Thread: Hurricane "Sandy"

Associated Press/Weather Underground - This NOAA satellite image taken Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012 shows Hurricane Sandy off the Mid Atlantic coastline moving toward the north with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. Tens of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate coastal areas Sunday as big cities and small towns across the U.S. Northeast braced for the onslaught of a superstorm threatening some 60 million people along the most heavily populated corridor in the nation. (AP Photo/Weather Underground)

Tone turns ominous at The Weather Channel
By DAVID BAUDER | Associated Press – 5 hrs ago.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Weather Channel had its third straight day of a round-the-clock vigil for the approaching superstorm, and the tone of its meteorologists turned more ominous Sunday with evidence building that their forecasts would come true.

The network is planning to live-stream its television coverage online so people in the eastern United States who lose power can keep up with the news on their mobile devices. The storm is expected to affect some 50 million people. "We want you to know we are not hyping this storm, OK?" on-air meteorologist Vivian Brown said. "We don't do that at The Weather Channel because we want you to be alert and aware."

Other television networks mixed news of Hurricane Sandy with stories like the presidential campaign. In New York, the local CBS outlet ran a split screen with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie delivering a storm briefing Sunday afternoon and the New York Jets' game against the Miami Dolphins.

But Hurricane Sandy, which is mixing with other weather systems to create a storm of unprecedented strength in the region, kept the undivided attention of The Weather Channel.

The network's Julie Martin, stationed on a beach in Nags Head, N.C., looked increasingly weary of the wind and rain as she described the storm's staying power in a series of live reports.

Meteorologist Jim Cantore, the network's most visible personality, said it was unlike anything he'd ever seen or covered. He had to take a brief break from his live reports from New York's Battery Park City to move his belongings because his hotel had been evacuated; his publicist's apartment was also in the evacuation zone.

Bryan Norcross, the network's senior hurricane specialist, explained in an interview that the network tries to keep its tone serious yet urgent. The network's computer models have been consistent in their forecasts of the storm and it has been acting as anticipated, perhaps with even more strength. "Our goal has been to get people to appreciate the magnitude of the storm and try to prove to them that, based on everything we know, that this is going to be a system that is outside of their experience," Norcross said.

The Weather Channel sent a message via Twitter calling it "an extraordinary storm, an extremely serious threat" and urged followers to re-tweet it. The storm "will occupy a place in the annals of weather history as one of the most extraordinary to have affected the United States," the network tweeted.

Quickly, the Business Insider tweeted: "WHOA. The Weather Channel meteorologist just completely freaked out."

Twitter filled with messages of concern for people in its path, as well as a few oddities. Comic Ricky Gervais made an unprintable suggestion as a joke, while media mogul Rupert Murdoch tweeted: "Eerie feeling, but kids getting ready to celebrate no school."

ABC News posted a blog of storm-related news, while another Twitter message contained links to live webcams where computer users could track the storm's progress.

Cosmopolitan magazine tweeted advice for "how to cut your bangs at home (because if you're going to be house-bound for Sandy, why not?)." ''Sesame Street" offered a hurricane toolkit to help children understand what's going on.

Judging by The Weather Channel, there were also people who saw a business opportunity. There were frequent commercials from companies that make generators for people to keep electricity going in their homes if the power lines go down.

Partly to underline the seriousness of the situation, The Weather Channel has refrained from using the "Frankenstorm" nickname coined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last week when the storm was a model on its computer forecasts. "Being cute about this storm is not the right idea," Norcross said.

http://news.yahoo.com/tone-turns-omi...205402855.html

comments

After living in Florida my whole life & having nothing but the utmost respect for Mother Nature, one should never laugh at a storms capabilities. If you just look at the size of this one & knowing it's headed into another storm, says enough. PLEASE stay safe, evacuate, don't try to be brave & then put our responders in harms way. If you have any doubt then just leave. There is nothing more important in life than family. So, be smart & don't let heartbreak be your legacy for your family. Be careful.

