressure of on November 12, 2011. On December 22, President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

issued a disaster declaration due to the large amount of destruction caused by the storm.

Other notable storms in the Bering Sea

Storms analysed below by the

occur on average 5 times per year in the Bering Sea area, where one or two per year see their central pressure drop below . 2011 also saw a low pressure reach on April 6, however this storm was less damaging as the wind-field was strongest out to sea. *November 2014: An extratropical cyclone that absorbed the remnants of Typhoon Nuri intensified to a minimum central pressure of 920 millibars (mbar), while meteorologists in the United States estimated its minimum pressure to be 924 millibars. *September 2005 and October 2004: Two powerful extratropical storms, one of which was the remnants of Typhoon Ma-on that reached a minimum pressure of 941 mb, brought high storm surges to the Alaskan coast. *October 25–26, 1977: Saw what has been described as the most powerful storm in Alaska in modern times, until it was eclipsed by the November 2014 Bering Sea bomb cyclone. A minimum pressure of was recorded on the island of

Unalaska The City of Unalaska (; ) is the main population center in the Aleutian Islands. The city is in the Aleutians West Census Area, a regional component of the Unorganized Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Unalaska is located on Unalaska Isl ...

, with winds in the Aleutian islands gusting at . The storm had its origins as a West Pacific Typhoon. *November 1974: A storm brought the highest storm surge to

Nome Nome may refer to: Country subdivision * Nome (Egypt), an administrative division within ancient Egypt * Nome (Greece), the administrative division immediately below the ''peripheries of Greece'' (, pl. ) Places United States * Nome, Alaska ...

above normal. *February 25, 1951: Recorded Alaska's highest sustained one-minute wind speed of at

Kotzebue Kotzebue ( ) or Qikiqtaġruk ( , ) is a city in the Northwest Arctic Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the borough's seat, by far its largest community and the economic and transportation hub of the subregion of Alaska encompassing ...

. *December 7, 1950: Saw the strongest wind gust ever recorded in Alaska, with a maximum gust of measured at Attu in the far west Aleutian Islands. Strong Bering Sea storms affecting Alaska typically form as East Asian-northwest Pacific storms, as cold, dry air masses from Siberia meet with mild and moist sub-tropical air masses off the coast of Japan where they can rapidly deepen above the

Kuroshio Current The , also known as the Black Current or is a north-flowing, warm ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean basin. It was named for the deep blue appearance of its waters. Similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic, the Ku ...

, before heading towards Alaska. These storms develop in a similar manner to the formation of extratropical cyclones in the North Atlantic, although they tend not to reach the absolute low pressures recorded there, such as during the Braer Storm of January 1993.

References