Hurricane Sandy is a pissed off bitch

So here we are about 3 or 4 days away from what may be the worst storm for the Northeast since humans populated the area. I'm not kidding, that is a possibility. We know neither how strong this beast will be or exactly who will get the worst of it. Why? Because what is about to happen is unprecedented in the years that human have attempted to understand how the atmosphere works. Hurricanes have merged with colder air as an energetic jet stream interacts before. But perhaps not with the intensity of the factors coming into play this time. A similar scenario has happened before, back in 1991 ... the "Perfect Storm" of movie and book lore was born. Forecasts of that storm were awful leading up to it. The center of that system never made landfall along the East Coast. In fact, at its strongest the core of that storm was a few hundred miles east of New England. Here's what resulted: 80 mph winds and 25-foot waves on the Massachusetts Coast. Offshore buoys recorded 40-foot waves (that is enough to swallow a fishing boat). The Maryland Coast recorded record high tides. The lowest barometric pressure with that storm was 972 mb (that corresponds to 28.70" for those of you who are familiar with those units). Some computer forecast models drop the lowest pressure with Sandy to below 940 mb (27.75"). If you have a barometer at home, take a look at it - it doesn't go that low. If that occurs, this storm will bring the lowest barometric pressure ever recorded on the East Coast. Low pressure means wind, an tropical storm force winds already extend hundreds of miles away from the center of Sandy. Some believe as the storm approaches the coast it may intensify which means stronger winds. That means a widespread area of damage and power outages in the most populated part of the country. I feel there is a good chance we will still have some areas, perhaps entire communities, that lose power and still do not have it come Election Day a week later. Think about that ... no power on Election Day ... a hanging chad could pale in comparison.

But here's the problem ... the computer forecast models that all the forecasters will lean on so heavily have no chance of getting this exactly right. Models are either configured (numerically, in terms of the mathematical equations that drive them), to handle either tropical system well, or what we call mid-latitude systems well, that is ones with warm and cold air clashing. There is no model that handles both well. If there were we would have one great model and my life would be far less stressful. The hurricane will merge with colder air and energy from the jet stream and transition from a tropical system into what we call an extratropical one. Historically the computer forecast models are not good when this happens. The latest National Hurricane Center forecast takes Sandy early Tuesday into the New Jersey or Deleware Coast on a westward track (which by the way has NEVER happened since we have been keeping track of these sort of things). They may be weighing the models that handle tropical system a bit more heavily, but those models should become less accurate as the colder, mid-latitude air works into Sandy's circulation near landfall. As of early this afternoon we have a threat or landfall anywhere between the eastern shore of Maryland and Massachusetts. It may be later Monday or even as late as early Wednesday. We will hear about this storm for weeks after it happens. Homes will fall into the ocean and lives will be lost. If the damaging winds are widespread enough, it may be one of the costliest weather events in U.S. history due to the population likely affected.

Hopefully those near and along the coast in the Northeast are preparing for what will certainly be one for the ages."

 

Will people be able to or even want to vote if this shit hits like this? Buckle up folks and good luck!

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/26/us/tropical-...andy/index.html

That sounds scary, good luck to everyone likely to be affected!

Will people be able to or even want to vote if this shit hits like this? Buckle up folks and good luck!

 

 

No... Voting becomes the least of your fcuking problems..

 

Christ... The model I just looked at has it driving right down the Brooklyn Bridge.

 

 

Somebody described this as a "Hurricane with Snow". Which is just extraordinary to imagine.

It's not going to be fun. I'm all prepped, getting my parents ready (They live on the fcuking water)

No... Voting becomes the least of your fcuking problems..

 

Christ... The model I just looked at has it driving right down the Brooklyn Bridge.

 

 

Somebody described this as a "Hurricane with Snow". Which is just extraordinary to imagine.

 

Dubbed "Frankenstorm" right now

Should only affect Obama voters, Romney voters should have yachts.

I'm flying home tonight from Arizona and due to land in Baltimore at 11pm. Pretty sure nothing is supposed to start until sunday evening but still not the kind of news I like to be hearing before getting on a flight haha. Will be interesting how this turns on. I am already seeing people post on FB about not being able to find generators to buy.

Chipster, you're not getting in if your flight is after 8pm tonight

Allan... I edited your post to make it funnier. You can thank me later.

I'm flying home tonight from Arizona and due to land in Baltimore at 11pm. Pretty sure nothing is supposed to start until sunday evening but still not the kind of news I like to be hearing before getting on a flight haha. Will be interesting how this turns on. I am already seeing people post on FB about not being able to find generators to buy.

 

 

Uh. The time to buy a generator is when you don't need one.

Uh. The time to buy a generator is when you don't need one.

 

THIS. Best investment I ever made. Get one that is big and powerful. I have a network of cables running through the house when we lose power (several times a year). Get some big ass yellow cables to throw on it and keep it ready to go!

THIS. Best investment I ever made. Get one that is big and powerful. I have a network of cables running through the house when we lose power (several times a year). Get some big ass yellow cables to throw on it and keep it ready to go!

