The remnants of a Pacific typhoon were pounding parts of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands early Saturday, lashing the remote region with 96 mph winds and high waves. The system is expected to shove across two-thirds of the Lower 48 and drives temperatures to wintry levels next week.
The near-100 mph gusts were recorded in Shemya, an island on the far Western tip of the sparsely-populated Aleutians. Forecasters said waves could be as high as 50 feet, prompting ships and fishing vessels to get out of the storm's path or seek protected harbors.
“It’s early in the season, but we are poised for a pure Arctic outbreak,” said Tom Niziol, a winter weather specialist for The Weather Channel.
Forecasters said that the storm could be more intense than Superstorm Sandy when it swamped the Northeast two years ago. Weather watchers in Alaska — and Twitter — have labeled the storm the "Bering Bomb."
The Coast Guard and Alaska emergency management authorities were watching the storm. It was expected to mix with cold air and the jet stream, producing hurricane-force wind and extreme waves.
Then comes early winter for tens of millions of people in the rest of the country as the jet stream buckles far to the south. On Monday, the high temperature for Great Falls, Montana, is expected to be 25 degrees, or 20 degrees lower than normal for this time of year. The high on Tuesday in Bismarck, North Dakota, is only expected to be 25, or 16 below normal. And on Wednesday, the mercury will only push to 51 in Dallas and barely above freezing in Cleveland.
By late next week, temperatures will be well below average as far south as the Gulf Coast. The system is also expected to bring snow to parts of the Rockies and Plains next week.
Link: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/storm-stronger-sandy-hits-alaska-will-chill-much-u-s-n243391
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