November 2011 Bering Sea cyclone
Satellite image of the storm at peak intensity on November 8 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | November 4, 2011 |
| Dissipated | November 11, 2011 |
| Extratropical cyclone | |
| Highest gusts | 93 mph (150 km/h) on Little Diomede Island |
| Lowest pressure | 943 hPa (mbar); 27.85 inHg |
| Blizzard | |
| Lowest temperature | Wind chill of −17 °F (−27 °C) in Red Dog Dock, Alaska |
| Maximum snowfall or ice accretion | 6.4 in (16 cm) in Nome, Alaska |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 1 |
| Damage | At least $24 million |
| Areas affected | Northeast China, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Alaska, Chukotka |
Part of the 2011–12 North American winter | |
The November 2011 Bering Sea cyclone was one of the most powerful extratropical cyclones to affect Alaska on record. On November 8, the National Weather Service (NWS) began issuing severe weather warnings, saying that this was a near-record (or record) storm in the Bering Sea. It rapidly deepened from 973 mb (28.7 inHg) to 948 mb (28.0 inHg) in just 24 hours before bottoming out at 943 mbar (hPa; 27.85 inHg), roughly comparable to a Category 3 or 4 hurricane. The storm had been deemed life-threatening by many people. The storm had a forward speed of at least 60 mph (97 km/h) before it had reached Alaska. The storm began affecting Alaska in the late hours of November 8, 2011. The highest gust recorded was 93 mph (150 km/h) on Little Diomede Island. One person was reported missing after being swept into the Bering Sea, and he was later pronounced dead.