Nuri is a post-tropical cyclone which passed close to Japan, parallel to the island nation, on November 5 and 6. The formation has now crossed the Pacific Ocean, heading toward Alaska, where it delivered hurricane-force winds to the Aleutian Islands on November 7. Frigid weather from the northernmost state could come down, striking the east coast, meteorologists are predicting.
The International Space Station-Rapid Scatterometer, or ISS-RapidScat satellite, was utilized to study the storm formation as it crossed water near mainland Japan.
"RapidScat passed over Nuri, near Japan, three times within a 24 hour period. The progression [in three images] showed Nuri's path," Doug Tyler from Jet Propulsion Laboratory said.
Wind speeds in the storm peaked on November 5 at 67.1 miles per hour, velocities which fell to 44.7 mph the following day. Meteorologists believe sustained winds in the storm system could peak at more than 80 miles an hour. High seas are predicted to reach 40 feet in the region at the height of the storm, possibly creating waves as tall as a five-story building.
Shemya Island is receiving the worst damage from the storm, where winds are striking 90 miles per hour. A weather station, operated by the U.S. Air Force, is located on the island. Fishing boats throughout the chain are in port, waiting out the powerful tempest.
Remnants of the storm - once a super typhoon - will interfere with the jet stream, bringing freezing-cold temperatures to the east coast of the United States through the next week. Temperatures over much of the highly-populated area could plummet 20 degrees Fahrenheit below normal levels, due to the effects of Nuri.
The ISS-RapidScat observatory was launched into orbit on September 21, 2014. From its vantage point aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the observatory bounces radar waves off the ocean surface, in order to determine wind speeds over the water surface.
The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Anchorage, Alaska issued a high-wind speed warning for the Aleutian Islands on November 7 that lasts until the following day.
Cold and hot air crashing together in Alaska is fueling the storm, which will start delivering cold air to the eastern states by November 8 and 9. Over the next few days, a second cold front will come down to the Midwestern states, before heading to east, to the Atlantic coast.
The polar vortex, always present over the north pole, brought chilly conditions to the eastern United States in 2013, but this feature is not responsible for the cold weather predicted for the region in the second week of November.
