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16 January Update:
A major hurricane force storm continues over the western North Pacific with winds up to 65 knots and significant wave heights up to 20 meters (about 66 feet)! The significant wave height is the average of the 1/3 highest waves which means that some waves will be higher. Given a significant wave of 20 meters, about 1 in 10 waves could be 25 meters (82 feet) and 1 out of 100 could be as high as 33 meters (108 feet)!
Previously reported on 15 January:
A very dangerous 936 mb storm peaked today over the western North Pacific with a min pressure of 932 mb and is moving northeast at 25 knots with hurricane force winds and very high sea and swell conditions. Hurricane Sandy, by comparison, reached a minimum pressure of 940 millibars and was the largest Atlantic hurricane in recorded history.
At 12Z 15 January the center of the storm was near 42N/163E with winds of Force 11 or higher (60-85 knots) and waves 12-18 meters (39-59 feet) within 300NM west and southwest of the center and winds forces 9-11 and waves 5.5-14 meters (18-46 feet) up to 540NM from the center.
This storm and will now weaken slowly as it moves northeastward.
Keep in mind that the wave heights here are the significant wave height which is defined as the average of the 1/3 highest waves. This means that some individual waves could be up to twice the significant wave height!
This storm appears to be an example of a rapidly deepening “bomb” low that is often associated with some winter season storms over both the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. These systems are associated with what is known as a warm air seclusion where the warm surface air is lifted up during the occlusion process and then wrapped around the low center into its cold southwestern quadrant.
932 millibars!
Gale force winds are predicted to extend from 36N to 60N, over 1,400 nautical mile wide swath of ocean.
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Working in the Aleutians and Bering Sea for so many years, I refer to us as being in the bowling alley, as they toss these big fat bowling balls off the Kamchatka peninsula. Better to duck if possible!
uh-oh… batten down the hatches! damn 932?
That'll send the fishing boats scurrying for cover. I think the crabbers are out fishing Opie about now.
If that big stationary 1035H gets out of the way we’ll have some fine skiing in California next week.
Years ago, while taking advanced meteo, the professor who was a retired Ocean Prediction Center meteorologist told us they weren’t allowed to print the term “bomb” on a weather map anymore because of security concerns. I would think the government could give someone reading a NOAA weather map the benefit of the doubt in this area. I’d much rather see “bomb”, telling me there is some serious #@$% coming. They also made them take the call signs off the 24 hour map because of security concerns. How am I supposed to track my friends without call signs? Funnily enough, my dad can track me just about anywhere sitting at his computer using AIS, so where’s the security in that?
I would name this storm Maria in honor of George R Stewart's Book "Storm".
Super Winter Storm off North East Japan!
Things that make the weatherman go: oooooohhhhh!
What does it mean in English?
Thank you Joseph Sommer. :)
The real phrase, "Explosively deepening low" probably doesn't help much either. Ummm– It's when you think you're gonna get a winter storm, and it goes to "11" on a 10-point scale, and does it really, really quickly. As in, faster than the weather models have time to register what's going on; thus they are almost by definition, unpredictable. And they make hurricanes look trivial (with respect to wind and seas.)
From NOAA website: Bomb Cyclone- An extratropical area of low pressure in which the central pressure drops at least 24 millibars in 24 hours.
Things that make the weatherman go: oooooohhhhh!
I am an ex/radio officer. We had no fax, no rtty.
We received the isobaren by telegraphy in groups
of 5 and drawing the weather map by hand,
Your page reminds me having sever storms on the atlantic;
the weather pushed us back 52 miles per day.
Thanks to all of them who make us living at sea
a saver live.
thanks, Ekko.
nnnn
Ekk,
Then you might remember Capt Kurt Carlsen
http://oceanweatherservices.com/blog1/2011/12/23/the-flying-enterprise-%E2%80%93-man-vs-the-sea/
Wednesday morning update – waves to 20 meters http://oceanweatherservices.com/blog1/2013/01/16/west-pacific-storm-update-wednesday-morning/.
Watching NDBC Station ADKA2 – 9461380.
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=ADKA2
Watching NDBC Station ADKA2 – 9461380.
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=ADKA2
Sandy made it to 940, but was 946mb on landfall. This hit 932, 60meter+ waves. Kriky!
Looking at this today there are two L's north of Hawaii that are merging into the frontal boundary, and the center of the big L is very slow, almost moving west a bit. The 24-36 should be interesting…
Watching NDBC Station ADKA2 – 9461380.
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=ADKA2
Watching NDBC Station ADKA2 – 9461380.
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=ADKA2
Watching NDBC Station ADKA2 – 9461380.
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=ADKA2
Watching NDBC Station ADKA2 – 9461380.
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=ADKA2
Watching NDBC Station ADKA2 – 9461380.
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=ADKA2
Watching NDBC Station ADKA2 – 9461380.
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=ADKA2
Watching NDBC Station ADKA2 – 9461380.
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=ADKA2
ABANDON SHIP! ABANDON SHIP! O_O
Wow…
on track for southern Vancouver Island! lol