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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Typhoon Merbok say to the coast? "You're in my blow zone.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Typhoon Merbok
Merbok near peak intensity over the West Pacific on September 14
Meteorological history
FormedSeptember 10, 2022
ExtratropicalSeptember 15, 2022
DissipatedSeptember 21, 2022
Typhoon
10-minute sustained (JMA)
Highest winds130 km/h (80 mph)
Lowest pressure965 hPa (mbar); 28.50 inHg
(940 mbar (28 inHg) while extratropical)
Category 1-equivalent typhoon
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC)
Highest winds130 km/h (80 mph)
Lowest pressure976 hPa (mbar); 28.82 inHg
(968 mbar (28.6 inHg) while extratropical)
Overall effects
DamageUnknown
Areas affected
IBTrACS
Part of the 2022 Pacific typhoon season

Typhoon Merbok[nb 1] was the most intense storm to impact Alaska in the month of September in over 70 years. The fifteenth tropical depression, thirteenth tropical storm, and sixth typhoon of the 2022 Pacific typhoon season, Merbok formed in the West Pacific from a low-pressure area west of Wake Island on September 10. Over the next few days, the storm began to strengthen, reaching typhoon intensity on September 13. Merbok tracked northward, becoming an extratropical cyclone early on September 15. As an extratropical cyclone, it deepened before entering the Bering Sea as a powerful storm. Along the coast of Alaska, Merbok inflicted powerful storm surge, flooding, and severe wind across many Alaskan communities.

Meteorological history

[edit]
Map plotting the storm's track and intensity, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
Map key
Saffir–Simpson scale
  Tropical depression (≤38 mph, ≤62 km/h)
  Tropical storm (39–73 mph, 63–118 km/h)
  Category 1 (74–95 mph, 119–153 km/h)
  Category 2 (96–110 mph, 154–177 km/h)
  Category 3 (111–129 mph, 178–208 km/h)
  Category 4 (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h)
  Category 5 (≥157 mph, ≥252 km/h)
  Unknown
Storm type
triangle Extratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depression

On 00:00 UTC of September 9, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) began tracking a weak tropical depression that had developed west of Wake Island. The JMA downgraded the system to a low-pressure area shortly thereafter.[2] However, on the next day, the JMA re-upgraded the system to a tropical depression. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) followed suit and began issuing advisories, assigning it the designation 15W.[3] In its fifth bulletin, the JTWC stated that 15W turned into a tropical storm when it reached 65 km/h (40 mph; 35 kn) one-minute sustained winds.[4] The JMA named the system Merbok on September 12, due to it having achieved 10-minute sustained winds of 65 km/h (40 mph).[5] Later that day, Merbok reached severe tropical storm status.[6] The next day, the JTWC reported that Merbok became a Category 1 typhoon, reaching sustained winds of 120 km/h (75 mph; 65 kn).[7] On September 15, the JTWC gave its final bulletin on Merbok, noting that it had moved away from habitable areas.[8]

After transitioning into an extratropical cyclone, the system tracked generally northeastward and continued to deepen as it encountered record warm waters near the western Aleutian Islands.[9] It crossed the islands, entering the Bering Sea late on September 15 (HDT) as it maintained hurricane-force winds and reached its minimum central barometric pressure of 937 mbar (27.67 inHg) early the next day.[citation needed]

Impact

[edit]

The storm track generated a large dynamic fetch across the Bering Sea, which contributed to a dangerous storm surge that inundated at least 35 communities across 1,300 miles of coastline in western Alaska.[10] Governor Mike Dunleavy declared a state of emergency in the region before the cyclone hit.[11] Water levels in Unalakleet peaked at around 12.5 ft (3.8 m), which was among its largest peaks on record. In Golovin, the 1913 record of flooding was broken. Significant flooding and gale force winds were widely reported across the west coast of Alaska. Homes floated off their foundations, major erosion, subsistence infrastructure damage, and power outages were reported in Hooper Bay, Nome, Shaktoolik, Newtok, and Kotlik among others.[12] The typhoon also destroyed 1,000 mi (1,600 km) of coastline, devastating multiple fish camps in western Alaska.[13] Despite the widespread coastal flooding, no injuries were reported.[citation needed]

Aftermath

[edit]

A disaster declaration was issued for Alaska following the storm; on September 23, president Joe Biden approved the state's request for federal aid.[14] The Federal Emergency Management Agency was investigated for providing unintelligible translations of relief information into two languages used by Alaska Natives;[15][16] the company that had contracted to provide the translations was fired by the agency following the investigation.[17]

The storm also led to a emphasis on studying environmental data from western Alaska; the region had previously been largely neglected from such studies.[18]

See also

[edit]

Notes

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  1. ↑ The name Merbok (Malay: merbok, [mərbok]) was contributed by Malaysia and refers to the zebra dove (Geopelia striata) in Malay.[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "List of names for tropical cyclones adopted by the Typhoon Committee for the western North Pacific and the South China Sea". Japan Meteorological Agency. Archived from the original on August 5, 2005. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Bulletin released of Typhoon Muifa, tropical depression 15W and tropical depression Issued 10/1800Z". Japan Meteorological Agency. September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  3. ↑ "Tropical depression 15W (Fifteen) Warning #01 Issued 10/2100Z". JTWC. September 10, 2022. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Tropical storm 15W (Fifteen) Warning #05 Issued 11/2100Z". JTWC. September 11, 2022. Archived from the original on September 11, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Bulletin released of Typhoon Muifa, tropical storm Merbok and tropical depression Issued 12/0300Z". Japan Meteorological Agency. September 12, 2022. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Bulletin released of typhoon Muifa, severe tropical storm Merbok and tropical depression Issued 12/0900Z". Japan Meteorological Agency. September 12, 2022. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Typhoon 15W (Merbok) Warning #13 Issued 13/2100Z". JTWC. September 13, 2022. Archived from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Typhoon Merbok 15W Warning #18 Final bulletin Issued 15/0300Z". JTWC. September 15, 2022. Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  9. ↑ Thoman, Rick (September 19, 2022). Morford, Stacy (ed.). "Typhoon Merbok, fueled by unusually warm Pacific Ocean, pounded Alaska's vulnerable coastal communities at a critical time". The Conversation. doi:10.64628/AAI.tha6usm5m.
  10. ↑ Hayden, Maya (May 20, 2022). "USGS aids storm response to Extratropical Typhoon Merbok in Alaska". USGS.
  11. ↑ Fernando, Christine; Thornton, Claire (September 17, 2022). "'Angry sea': Huge storm floods roads, homes in Alaska as governor declares disaster". USA Today. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  12. ↑ Erickson, Caroline; Thoman, Rick. Merbok: A Bering Sea storm & coastal flooding event (PDF) (Report). Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy.
  13. ↑ Alaskan typhoon damages 1,000 miles of coastline, creates deep generational loss of culture, Great NW News, October 5, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2025
  14. ↑ "Alaska Native communities face winter preparation challenges in the wake of Typhoon Merbok". Permafrost Pathways. November 30, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  15. ↑ "FEMA under investigation after 'unintelligible' Merbok relief information was sent to Alaska Native communities". Alaska Public Media. October 11, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Lost in translation: FEMA sent 'unintelligible' disaster relief application information to Alaska natives impacted by Typhoon Merbok". KYUK. January 7, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
  17. ↑ "FEMA fires group for nonsensical Alaska Native translations". Associated Press. January 13, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Typhoon Merbok Disaster Emergency Recovery Efforts". USGS. January 31, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2026.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Typhoon Merbok (2022) at Wikimedia Commons
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Typhoon_Merbok_(2022)&oldid=1365404884"