Intense low pressure system batters Aleutian Islands, Alaska with hurricane force

A massive low pressure system lurking in the Northern Pacific, off the Aleutian Islands, brought category 3 hurricane force winds across the area on December 12, 2015.

The intense storm' central pressure estimated at 924 hPa is compared to a record low pressure of 924 hPa, reported last year as the Post Tropical "Nuri" reached Bering Sea, National Weather Service (NWS) reported on December 13.

Wind gusts reaching up to 193 km/h (122 mph) have been reported on Adak Island. The winds hit the region after a day of perfect calm, meteorologist Scott Sistek reported. Winds started only about 5 am (local time) and rose up to 111 km/h (69 mph) at 8:16 am. It's only in the evening, at 6:56 pm that gusts became hitting the area with a force of 167.4 km/h (104 mph). As the day was closing in, sustained winds of 140 km/h (87 mph) with gusts up to 196 km/h (122 mph) were recorded on 9:36 pm.

Temperatures in the area have been reported to hover around – 1 and 0 °C (upper 30s °F) and the wind chill causes the current air to feel as if – 8.3 °C (17 °F).

Featured image: Intense low pressure system lurking near Aleutian Islands, Alaska, December 12, 2015. Image credit: NASA/Suomi NPP/VIIRS