..

If this morfs into a "Nor'Easter" as it appears IT WILL, then instead of a 4 to 8 hour hurricane we'll see a 2 to 4 day event, BAD ! And THAT DOESN'T include the flooding to follow fro rains and "Sow"in the mountains.

..

I have lived here on the gulf coast all my life and have survived Camille, Frederick, Katrina, Ivan and many,many more...let me give some experienced advice... this is no Irene ..this is more dangerous.. most New Englanders do not experience the level of storms of a regular basis and one thing you learn is .. you never base a storm on the last one.. they are all different and have a capacity to kill... God Bless everyone that is in the path... keep safe, use common sense... because in a storm,you can not "save' your house but you can save your life.. you are in our prayers.

..

Yes, it's "barely a Cat 1 storm," but guess what, a Cat 1 hurricane is still a hurricane.
Hurricane Isabel was barely a Cat 1 storm when it arrived in Central Virginia. Isabel was the costliest disaster in the history of Virginia.

..

Someone here joked about this being nothing but an "oversized cat 1." Well, this is no joke. This oversized cat 1 is one of the worst because, even though it may not have the power yet, its much much larger body combined with the slower pace makes for a great deal of slow pain, met by agonizing loss.

..

My prayers are for all the folks affected by this storm. We have had our share in the south, but the NE has not had to deal with the devastation hurricanes can cause.

..

It is windy as heck here in Atlanta and we are like 600 miles from the center of the storm!

.
Hurricane Sandy Likely to Make Landfall Near Atlantic City
By ALYSSA NEWCOMB | ABC News – 15 hrs ago.

.
.



.
.

Hurricane Sandy, now a 900-mile megastorm, is forecasted to make landfall late Monday night in Atlantic City, N.J., bringing with it life-threatening storm surges, forceful winds and rainfall that could cripple transportation and leave millions without power.

The size and power of the storm are almost without equal as several systems will combine to wreak havok on a large section of the nation--from North Carolina to New England as far west as the Great Lakes.

Waves 20 to 25 feet are possible on the south side of Lake Michigan Monday night into Wednesday, along with beach erosion and flooding especially southeast of Chicago around Gary, Ind., and Michigan City with waves there as high as 33 feet.

On the East Coast, a storm surge is expected along a 600-mile stretch of the Atlantic along with rainfall in places of 6 to 10 inches and even more.

"We want to prepare people for the worst," New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Sunday, warning that some residents could be without power for more than a week.

Christie urged people in the path of Hurricane Sandy to "remain calm and listen to instructions."

Tens of thousands of people in coastal areas have been ordered to evacuate their homes before Hurricane Sandy pounds the eastern third of the United States.

States of emergency were declared from North Carolina to Connecticut. Coastal communities in Delaware were ordered to evacuate by 8 p.m. tonight.

As of 5 p.m. EST today, Sandy was moving toward the northeast at nearly 15 mph, slightly faster than it was measured earlier today. It is expected to take a turn to the north and then northwest, bringing the center of the storm near the mid-Atlantic coast Monday night.

Sandy is expected to bring potentially life-threatening storm surges on the coast ranging from several feet to potentially as high as 11-feet in the Long Island Sound area of New York, said Rick Knabb, director of the National Hurricane Center.

"The size of the storm is going to carve a pretty large swath of bad weather," Knabb said. "This is not just a coastal event."

Sandy will meet up with cold front coming from the northwest and a high pressure system from Greenland, fueling it with enough energy to make it more powerful than the so-called "Perfect Storm" in 1991, meteorologists say.

The first rainfall from the megastorm is expected today and forecasters warn it could bring inland flooding around Maryland and Pennsylvania. A blizzard warning was issued for portions of West Virginia, where Sandy could bring up to two feet of snow.

Hurricane Sandy: Live Storm Tracker

Sandy remained at a Category 1 strength today, with 75 mph winds being measured. The storm was moving northeast at 10 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

FEMA administrator Craig Fugate urged people in Sandy's path to take the storm seriously and to heed any evacuation orders.