 

 

Yeah. When we build "The Farm" we're going to have a backup generator system built in. Flip a switch and were off the grid. Too many stories of people going for two weeks without power back there.

Should only affect Obama voters, Romney voters should have yachts.

 

 

That's where we hid after Katrina and Wilma. While everyone else was scrambling looking for ice, water, food, etc we were onboard with all the amenities of home.

Thankfully this one will blow right past me but we are still looking to get some nice rain and winds. Our local power company just switched us to our own transformer (we use to lose power every time the wind blew) and this should put it to the test. Good luck and stay safe!

Yeah. When we build "The Farm" we're going to have a backup generator system built in. Flip a switch and were off the grid. Too many stories of people going for two weeks without power back there.

 

I have an automatic transfer switch. It senses no power and turns the genny on.

I am in Philly and they are already opening emergency centers and recommending people stock up on a few days worth of supplies. It should hit between Monday and Tuesday so there will be a good week before the elections to recover from "frankenstorm", looks like we are in for a wild ride though!

U of Delaware just cancelled classes until Wednesday

U of Delaware just cancelled classes until Wednesday

 

UPenn is playing it by ear, knowing the graduate architecture department I bet I have classes even if the rest of the school is closed...

Seriously guys... This could blow over and be a big nothing....

 

My Spidey sense says, get safe.

Seriously guys... This could blow over and be a big nothing....

 

My Spidey sense says, get safe.

This should be fun,hopefully it passes by off the coast. The last big storm around here was a mess.

Update:

 

Massive Hurricane Sandy continued pushing toward the Eastern Seaboard on Saturday as residents scrambled to prepare for torrential rains, high winds, major flooding and power outages possible from the Carolinas to Cape Cod.

 

Forecasters warned that the slow-moving behemoth, with tropical storm-force winds extending across 650 miles, could span multiple tides with a storm surge of 4 to 8 feet in Long Island Sound, the southern portion of Lower New York Bay and Delaware Bay.

 

Rain accumulations of up to 12 inches were likely in some areas, the National Weather Service warned.

 

As it merges with an Arctic jet stream, forecasters said Sandy had all the ingredients to morph into a so-called "super storm," unlike anything seen over the eastern United States in decades.

 

Coastal flooding posed a major threat, particularly in low-lying areas like New York City, the global financial nerve center, and Alexandria, Va., across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.

Forecasters: Sandy 'one for record books'

States of emergency were declared in eight states from North Carolina to Massachusetts, as well as Washington, D.C., NBC reported, as Sandy made its way north after killing 41 people in the Caribbean. U.S. officials urged residents to stock up on food, water and batteries. Evacuations were ordered along some coastal areas, including Atlantic City and its casinos beginning Sunday afternoon.

 

The National Hurricane Center briefly downgraded Sandy to a tropical storm early Saturday but said the storm regained hurricane-strength winds just a few hours later.

In a public advisory notice issued at 5 p.m. PT, the National Hurricane Center said Sandy packed hurricane-force winds of 75 mph, up from earlier reported maximum sustained wind speed of 70 mph. High wind warnings were in effect for Mid-Atlantic states and Southern New England.

 

"Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 105 miles from the center... and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 520 miles," the NHC said.

 

Sandy was about 335 miles southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, and was moving northeast at 13 mph, up from 11 mph earlier in the day, according to the notice.

 

Coming in the hectic run-up to the U.S. presidential election on November 6, the storm presented a challenge to the campaigns of President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney.

 

As Sandy approached, Romney was rescheduling all of his campaign events planned for Virginia on Sunday and flying to Ohio instead. And Obama's campaign announced that Vice President Joe Biden had canceled a Saturday trip to Virginia Beach.

Sandy is set to deliver potential election surprise

Obama on Saturday morning convened a call with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and other officials to ensure federal resources would be ready to aid state and local agencies responding to the expected severe weather. FEMA is prepositioning water, meals, blankets and other resources should they be needed at support bases along the East Coast, the White House said.

 

People across much of the Northeast have just one day left to prepare for "serious and life-threatening weather conditions," NBC meteorologist Bill Karins warned Saturday as Hurricane Sandy headed north.

 

Karins said the storm would cause "considerable damage" with the greatest destruction — caused by storm surges, fresh-water flooding and strong winds — expected Monday afternoon and evening.

 

"Serious and life-threatening weather conditions are expected from Outer Banks to New England," Karins said.

 

"People in the high impact zone from Virginia to Southern New England have one day left to make preparations and plans before Sandy significantly impacts their lives," he said.

 

"After the storm hits, expect the clean-up and power outage restoration to continue right up through Election Day," he added.

Ive been following the models of this storm fairly closely for the past few days and I gotta say it has the makings of quite literally the storm of the decade if not century. I called up the director of meteorology at my office (university) and he said hes been fielding questions all week and his continued advice has been "if you can get outa there, do it" and hes been a major NOAA player for 45 years so for him to say that its a big deal!