Share this
Twitter
Myspace
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Slashdot
Furl
Yahoo
Technorati
Newsvine
Facebook
Export PDF
Print
E-mail
TagsBY STEVEN DiMARTINO
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
A historic event is unfolding this morning as strengthening Hurricane Sandy interacts with a powerful cold air mass to create an unprecedented event for the New York City and Philadelphia metropolitan areas.
Hurricane Sandy is now a hurricane with 85 mph and a pressure of 945 MB. The storm is unique in size with winds extending out to over 450 miles from the center. Sandy is expected to move towards the coast line of New Jersey between Atlantic County and Ocean County. The heaviest rainfall will be focused over southeastern Pennsylvania and central/southern New Jersey where 6 to 12 inches of rain can be expected. However, the rest of the region including northeastern Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey, southeastern New York, and Connecticut can expect rainfall amounts of two to six inches of rain.
Meanwhile, the cold polar air mass that will interact with this storm will keep temperatures chilly, peaking this afternoon with highs in the upper 50's to lower 60's and then crashing into 40's by Tuesday. These temperatures combined with strong northeasterly winds will bring a very chilly fell to this storm with wind chills in the upper 30's.
The main concern along the coast will be a powerful storm surge that is developing for the New Jersey coast and New York City. The latest models project a storm surge of 10 to 16 feet along the coast, especially from Ocean County, New Jersey up through Long Island. This storm surge could lead to significant damage and loss of life as this historic event unfolds. The combination of strong northeasterly winds and enhanced tides from a full moon will lead to widespread coastal flooding throughout the region.
This storm will slowly exit on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning with scattered showers rotating around the low level circulation. As cold air wraps into the center of the storm, the potential for snow mixing into the rain will be a possibility as temperatures remain chilly with highs struggling in the 50's.
