Atlantic – Hurricane Sandy: Looks like Sandy will extend the northward track just a bit before tracking to the northwest into the U.S. New estimated landfall will be southern / central New Jersey – HOWEVER do not focus on the exact center of where the storm will land as Sandy is huge…currently this monster of a storm has a damaging wind field over 1000 miles across. Expect the heavy rains to begin to move through the region on Monday. Today will be the last day of preparations.

If you have travel plans anywhere in the Mid-Atlantic to New England late Sunday through Wednesday, plan on cancellations as the airlines have already begun to cancel flights for today in order to move the planes out of the region, Amtrak will most likely cease service in the corridor on Monday along with bus service. Local mass transit will also most likely shut down.

New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority will suspend subway service at 7 p.m. today as Hurricane Sandy nears, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

The last commuter railroad trains will also leave at that time. And bus service will stop at 9 p.m., he said.

The storm is expected to cause massive flooding and widespread power outages when it hits the East Coast, in full, late Sunday and into the week.

Before that happens, transportation companies and government officials are urging people to plan for the worst.

At 1100 am EDT...1500 UTC...the center of Hurricane Sandy was located near latitude 32.5 north...longitude 72.6 west or about 250 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina and about 575 miles south of New York City. Sandy is moving toward the northeast near 14 mph and this general motion is expected to continue today. A turn to the north and then the northwest is expected tonight and early Monday. On the forecast track, the center of Sandy is expected to be near the coast Monday night.

Maximum sustained winds are near 75 mph with higher gusts. Sandy is expected to transition into a frontal or wintertime low pressure system prior to landfall. However, this transition will not be accompanied by a weakening of the system and in fact a little strengthening is possible during this process. Sandy is expected to weaken after moving inland. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 520 miles.

Threats & Damages

From the Mid-Atlantic States to southern New England and inland, expect the greatest potential for damage due to flooding rains, coastal flooding due to abnormally high storm surge, and widespread power outages due to downed trees and power lines and some structural damage due to trees into buildings. Expect power outages to last for days if not into next week.

Wind...Tropical storm conditions are already occurring over coastal North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. Gale force winds are expected to arrive along portions of the mid-Atlantic coast later today...and reach Long Island and southern New England by Monday morning. Winds of hurricane force could reach the Mid-Atlantic States...including Long Island...by late Monday.

Storm surge...The combination of an extremely dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters. The water could reach the following depths above ground if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide...

• NC north of Surf City including Pamlico/Albemarle sounds...4 to 6 ft
• SE VA and Delmarva including lower Chesapeake Bay...2 to 4 ft
• Upper and middle Chesapeake Bay...1 to 3 ft
• Long Island Sound...Raritan Bay...and New York Harbor...6 to 11 ft
• Elsewhere from Ocean City MD to the CT/RI border...4 to 8 ft
• CT/RI border to the South Shore of Cape Cod including Buzzards
• Bay and Narragansett Bay...3 to 6 ft

Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle and can vary greatly over short distances. Given the large wind field associated with Sandy, elevated water levels could span multiple tide cycles resulting in repeated and extended periods of coastal and Bayside flooding. In addition, elevated waters could occur far removed from the center of Sandy. Furthermore, these conditions will occur regardless of whether Sandy is a tropical or Post-tropical cyclone.



Rainfall...Rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches are expected over far northeastern North Carolina with isolated maximum totals of 8 inches possible. Rainfall amounts of 4 to 8 inches are expected over portions of the Mid-Atlantic States, including the Delmarva Peninsula, with isolated maximum amounts of 12 inches possible. Rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 5 inches are possible from the southern tier of New York state northeastward through New England.


Tropical Watches & Warnings

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for...
* Cape Fear to Duck North Carolina
* Pamlico and Albemarle sounds
* Bermuda

Northeastern U.S. – “Frankenstorm” to pummel the Northeast: Interests from Virginia to Massachusetts and as far inland as Ohio need to prepare for a high impact storm beginning Monday and lasting through Wednesday as Hurricane Sandy moves on shore somewhere along the Mid-Atlantic region and collides with a storm front from the west to bring high winds, heavy rains, extreme tides and maybe snow.

Widespread power outages that could affect millions in the Northeastern U.S. could be a possibility and these power outages may last through the first week in November. Anticipate a travel nightmare as flights, trains, and bus service may be impacted.

The Mid-Atlantic region could be hard hit with torrential rains triggering flooding as parts of Maryland and Delaware could receive over 12 inches of rain.

Flood Watches and Coastal Flood Warnings have been issued from coastal North Carolina up through the Mid-Atlantic States to Southern New England and inland for Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, southern New York.

High Wind Watches & Warnings have been issued for most of the Adirondacks for North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and for northern and coastal Virginia, all of Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, most of New Hampshire, and coastal Maine. Anticipate the great chances of power outages in the watch / warned areas.