"The time for preparing and talking is about over. People need to be acting now," Fugate said.

New York City transit officials are shut down the subway system, the largest rapid transit system in the world at 7 p.m. tonight. Sandy can potentially create a storm surge capable of overtopping the Manhattan flood walls, filling the subway tunnels with water.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered the evacuation of areas of lower Manhattan and the Rockaways.

"If you don't evacuate, you are not only endangering your life, you are also endangering the lives of the first responders who are going in to rescue you," Bloomberg said at a news conference. "This is a serious and dangerous storm."

New York City Schools will also be closed Monday, Bloomberg said.

Hurricane Sandy: Full Coverage

"While the predicted track of Hurricane Sandy has shifted a number of times over the last 24 hours, it has become clear that the state will be affected by high winds, heavy rainfall, and flooding, especially along the coastline for a several day period," said Gov. Jack Markell of Delaware. "These factors, along with the potential for power outages, have convinced me that the prudent thing to do is have people leave most of our coastal communities."

Given its size and expected duration of two to three days, Hurricane Sandy could turn out to be comparable to 1991's Hurricane Grace, also known as the "Perfect Storm," and a cyclone that struck near the Appalachians in November of 1950, FEMA administrator Craig Fugate said. But, Fugate said, officials don't try to make historical comparisons until after a storm hits.

7 Devastating Hurricanes: Where Will Sandy Rank?

Power Outages

Power companies are being proactive before Sandy makes landfall, trimming trees and putting equipment place to hopefully minimize the number of people left without power after the storm.

Last year, Hurricane Irene left 7 million homes without power in the same area Sandy is expected to batter with wind and rain.

"The best thing is to be prepared, and I think that's where we are. We're prepared for what the worst will bring," said Vince Maione, who has been with Atlantic City Electric, a company serving south New Jersey, for 28 years.

Hurricane Sandy: Supplies You Should Have

Gov. Christie warned New Jersey residents they could be without power for a week to ten days. He said he is concerned residents may try to put generators indoors or run extension cords in a haphazard way to get electricity.

"That's a good general New Jersey rule: If it looks stupid, it is stupid," Christie said.

Travel Woes

Sunday also brought more than 1,000 flight cancelations, with 5,559 expected for Monday and 613 cancelled for Tuesday, Flight Aware reported. The most affected airport today was Newark with 305 cancellations.

People scheduled to fly to or from the eastern third of the country are encouraged to check their flight status.

http://news.yahoo.com/hurricane-sand...opstories.html

East Coast braces for epic hurricane, ‘life-threatening’ storm surge
.By Dylan Stableford, Yahoo! News | The Lookout – 13 hrs ago



"Superstorm." "The Perfect Storm." "Frankenstorm."

Whatever you want to call it, the East Coast is bracing for Hurricane Sandy, a "rare hybrid storm" that is expected to bring a life-threatening storm surge to the mid-Atlantic coast, Long Island Sound and New York harbor, forecasters say, with winds expected to be at or near hurricane force when it makes landfall sometime on Monday.

According to the National Hurricane Center, the Category 1 hurricane was centered about 280 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., and 485 miles south of New York City early Sunday, carrying maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and moving northeast at 15 mph.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered the immediate, mandatory evacuation for low-lying coastal areas, including Coney Island, the Rockaways, Brighton Beach, Red Hook and some parts of lower Manhattan along the East River. "If you don't evacuate, you're not just putting your own life at risk," Mayor Bloomberg said at a news conference Sunday. "You're endangering first responders who may have to rescue you."

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's message for residents was a bit more blunt. "Don't be stupid," Christie said Sunday afternoon, announcing the suspension of the state's transit system beginning at 12:01 a.m. Monday.

