3:20PM EDT October 29. 2012 -
NEW YORK — The nation's largest city braced for Hurricane Sandy as forecasters said the monster storm picked up strength and was headed toward the New York region, packing high winds and rain and a wall of water that could reach 11 feet.
Sandy is starting to move faster and could make landfall in New Jersey as early as 5 p.m. ET Monday, the Weather Channel reported.
The storm has strengthened as it moves along the Eastern Seaboard threatening some 50 million people, many who have evacuated coastal cities.
As of 2 p.m. ET winds have been measured at 90 mph, which is a strong Category 1 storm, according to the National Hurricane Center. Wind gusts were reported as high as 115 mph.
Sandy remains a monster storm as tropical-storm-force winds of at least 39 to 73 mph are being felt all the way from southern Maine to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
The storm is gaining energy from other weather systems and is combining to create a superstorm with the potential for devastation over 800 miles from the East Coast to the Great Lakes. About 2 to 3 feet of snow were forecast for mountainous parts of West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia.
"History is being written as an extreme weather event continues to unfold, one which will occupy a place in the annals of weather history as one of the most extraordinary to have affected the United States," said meteorologist Stu Ostro of the Weather Channel.
Sandy's storm surge already pushed tides over 7 feet in New York City shortly before the arrival of Monday morning's high tide, the National Weather Service said. The surge added roughly 3 feet to the high tide, which was already higher than normal as a result of the full moon, said meteorologist Jeff Tongue.
"We think the peak of the surge will be as Sandy comes ashore tonight," with a roughly 6-foot surge added to the nighttime high tide, he said.
"It's a once in a lifetime storm," Tongue said. "I've been doing this for 30 years, and I've never seen anything like this."
Flooding has already impacted some parts of the New York metropolitan area. The city is closing both the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel that links Manhattan and Brooklyn, and the Holland Tunnel between Manhattan and Jersey City in New Jersey.
Highways, mass transit and bridges have closed. The financial district was shut down. And New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said public schools would remain closed Tuesday.
"Leave immediately. Conditions are deteriorating very rapidly, and the window for you getting out safely is closing," Bloomberg told those in low-lying areas.
High winds from the approaching storm caused the partial collapse of a construction crane on a skyscraper in Manhattan, police said. No immediate injuries were reported.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he made the decision to close the tunnels because they are prone to flooding during heavy storms. The city storm surge from Hurricane Sandy is already at the level of the surge during Hurricane Irene last year, even though Sandy is still hundreds of miles away, Cuomo said.
Bron: http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2012/10/29/hurricane-sandy-east-coast-frankenstorm/1666105/
NEW YORK — The nation's largest city braced for Hurricane Sandy as forecasters said the monster storm picked up strength and was headed toward the New York region, packing high winds and rain and a wall of water that could reach 11 feet.
Sandy is starting to move faster and could make landfall in New Jersey as early as 5 p.m. ET Monday, the Weather Channel reported.
The storm has strengthened as it moves along the Eastern Seaboard threatening some 50 million people, many who have evacuated coastal cities.
As of 2 p.m. ET winds have been measured at 90 mph, which is a strong Category 1 storm, according to the National Hurricane Center. Wind gusts were reported as high as 115 mph.
Sandy remains a monster storm as tropical-storm-force winds of at least 39 to 73 mph are being felt all the way from southern Maine to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
The storm is gaining energy from other weather systems and is combining to create a superstorm with the potential for devastation over 800 miles from the East Coast to the Great Lakes. About 2 to 3 feet of snow were forecast for mountainous parts of West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia.
"History is being written as an extreme weather event continues to unfold, one which will occupy a place in the annals of weather history as one of the most extraordinary to have affected the United States," said meteorologist Stu Ostro of the Weather Channel.
Sandy's storm surge already pushed tides over 7 feet in New York City shortly before the arrival of Monday morning's high tide, the National Weather Service said. The surge added roughly 3 feet to the high tide, which was already higher than normal as a result of the full moon, said meteorologist Jeff Tongue.
"We think the peak of the surge will be as Sandy comes ashore tonight," with a roughly 6-foot surge added to the nighttime high tide, he said.
"It's a once in a lifetime storm," Tongue said. "I've been doing this for 30 years, and I've never seen anything like this."
Flooding has already impacted some parts of the New York metropolitan area. The city is closing both the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel that links Manhattan and Brooklyn, and the Holland Tunnel between Manhattan and Jersey City in New Jersey.
Highways, mass transit and bridges have closed. The financial district was shut down. And New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said public schools would remain closed Tuesday.
"Leave immediately. Conditions are deteriorating very rapidly, and the window for you getting out safely is closing," Bloomberg told those in low-lying areas.
High winds from the approaching storm caused the partial collapse of a construction crane on a skyscraper in Manhattan, police said. No immediate injuries were reported.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he made the decision to close the tunnels because they are prone to flooding during heavy storms. The city storm surge from Hurricane Sandy is already at the level of the surge during Hurricane Irene last year, even though Sandy is still hundreds of miles away, Cuomo said.
Bron: http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2012/10/29/hurricane-sandy-east-coast-frankenstorm/1666105/
