Photo: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Residents in western Alaska are bracing for the strongest storm in over a decade as the remnants of Typhoon Merbok move across the Bering Sea. The storm will bring hurricane-force winds with gusts up to 90 mph and heavy rains that could cause extensive coastal flooding.
On Thursday evening, the National Weather Service Anchorage said that a buoy south of Amchitka Island recorded a 41-foot wave.
"As of 11pm this evening Buoy 46071 south of Amchitka Island in the Western Aleutians has recorded seas to 41 feet🌊🌊!! Here is a picture of the massive waves caught on the buoy's camera. Adak Island has recorded multiple gusts to 75 mph and reached 70°F," NWS Anchorage tweeted.
Officials said that some areas could see sea levels rise more than 12 feet above normal.
"It looks like it could be one of the worst storms we've seen in at least 50 years, out on the west coast," Scott Berg, a meteorologist with the Weather Service in Fairbanks, Alaska, said, according to the New York Times.
"We do get storms several times during the winter, but this is a pretty significant storm that's going to push water into areas that probably hasn't seen flooding in 50 years or more," he added.
Forecasters predict that the storm will continue to strengthen on Friday and Saturday.
"Winds will peak early Saturday morning near Shishmaref, and during the day Saturday near Kotzebue and the Chukchi Coast," the weather service said. "Coastal flooding will occur, in addition to significant beach erosion."