Hurricane Sandy is gearing up to be the storm of the century. Both the winds and the pressures have dropped. Although not all that great a presentation on satellite, NOAA aircraft have found winds at the surface at 85 MPH and more strengthening is forecast. This is unprecedented in a north east hurricane this time of year. Part of the reason is the fact that the system is not a full tropical system. It is going to be fed and maintained by a thing called baroclinic forcing. This is going to be the driving force of this system once the transition from tropical to extra-tropical takes place. I cannot stress enough that you need to be ready. Once the storm hits, rescue will not be able to help you. If you are trapped in a low lying area and the water begins to rise around you nobody will be able to get to you till after the storm.
This is not just a coastal storm. Even if you are inland, you are still advised to take precautions. This storm will affect people from New England all the way to the Carolinas. Power outages can be expected for millions. At this point you should be following the advice of your local governments. Do not take the warnings lightly.
According to NOAA aircraft, the turn to the west is beginning. Do not focus on the center of the storm or the landfall location. This is a wide area event that will be devastating hundreds of miles from the center.
The winds will affect every state from Canada to South Florida to some degree. The Lake Advisory here in Florida is due to the circulation of Sandy. The winds will also affect as far west as the Great Lakes where 25 foot waves may be possible.
There are 50 million people in the path of Sandy. We will never see another situation like this in our lifetimes.
Over 7000 flights have already been cancelled and most airlines have pulled their planes out of the airports.
As mentioned before, to avoid confusion, the NHC is using Wind Warnings in place of Hurricane warnings to avoid confusion when the system turns extra-tropical or hybrid.
Storm Floater Radar http://www.joesdiscoweathercentral.com/Storm_Floater_Radar.html
New York Radarhttp://www.joesdiscoweathercentral.com/New_York_and_Vicinity_Forecast.html
Full Coverage http://www.joesdiscoweathercentral.com/Joe_s_Disco_Hurricane_Page.html
Local Statements http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/index_hls3.shtml