Courtesy: City of Unalaska

City council will meet tonight at a special time to debrief from the midterm election and take up changes to a few capital projects.

That includes budget amendments for replacing and redesigning the floats at the Bobby Storrs Small Boat Harbor. Council will vote on adding more than $2 million from the city ports fund to the project’s budget, along with about a $1.8 million state grant. 

After a late-night squall, Unalaska saw clear skies Saturday morning. (Lauren Rosenthal/KUCB)

A potent low-pressure system is quickly losing power over the Bering Sea. 

From the western Aleutian Islands to the Pribilofs, National Weather Service meteorologist Shaun Baines says "everybody has seen the worst of it." 

"Originally, all indications were that this low was going to progress a little bit further into the Bering Sea before it slowed down," Baines says.

That would have made for rougher seas and higher winds near Adak and Atka. Instead, the storm stalled out in the southwest Bering Sea. 

Cargo ships have scattered to avoid the storm in the western Bering Sea. (Courtesy of Marine Exchange of Alaska)

After a week of warnings, a heavy-duty storm washed into the Bering Sea early Friday morning.

Hurricane-force winds smacked the far western Aleutian Islands. And while the storm has disrupted life at sea, it’s expected to start losing power fast.

As the storm approached Friday morning, it became clear that it wouldn’t be entering the record books.

The F/V Cornelia Marie diverted to Unalaska today to avoid an oncoming storm. (Annie Ropeik/KUCB)

Update, 12 p.m.: The sun is shining today in Unalaska. But it’s a different story further west, where a high-powered storm system is touching down in the Aleutian chain.

Shemya reported the first heavy gusts from Typhoon Nuri this morning.

At around 97 miles an hour, they’re slightly stronger than predicted. But the island of Shemya is mostly unpopulated, besides a small Air Force station and some weather instruments.

The remnants of Typhoon Nuri are heading across the Pacific Ocean from Japan. (Courtesy of NWS)

The Aleutian and Pribilof islands are no stranger to strong winds and rough seas.

That's exactly what the region will see on Friday, when a high-powered storm hits the Bering Sea.

Seas of up to 50 feet are forecast on the open water, and winds could gust up to 90 miles per hour in the western Aleutian Islands.

Now, coastal communities are gearing up to face the front -- hopefully, without fear. 

Pollock processors at UniSea's G2 plant in Unalaska. (Lauren Rosenthal/KUCB)

Alaska's minimum wage initiative flew mostly under the radar this fall, overshadowed by high-profile Congressional races. But ballot measure three proposes a big change to state's minimum wage structure -- increasing it by two dollars over the next two years, to $9.75 an hour. After that, it would be adjusted for inflation.

In Unalaska, at least 83 percent of voters supported that plan. The seafood industry -- which is the biggest source of minimum wage jobs in Unalaska -- didn't expect anything less. 

Leading up to the election, they were already considering ways to scale back their workforce. 

Typhoon Nuri is expected to reach Shemya and Attu on Friday. (Courtesy of National Weather Service)

An Alaska-sized storm could bring high winds and destructive waves to the Aleutian and Pribilof islands this weekend.

"This low-pressure system is going to be the size of two-thirds of the United States," says Matthew Clay. He's been tracking the storm for the National Weather Service. 

Right now, Typhoon Nuri is churning off the coast of Japan. It's been downgraded from a super storm. But Clay says it's going to gather steam once it hits the jet stream and starts traveling across the Pacific Ocean.

Polls are open until 8 p.m. at Unalaska City Hall. (Lauren Rosenthal/KUCB)

Update, 9:30 p.m. Tuesday: The polls have closed at Unalaska's City Hall, and preliminary election results are in.

The two Democrats running for U.S. Congress received a slim majority of the vote in Unalaska. So did Alaska's incumbent governor, Republican Sean Parnell.

Increasing the minimum wage was a much clearer choice for local voters. More than 80% voted in favor. And for the second time in a decade, Unalaskans showed support for legalizing marijuana.

Dunbar visited KUCB's studios in Unalaska in September. (Annie Ropeik/KUCB)

Alaskans will vote for their at-large U.S. Representative during Tuesday's election. This year, longtime Republican Rep. Don Young is being challenged by a political newcomer, Forrest Dunbar.

Young didn't make himself available for an interview with KUCB this year. But Dunbar made a campaign stop in Unalaska in September.