By Tammie Souza, FOX 32 News Weekend Meteorologist - bio | email
Satellite image of the storm crossing the Aleutian Islands (NERC Satellite Receiving Station, Dundee University, Scotland)
Center of the storm and its associated features (Credit: Facebook/Ocean Prediction Center)
The projection shows a large area of 50-60 foot waves associated with the storm (Credit: Facebook/Ocean Prediction Center)
CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) -
Parts of Alaska are bracing for direct hit from the most intense storms they have seen since 1979.
Storms in the North Pacific have a history of being wild, but today this giant storm is crossing the Aleutian Islands with hurricane force winds of 74 mph and 62 foot waves.
According to David Snider of the National Weather Service in Alaska, this super storm is one of the largest recorded in the north Pacific. It stretches over 1400 miles wide. That's the distance from Denver to New York City.
Analysts at Weatherbell Analytics measured it's pressure at 932 mb which would be considered a category 4 hurricane if the system were tropical in nature.
The storm is also unique in that it went through a very rapid intensification with a pressure drop of more than 48 mb in 24 hours making it more intense than Hurricane Sandy.
Tuesday, January 22 2013 2:26 PM EST2013-01-22 19:26:59 GMT
Chicago ended an impressive 711 day streak without a sub-zero temperature Tuesday morning. That is the 4th longest such stretch since records began in 1871.
Chicago ended an impressive 711 day streak without a sub-zero temperature Tuesday morning. That is the 4th longest such stretch since records began in 1871.
Friday, January 18 2013 11:18 PM EST2013-01-19 04:18:05 GMT
Frigid Arctic air has been pent up across the Hudson Bay area for several weeks now stuck under the influence a strong polar area of low pressure also known as the "polar vortex."
Frigid Arctic air has been pent up across the Hudson Bay area for several weeks now stuck under the influence a strong polar area of low pressure also known as the "polar vortex."
Friday, January 18 2013 3:41 PM EST2013-01-18 20:41:23 GMT
The U.S. drought of 2012 is considered the worst since the 1950s, but there appears to be some brief relief.
The U.S. drought of 2012 is considered the worst since the 1950s, but there appears to be some brief relief thanks to recent soaking rains stretching from the south through the southeast and the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic states.
Monday, December 3 2012 7:18 PM EST2012-12-04 00:18:16 GMT
Warm, moist air streamed into the Chicago area today and although we were blanketed in fog and clouds, the temperatures soared to record highs between 68 and 72 degrees.
Warm, moist air streamed into the Chicago area today and although we were blanketed in fog and clouds, the temperatures soared to record highs between 68 and 72 degrees.
Satellite image of the storm crossing the Aleutian Islands (NERC Satellite Receiving Station, Dundee University, Scotland)
Center of the storm and its associated features (Credit: Facebook/Ocean Prediction Center)
The projection shows a large area of 50-60 foot waves associated with the storm (Credit: Facebook/Ocean Prediction Center)