Earlier, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the suspension of all MTA service--including subways, buses, Long Island Railroad and Metro North--beginning at 7 p.m. Sunday. New York City Public Schools will be closed on Monday, the mayor said. The New York Stock Exchange said its trading floor will be closed on Monday, too--the first such shutdown in 27 years, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Sandy is expected to continue on a parallel path along the mid-Atlantic coast later Sunday before making a sharp turn toward the northwest and southern New Jersey coastline on Monday--with the Jersey Shore and New York City in its projected path.

But the path is not necessarily the problem.

"Don't get fixated on a particular track," the Associated Press said. "Wherever it hits, the rare behemoth storm inexorably gathering in the eastern U.S. will afflict a third of the country with sheets of rain, high winds and heavy snow."

A tropical storm warning has been issued between Cape Fear to Duck, N.C., while hurricane watches and high-wind warnings are in effect from the Virginia to Massachusetts. The hurricane-force winds extend 175 miles from the epicenter of the storm, while tropical storm-force winds extend 500 miles--or roughly 1,000 miles end to end, making Sandy one of the biggest storms to ever hit the East Coast.

"We're looking at impact of greater than 50 to 60 million people," Louis Uccellini, head of environmental prediction for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told the Associated Press.

"The size of this alone, affecting a heavily populated area, is going to be history making," Jeff Masters wrote on the Weather Underground blog.

President Barack Obama received a briefing on the storm at Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington on Sunday. "My main message to everybody involved is that we have to take this seriously," President Obama said. "[We will] respond big and respond fast."

"I can be as cynical as anyone," Christie said on Saturday, announcing a state of emergency. "But when the storm comes, if it's as bad as they're predicting, you're going to wish you weren't as cynical as you otherwise might have been."

Meanwhile, emergency evacuations were being mulled by state officials in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and even Maine.

In Virginia, Governor Bob McDonnell said 20,000 homes there had already reported power outages.

"This is not a coastal threat alone," said FEMA director Craig Fugate said during a media briefing early Sunday. "This is a very large area."

Forecasters also fear the combination of storm surge, high tide and heavy rain--between 3 and 12 inches in some areas--could be life-threatening for coastal residents.

According to the National Hurricane Center summary, coastal water levels could rise anywhere between 1 and 12 feet from North Carolina to Cape Cod, depending on the timing of the "peak surge." A surge of 6 to 11 feet is forecast for Long Island Sound and Raritan Bay, including New York Harbor.

The storm surge in New York Harbor during Hurricane Irene in September 2011, forecasters noted, was four feet.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/...142549538.html

Sandy Sinks Tall Ship, 14 Rescued
By KEVIN DOLAK and TRACEY MARX | Good Morning America – 5 hours ago

Fourteen people were rescued this morning from a tall ship that was sunk by Hurricane Sandy, but a Coast Guard helicopter is scouring the churning seas for two crew members who are missing. The HMS Bounty, a three masted ship, was 90 miles southeast of Hatteras, N.C., when the owner called saying she'd lost contact with the crew Sunday night, The AP reported. The Bounty is a 180-foot replica of the ship featured in the film "Mutiny on the Bounty."

"There have been 14 people rescued and there are two that are still unaccounted for," Jordan Campbell, Petty Officer, First Class told ABCNews.com. He said the survivors had "no medical conceerns so far," and were being debriefed.

One of the 14 survivors has been hospitalized. Cold water survival suits, also called Gumby suits, staved off hypothermia for the 13 others, who were treated when they arrived on land by emergency medical personnel. The ship left Connecticut last week for St. Petersburg, Fla. The crew had been in constant contact with the National Hurricane Center and tried to go around the storm, according to the director of the HMS Bounty Organization, Tracie Simonin.

But the ship got caught in Sandy's fury and began taking on water. The crew was forced to abandon ship and get into two lifeboats, wearing survival suits and life jackets during the night, according to the Associated Press. Rescue workers watched as the Bounty completely sank later this morning. A Coast Guard plane spotted the ship before it went down and directed two rescue helicopters to the scene. At 6:40 a.m., the H65 Jayhawk helicopters hoisted 14 people out of their lifeboats and into the choppers.

