MASHABLE: A massive storm in the Bering Sea, off the western Alaska coast and to the east of Russia, strengthened enough to be considered the strongest storm that the turbulent region has ever seen. It may not be an official record, however, as the minimum central pressure of 924 millibars (mb) was estimated by meteorologists, since the storm is over the open ocean off the Kamchatka Peninsula.
The previous record-lowest sea level pressure in a Bering Sea storm was 925 mb, set in October 1977 in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. This storm also likely sets a record for the strongest storm observed in the North Pacific Ocean, although the relatively sparse data for that region makes it possible that there were some stronger systems that were missed by ships or surface observing stations…
The storm will help reconfigure the jet stream, which is a river of air at high altitudes that blows from west to east across the Northern Hemisphere, from Alaska all the way to Europe in the coming days. A major dip, or trough, in the jet stream is forecast to form over the Midwest and East Coast, allowing a piece of — yes, you guessed it — the polar vortex to slip southward. This will result in unusual cold, and potentially snowy conditions in some areas, for at least the next two weeks… (more)
