Hurricane Sandy - An Unprecedented Storm

Hurricane Sandy continues to move northeast as a cateogry 1 hurricane about 335 miles southeast of Charleston, South Carolina. The models have finally started coming into agreement on where Sandy will make landfall, and that is somewhere along the New Jersey coast. My forecast is for Sandy to make landfall near Surf City, NJ Monday evening. However, it is important to remember not to purely focus on where it will make landfall. With the size and strength of this storm, it will affect millions of people well away from the center.

Below is my forecast for rainfall and snow totals. The heaviest rain will fall west and southwest of the center with locally a foot or more of rain possible. Major flooding will ensue well inland from Sandy, especially across Delaware, central and southern New Jersey, Maryland, northern Virginia, and central and eastern Pennsylvania.

Here is my peak wind gust forecast. Winds will gust at least 70-80 mph along coastal areas to perhaps 50 miles or so inland (including NYC and Philly). Along the immediate coast, especially from northern New Jersey to eastern Long Island, wind gusts in excess of 80 mph are possible. Wind gusts of 60-70 mph will affect the DC and Baltimore area, as well as across portions of Connecticut and Massachusetts. Winds gusts of 50-60 mph will be extremely widespread. This includes cities such as, State College, PA, Cleveland, OH, Toronto, Ontario, Syracuse, New York, and many others.

If you live anywhere within the affected region, please take this storm seriously. It will likely cause extensive damage across a very large area with a price tag in the billions of dollars. While a price can be put on structures and property, no price can be put on a human life. Listen to the authorities, and if you are under a mandatory evacuation, evacuate! Don't take any chances, it isn't worth it. This will be my last update on Hurricane Sandy as I leave for vacation tomorrow. I will be back in a little over a week!

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