The survivors were taken to Air Station Elizabeth City on the North Carolina coast. Two people are still missing, and the Coast Guard is conducting a search and rescue operation. As of 9 a.m. there is a third helicopter on its way out to the boat, the official said. "As it stands right now, we have a helicopter on the scene searching, and one making preparations to assist," Campbell said.

Initial reports said there were 17 people on the Bounty, but the manifest indicated the ship only has 16 people aboard.

Hurricane Sandy, which is stirring up waves as large as 32 feet high according to buoy readings, is also giving a wild ride to passengers on at least five cruise ships.

Captain Vito Giacalone of Carnival Cruise Lines told ABC News via telephone that the storm is getting intense. "We are navigating through some serious weather, but we're not experiencing any issues. The vessel is very capable," he said.

The five cruise ships in the waters that Sandy is churning today are the Aiduluna, the Carnival Miracle, Explorer of the Seas, the Norwegian Jewel and the Queen Mary 2, which is heading to the United Kingdom. Daniel Gonzales disembarked from the Disney Dream on Sunday, saying everyone on the ship was getting sick from the waves. "The ship was going back and forth. It was really scary," said Gonzales.

Cruise ships now out in the waters are being forced to re-route and attempt to ride out the storm throughout the week, and cruise companies are delaying departures and arrivals, and have even cancelled trips. This is not the first time cruise ship passengers have been tossed about in waves in the past couple of years. In 2010, the Cleilia 2 endured 30-40 foot waves as it sailed through the Drake Passage. One ship was cruising off the coast of Spain in 2005 when a freak wave more than 70-feet tall crashed against it, reaching the ship's 10th floor and soaking some passengers.


http://gma.yahoo.com/sandy-sinks-tal...opstories.html

A state-by-state look at the East Coast superstorm
By The Associated Press | Associated Press – 26 mins ago

..


Hurricane Sandy is churning off the East Coast and is expected to join up with two other weather systems to create a huge and problematic storm affecting 50 million people. Here's a snapshot of what is happening or expected, state by state.

CAROLINAS

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued 14 members of a crew forced to abandon a tall ship about 90 miles off the North Carolina coast and continued to search for two other crew members. The storm lashed barrier islands and rendered several homes and businesses nearly inaccessible.

CONNECTICUT

The University of Connecticut is closing Tuesday, joining a hundreds of other schools and school systems across the state. The closure includes UConn's law school and the UConn Health Center, though the John Dempsey Hospital will remain open during the storm.

DELAWARE

Dover Air Force Base has relocated some aircraft in anticipation of the storm, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency has requested that the base be used as a staging area for support and supplies. Some residents of low-lying areas of the base have been ordered to evacuate.

KENTUCKY

Sandy is expected to bring snow to far southeastern Kentucky. A winter storm warning is in effect in Harlan, Letcher and Pike counties through Wednesday morning. Forecasters say snow could accumulate from 4 to 10 inches in high elevations and 1 to 3 inches in lower elevations.

MAINE

Virtually all Maine public schools opened Monday but some were closing early before the heaviest rain and wind from Hurricane Sandy. State officials say the biggest concern is wind, which is expected to cause widespread power outages. The state's utilities say they have crews poised to deal with expected power outages, including some from Canada.

MARYLAND

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has closed the Bay Bridge because of the storm. The bridge spans the Chesapeake Bay, connecting the state's eastern and western shores. Hurricane Sandy already has caused heavy damage to a large, iconic ocean pier in the Maryland beach resort of Ocean City.

MASSACHUSETTS

Voluntary evacuation recommendations have been issued in Scituate, Lynn, New Bedford and Plum Island. The recommendations are for just certain sections of the communities that could be affected by flooding as a result of Hurricane Sandy. A Red Cross spokeswoman said just a few people stayed at its shelters Sunday night, but she expects more people Monday night and into Tuesday.

