The four large volcanic islands in Alaska and 55 smaller islands in both Alaska and Russia that make up the Aleutian Chain are often times the subject of some pretty gnarly storms. With some of the westernmost points in the United States, this isolated region marks as a dividing line between the Bering Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south.
With a somewhat mild and moderate climate filled with relentless amounts of rainfall, it's no surprise that this area is the perfect melting pot for a turbulent storm to start brewing. This one particular storm from 1977, however, will never be able to escape our memory.
The year was 1977 and the date was October 25-26 when Alaska's strongest extra-tropical storm was ever recorded.
In terms of depth of pressure, this riveting storm was the most powerful to date that Alaska had seen in modern day history.
The island of Adak in the Aleutian Chain saw hurricane-force winds up to 130 mph with continuous 110 mph winds lasting over 12 consecutive hours.
The population of Adak sits just under 400 residents, of which many were warned in advance prior to the storm hitting.
The community of Dutch Harbor recorded a minimum pressure of 925 millibars, which happened on the night of October 25, 1977.
To put the extremity of this into perspective, Hurricane Katrina recorded a maximum pressure of 920 millibars when it hit in August of 2005.
Turbulent wave heights of up to 40 feet hit the coastline, which was just the beginning of the storm wall.
The extra-tropical super storms that hit the Aleutian Chain region of Alaska in the Bering Sea are generally effected by the moist sub-topical air off the coasts of Japan in combination with the low pressure centers in that specific area.
On top of the 40 foot waves, swell heights of 60 feet produced significant total wave heights of up to 72 feet.
To be considered a 'rogue wave' one must be around at least 40 feet in height.
These deadly rogue waves are also known as freak waves, monster waves, episodic waves, killer waves, extreme waves and abnormal waves.
With an exponentially dangerous situation, commercial fishing vessels and other ships were advised to clear the waters and find safe ground to wait it out.
For a closer look at just how dangerous and deadly the Bering Sea can be, check out this exhilarating YouTube footage below from Discovery's Deadliest Catch which shows just how truly unforgiving the rough and tumble waters can be. What a terrifying situation to be in, holy smokes! Arctic storms really are a force to be reckoned with.
https://youtu.be/roc9VSnoMLM
If you thought that was wicked, check out the 10 most dangerous, deadly places in all of Alaska. The 10 most horrifying natural disasters to ever hit the last frontier will also send chills down your spine.
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