A Winter Storm Watch has been issued for the mountains of eastern Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia as some locations may receive up to 1 to 2 feet of snow above 3000 feet.

U.S. – Post Topical Cyclone Sandy: A very large and dangerous Hurricane Sandy has made landfall along the southern N.J. coast early this evening and is no longer classified as a tropical cyclone. In addition to long periods of sustained tropical storm-force winds, the storm will continue to produce life-threatening historic surge levels along the coast. If you are in the storm’s path and are reading this advisory, count yourself lucky.

Some of the highlights:

 Weather authorities reported a storm surge of 12.4 feet in Kings Point, on Long Island's northwest coast about 10 miles from the New York City borough of Queens. A surge of 7.2 feet was seen in Manhattan's Battery district, with a 7.5 foot-high surge reported in Sandy Hook, New Jersey, according to the National Hurricane Center.

 More than 2.2 million customers are without power in 11 states and the District of Columbia, according to data from utility companies.


 Even though it has sustained winds of 85 mph, Sandy is no longer considered a hurricane, the National Hurricane Center reported in a 7 p.m. update. The Miami-based agency said it is reclassifying the storm because "Sandy has continued to lose tropical characteristics." Moving west-northwest at 28 mph, the storm is centered about 30 miles east-northeast of Cape May, New Jersey, and 20 miles south of Atlantic City, New Jersey.

 Water from the Atlantic Ocean has gone over the boardwalk and is now flooding the streets of Asbury Park, New Jersey. About 75 miles south in Atlantic City, Montgomery Dahm said there was flooding next to the convention center and up to the steps of his restaurant, Tun Tavern.

 As they were Monday, Amtrak trains in the Northeast Corridor won't be running again on Tuesday.

 About 7,700 flights were canceled around North American on Monday due to the storm, the flight-tracking service FlightStats.com reports. More than 2,800 flights - at least - have been called for Tuesday.

Threats, Damages and Warnings

Winds and Power Outages:

Tropical-storm-force winds extend 485 miles from Sandy`s center with hurricane-force-winds up to 175 miles from the circulation center. Wind gusts of 55 to 65 mph are now widespread from southeastern Virginia to southeastern New York.

Along the immediate coast from the Delmarva Peninsula to southern New England, including New York City, a few gusts of 80 to 85 mph are possible as Sandy makes landfall this evening.

Power outages will continue to climb. Already, more than a nearly 2.5 million outages have been reported. Millions (some estimates have been from 10 to 15 to 20 million) of customers will be affected from Wilmington, N.C., to Portland, Maine. High Wind Warnings and Wind Advisories are in place from Georgia into Maine, including the populated Interstate 95 corridor from Richmond, Va., to eastern Maine. These wind advisories and warnings extend as far west as the Chicago area.

Once the storm makes landfall, it will drift inland along the Mason-Dixon Line, before screeching to a halt across west-central Pennsylvania. This would prolong the high wind potential into Halloween with additional power outages building up from the Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast.

Rainfall and Flooding:

Flooding will continue to become even more widespread as bands of downpours spiral around Sandy and eventually the hybrid storm it will become after making landfall this evening. Flood Watches cover much of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast with Flood Warnings increasing in coverage across the Mid-Atlantic.

Already, 5 to 10 inches have soaked the Mid-Atlantic Coast with totals likely nearing a foot from southern Pennsylvania to southern Maryland and Delaware. Four to 8 inches will drench the Interior Mid-Atlantic from the Interstate 81 corridor to Interstate 79 in western Pennsylvania. Lesser amounts will be found in southern Virginia and north of the Pennsylvania and New York border.

Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, Hartford, Conn., Providence, R.I., Boston, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo, N.Y., Portland, Maine, and Burlington, Vt., are just some of the cities included in these flood-related watches.

The late-October timing of the storm will cause remaining leaves on the trees to quickly fall, jamming up storm drains in urban centers. The quick flowing run-off could overwhelm rural streams, rivers and creeks. The end result will be a growing urban and flash flooding threat for many from eastern Virginia to Maine through Wednesday.

Coastal Flooding, Surf:

The Mid-Atlantic and New England coast is already getting battered by severe waves which will continue through Tuesday, leading to significant beach erosion and significant surf later today into early Tuesday. The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Coast will likely see a dangerous storm surge of 6 to 12 feet this evening as Sandy pushes onshore, with water rises of 13 feet expected along the northwestern-facing coast of Long Island, as well as along Raritan Bay in northern New Jersey. Cities such as New York City, Atlantic City, N.J., and Ocean City, Md., are all at risk of a storm surge approaching 10 feet. .

Along the New England Coast, storm surge will generally range from 6 to 9 feet in places like Montauk, N.Y., Newport, R.I., and near New Bedford, Mass.

