An ex-typhoon moving toward the Bering Sea is expected to bring elevated wind and water levels to Western Alaska, but the storm currently poses little threat to the region.
As of Wednesday afternoon, ex-Typhoon Choi-wan was moving north across the western Aleutians, where it’s expected to merge with another low-pressure system developing west of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.
Rick Thoman with the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Preparedness said merging storms are somewhat ordinary, and don’t necessarily mean a super storm like last year’s ex-Typhoon Halong will form.
“In the autumn we often see these interactions of what were originally separate storms becoming one,” he explained. “Sometimes they’re weaker, sometimes they become very strong. But from the meteorology perspective, this is a pretty common outcome at this time of year."
The combined storm is expected to reach its greatest intensity Thursday while still well west of Alaska. From there, its forecast to weaken while slowly moving northeast through the Bering Sea.
The National Weather Service expects water levels to reach 3 to 5 feet above normal high tide levels across the southern Seward Peninsula. A high wind watch has also been issued for the Seward Peninsula and St. Lawrence Island. Persistent southerly winds could push water into Port Clarence, potentially inundating some areas along Teller’s waterfront.
Thoman said Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta communities hit hard by ex-Typhoon Halong last year, including Kipnuk and Kwigillingok should continue monitoring the forecast. He said those areas are on the edge of the storm’s most significant potential impacts.
“Doesn't look terrible, but they're close enough to the edge that we will want to continue to watch it,” Thoman said.
Thoman is keeping an eye on another storm, Typhoon Nolo, as it approaches Japan. The powerful storm began as a hurricane in the eastern Pacific before it crossed the dateline and was renamed a typhoon.
“Some models are bringing ex-Nolo to Dutch Harbor area or maybe a little farther east or west. At this point, really, none of the models are bringing Nolo north of the Pribilof Islands,” he said. “But again, there's so much uncertainty. We'll have to keep an eye on it.”
For the latest forecast, visit weather.gov
