Bombogenesis: Alaska Faces Strongest Storm In 10 Years As Merbok Remnants Threaten Flooding

Alaska is faced with what could be the strongest storm yet in the state for over a decade as the remnants of Tropical Storm Merbok move toward the Bering Sea.

The National Weather Service (NWS) predicted that coastal flooding is possible on the western coast of Alaska mainland and the Aleutians this weekend as a bombogenesis event materializes Friday evening.

In an update on the movement of Tropical Storm Merbok, the NWS Weather Prediction Center (WPC) said the storm is "rapidly transitioning to an extratropical low," moving into the Bering Sea, and could bring "coastal floods exceeding 12 ft" over western mainland Alaska and the Aleutians through the weekend.

The NWS in Fairbanks, Alaska also warned that Merbok may bring "very strong winds to the West Coast," with gusts reaching 90 mph in the Bering Strait, Diomede and Savoonga.

Merbok "is likely going to be the strongest storm in over a decade, with impacts likely rivaling impacts we saw in 2011 from what's referred to as the Bering Sea Superstorm," NWS Fairbanks meteorologist Jonathan Chriest said, as reported by CNN.

Chriest was referring to the 2011 Alaskan storm that left a trail of destruction, including blown-off roofs. At the time, concerns were raised for Alaskan natives residing in 18 villages across the region.

Weather forecasters have also predicted that remnants of Merbok will "bomb out" by Friday evening.

Also called bombogenesis, "bombing out" is referred to as the instance when a cyclone experiences a pressure drop of 24 millibars within 24 hours or less, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

In bombogenesis, the storm rapidly strengthens likely causing massive damage to the areas it reaches.

Multiple weather warnings have been issued in some parts of the Alaskan region as part of the efforts to urge residents to remain alert.

High Wind Warning effective Friday through early Saturday:

• Pribilof Islands

High Wind Warning effective Friday afternoon through Saturday morning:

• Kuskokwim Delta

Coastal Flood Warning effective Friday evening through Saturday afternoon:

• Kuskokwim Delta Coast

Coastal Flood Warning effective noon Friday through Sunday morning:

• Bering Strait Coast
• St. Lawrence Island
• Yukon Delta

Coastal Flood Warning effective Friday afternoon through Sunday morning:

• Chukchi Sea Coast

Coastal Flood Warning effective Friday evening through Sunday morning:

• Southern Seward Peninsula Coast

Coastal Flood Warning effective Friday evening through Sunday:

• Eastern Norton Sound
• Nulato Hills

For the complete list of active warnings and watches issued for the Alaskan region, click here.

The NWS in Anchorage has also warned that areas along the coast may see water levels rising "5 to 8 feet above the normal highest tide line."

In its latest Hazards Outlook, the WPC predicted that after the "intense cyclone" during the weekend in Alaska, "another occluded cyclone is forecast to form south of the Aleutians on Sunday." By Monday, the WPC is expecting heavy rain to reach the southern coastal part of Alaska and higher terrains the next day.

By the middle of the week, the WPC is expecting heavy snow and heavy rain to "expand eastward" and into northern parts of the panhandle.