Publication Date December 14, 2015 | The Weather Channel

Bering Sea Storm Among Strongest Non-Tropical Cyclones on Record; Gusts Hit 122 MPH in Alaska

United States
A very intense storm that battered Alaska's Aleutian Islands this weekend had an estimated atmospheric pressure among the lowest on record for the northern Pacific.
Water vapor satellite image of the storm near its peak intensity. (CIMSS/SSEC UW-Madison)
Water vapor satellite image of the storm near its peak intensity. (CIMSS/SSEC UW-Madison)

A very intense storm that battered Alaska's Aleutian Islands this weekend had an estimated atmospheric pressure among the lowest on record for the northern Pacific. Given its extreme intensity, the area of low pressure made for an extraordinary sight on satellite imagery as illustrated by the collection of images below. The lowest barometric pressure in the storm was estimated to be 924 millibars at 9 p.m. Alaska time on Saturday night, or 1 a.m. EDT Sunday, according to an analysis done by NOAA's Ocean Prediction Center. That ties a Bering Sea storm in November of last year that also had a lowest estimated pressure of 924 millibars.