MICHIGAN

Michigan utilities say high winds could cause power outages in the state and they're keeping an eye on the weather to respond to power problems. DTE Energy Co. said gusts of 50 mph Monday evening and Tuesday could affect some it its 2.1 million customers.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Gov. John Lynch has urged all drivers to be off the roads by 3 p.m. as Hurricane Sandy approaches. Lynch declared a state of emergency and directed that non-essential state workers be released from work Monday afternoon. He urged employers to consider releasing workers early. The governor has put 100 New Hampshire Guard soldiers on active duty.

NEW JERSEY

All roads into and out of Ocean City are closed due to flooding that has cut off the popular Jersey shore resort community. Hurricane Sandy already had flooded most of Atlantic City, sweeping away an old section of the city's famed boardwalk.

NEW YORK

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the city's public schools will remain closed on Tuesday after being shut down Monday. Earlier, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel and Holland Tunnel would close at 2 p.m. Monday. Airports in the metropolitan New York City area are open, but air carriers are not operating.

OHIO

Residents of low-lying areas and along Lake Erie were told to watch for flooding; utilities are anticipating high winds that could blow down trees and poles. Snow is forecast in some areas.

PENNSYLVANIA

Officials from the state transit agency and the Pennsylvania Turnpike have instituted speed restrictions over concerns about high winds and ordered certain vehicles, including empty trucks and motorcycles, off some highways. The National Weather Service says southeastern Pennsylvania could get winds reaching 75 mph and rainfall up to 10 inches.

RHODE ISLAND

Officials are concerned about wind driving water north up Narragansett Bay, which could create flooding in low-lying areas of the upper bay, including Providence, Warwick and Cranston. About 2,600 National Grid customers were without power, mostly in Barrington and other parts of Bristol County.

TENNESSEE

Snow is expected in higher elevations, where a freeze warning has been issued. High winds are expected in many areas.

VERMONT

Gov. Peter Shumlin declared a state of emergency to provide access to National Guard troops in a state still recovering from the devastating effects of the remnants of Hurricane Irene. Culverts and storm drainage basins in some spots have been cleared of debris.

VIRGINIA

A curfew is in place on Virginia's swamped Chincoteague Island. Officials say the entire 37-square-mile island is underwater, and there is no way off the island because a causeway to the mainland has been closed. The 3,500 islanders who decided to tough out Hurricane Sandy have been told to keep off the streets.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Taxis that originate in Washington are authorized to add an emergency flat rate of $15 per trip because of Hurricane Sandy, starting Monday. The price is supposed to expire at noon Tuesday, but can be extended if considered necessary. The capital area's transit system shut down rail service for the first time since 2003.

WEST VIRGINIA

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of emergency Monday for West Virginia, where Sandy is expected to bring high winds and heavy rains and leave behind flooded towns and as much as 3 feet of snow on the state's highest ridge tops. Eastern parts of the state can expect to get up to 6 inches of rain. Fourteen counties are under blizzard warnings.

WISCONSIN:

With waves expected to reach as high as 33 feet Tuesday on Lake Michigan, the Port of Milwaukee is taking steps to protect its docks and boats. The superstorm bearing down on the East Coast Is expected to create dangerous conditions on the Great Lakes. The National Weather Service issued gale and storm warnings for the lakes through Wednesday.

http://news.yahoo.com/state-state-lo...111025193.html

Would love to learn the thought processes behind some of these "bright ideas" ...

The 12 Dumbest Ways New Yorkers Prepared For The Last Hurricane
Let's remember how bad New Yorkers are at preparing for hurricanes with these pictures from Hurricane Irene. God bless us all

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/the-w...for-the-last-h

The winds are blowing pretty seriously here in Toledo - no problems for us so far, other than it is cold... went down to the marina earlier and things looked pretty normal, but I think the bad stuff is supposed to be happening late night/early morning. We'll see...

keeping you all in our prayers..