The Worst Case Scenario! The Monster Is Getting Stronger and Will Cause Unprecedented Damage… Monday Update – 10am
October 29, 2012 Leave a comment
Good Monday morning! Here’s a quick Hurricane Sandy Update. We have bad news… Sandy is stronger, with winds of 90 mph sustained, with gust to 115. Pressure continues to fall. The official National Hurricane Center reports pressure at 943 mb, but pressure was recently found as low as 939 mb! Pressure that low is compared to a major hurricane. The storm will continue to strengthen a bit before making landfall tonight. Remember, this is such a large storm, it will impact a huge area.. Again, tropical storm force winds extend out 500 miles from the center. This will pile up storm surge along the coastal areas through tonight.
It sure looks like landfall will occur somewhere along the New Jersey coastline. Storm surge is already coming into much of the northeast, even with the storm being 250 miles away from the coast. The storm is starting to make the northwest turn now, so confidence is very high that a landfall will occur just south of New York City. This is bad because the highest surges will occur along the New Jersey, Long Island and New York Coastline. Storm surges could reach 12 feet in these areas, which means significant flooding of major metropolitan areas. There’s a high chance the subway systems and major tunnels of New York will be flooded. Storm surge has never reached these heights across this area, so it is extremely important that people evacuate in the at risk zones.
The storm is huge, with Tropical Storm force winds extending out 500 miles from the center. Tropical Storm force winds are already reaching the coast and pushing inland.
This is a unique setup for sure, with a hurricane in the middle of a monster nor’easter. Debris will start flying around in areas of the northeast and mid-Atlantic states this afternoon, evening and tonight. Philadelphia, and New York City are in extreme danger with high winds. Winds will reach or surpass 100 mph in the higher buildings across these major cities. Glass and objects will break off these builds and will cause injuries or fatalities for anyone impacted in the streets. Stay indoors!
Meanwhile, in the Appalachians, blizzard conditions are already occurring and will continue. Over 3 feet of snow is likely for the higher elevations of the central and southern Appalachian Mountains Power outages will impact millions for sure! Make sure your disaster kit is ready across the northeast, as power may be out over 1 week in some areas. A food and water supply is critical!
As for Alabama, we’ll just deal with a chilly north breeze. Our local impacts are minor for sure… Temperatures could approach a light freeze tonight. Skies remain clear through Wednesday.
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Richard Scott
WVUA Chief Meteorologist
rscott@wvuatv.com
