File:Powerful Storm hits Alaska - NASA Earth Observatory.jpg

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Powerful_Storm_hits_Alaska_-_NASA_Earth_Observatory.jpg (720 × 480 pixels, file size: 163 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)

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NASA image acquired November 8, 2011

To download the full resolution and other files go to: earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=76382&src=...

A rare, extremely powerful winter storm hit northwestern Alaska on November 8 and 9, 2011, bringing hurricane-force winds, high seas, and heavy snow. Nome, the largest community affected by the storm, was buffeted by winds gusting to 66 miles per hour and a 10-foot storm surge. The National Weather Service reported wind gusts up to 85 miles per hour in Wales, northwest of Nome. Coastal flood warnings were still in effect throughout northwest Alaska on November 10.

The storm was like a hurricane in many ways. The air pressure dropped to 945 millibars, comparable to a Category 3 hurricane. From above, the storm resembled a hurricane, as well, with bands of clouds spiraling around the low-pressure center. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite took this image at 2:45 p.m. local time on November 8 while the storm was still over the Bering Sea and moving northeast toward Alaska. By November 9, the storm had moved far enough to the north to be beyond the satellite’s view.

Even though the storm resembled a hurricane, its core was full of cold air, not hot air. The storm formed when a stream of warm, moist air from the Pacific Ocean clashed with cold Siberian air and moved over the Bering Sea. Strong winds blowing over a long distance allowed a storm surge to build.

It is the strongest storm to hit northwest Alaska since 1974. As of November 9, no serious injuries or extensive damage had been reported, according to the Anchorage Daily News. However, the storm did damage buildings, flood some roads, and erode beaches.

NASA Earth Observatory image created by Jesse Allen, using data obtained from the Land Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE).

The Earth Observatory’s mission is to share with the public the images, stories, and discoveries about climate and the environment that emerge from NASA research, including its satellite missions, in-the-field research, and climate models.

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Date
Source Powerful Storm hits Alaska
Author NASA's Earth Observatory
Camera location59° 51′ 21.06″ N, 172° 29′ 07.26″ W Kartographer map based on OpenStreetMap.View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMapinfo

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This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
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This image was originally posted to Flickr by NASA Earth Observatory at https://www.flickr.com/photos/68824346@N02/6334906804. It was reviewed on 2 July 2012 by FlickreviewR and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0.

2 July 2012

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current17:19, 2 July 2012Thumbnail for version as of 17:19, 2 July 2012720 × 480 (163 KB)Dzlinker (talk | contribs)== {{int:filedesc}} == {{Information |Description=NASA image acquired November 8, 2011 To download the full resolution and other files go to: [http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=76382&src=flickr earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?i...

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