Add in a higher high tide due to the full moon, and rounds of major coastal flooding are likely from the Delmarva to southern New England, including the great New York City area. High tide in the region is in about 45 minutes

Not to be left out, wave heights in the open western Atlantic will reach between 35 and 45 feet, with a few cresting as high as 50 feet off the New England Coast and close to the Canadian Maritimes during the early to middle portion of next week. These enormous waves are extremely dangerous to mariners.

Snow Threat:

As cold air pushes southeast around Sandy`s circulation center and interacts with the colder northern Appalachian ridge, snow is starting to fly. As Sandy becomes a hybrid storm inland tonight and Tuesday, more cold air will bleed south around its periphery, being squeezed out as heavy, wet snow in the Alleghenies and Blue Ridge from the Maryland Panhandle all the way into the North Carolina mountains.

Blizzard Warnings continue for the Appalachian Spine between the western Maryland Panhandle and central and southern West Virginia as well parts of the southern Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge in Virginia. Snowfall accumulations above 3,000 feet will top out at 1-2 feet. Up to 6 inches could fall as low as 2,000 feet. Winter Storm Warnings and Winter Weather Advisories remain in place above 2,500 feet from the higher terrain in southern West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, northeastern Tennessee as well as western Virginia and North Carolina. Four to 8 inches will be common, with up to a foot not out of the question by Wednesday.

In addition, sustained winds will climb to 35-45 mph, with gusts up to 50 mph atop the highest ridges along the Appalachian Spine. This, combined with the weight of the heavy, wet snow will culminate in numerous power outages, as well as potentially collapsing roofs and creating near-impossible travel at times.

Some unprecedented reports now coming in regarding flooding and storm surge in NY and NJ:

3 feet of water is being reported on the floor of the NYSE. This has NEVER happened before. No idea when the NYSE will now re-open.

JFK airport underwater, flooding into the terminal buildings. No idea when JFK will re-open. All flights into/out of JFK, LGA and EWR cancelled through at least Tuesday night.

Flood water pouring into NYC subways. May be days before subways are running again.

Battery Park in lower Manhatten recorded 13.8 foot flood level, new record.

East River over the banks in parts of lower east side of Manhatten

Hudson river over it's banks in Hoboken, NJ, city completely underwater.

Portions of Asbury Park and Atlantic City underwater

Impacts from Sandy – 30 October, 2012, 10:00 am EDT

The massive storm that started out as Hurricane Sandy slammed into the East Coast and morphed into a huge and problematic system, putting more than 7.2 million homes and businesses in the dark and causing at least 16 deaths. Here's a snapshot of what is happening, state by state.

Carolinas
North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue expanded a state of emergency to western North Carolina, which could see a foot of snow.
Power outages: 6,600.

Connecticut
The Long Island Sound flooded roads as the storm toppled trees and power lines.
Power outages: More than 475,000.

Delaware
Nearly all residents of flood-prone coastal communities in Kent County heeded calls to evacuate. The Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach resort communities were flooded.
Power outages: More than 45,000.

Illinois
High wind warnings and a lakeshore flood warning are in effect Tuesday and Wednesday in Chicago. City officials said Lake Shore Drive is expected to remain open.

Kentucky
A winter storm warning is in effect for three southeastern counties until Wednesday. In some areas, winds could gust up to 50 mph through Tuesday.

Maine
Wind gusts topped 60 mph, shutting down the port of Portland and knocking out power to more than 87,000 homes and businesses.
The National Weather Service says rain and gusting winds will continue across Maine toady into tomorrow as the remnants of the storm make their way across the state.
A flood warning has been issued for the Swift River in the western Maine town of Roxbury.

Maryland
Floodwaters swamped touristy Ocean City. In western Maryland, snow tied up traffic. Maryland officials are predicting that Sandy would cause damage equal to or greater than two of the worst tropical storms in the region's history: Gloria in 1985 and Agnes in 1972.
Power outages: 290,000.

Massachusetts
Strong winds and heavy surf led to mandatory evacuations in sections of coastal Dartmouth and Fall River and voluntary evacuations in other coastal communities.
Power outages: Nearly 300,000.

Michigan
High winds knocked out power to at least 60,000 homes and businesses.

New Hampshire
Power outages: 149,000.

New Jersey
The center of the storm came ashore Monday evening near Atlantic City, which was cut off from the mainland by the storm surge along with other barrier islands, stranding residents who ignored warnings to evacuate. At least three deaths were reported.
Power outages: 2.3 million.

New York
A record storm surge that was higher than predicted along with high winds damaged the electrical system and plunged millions of people into darkness. Utilities say it could be up to a week before power is fully restored.
A fire was burning 80 houses in one flooded section of Queens.
Power outages: 1.7 million.

Ohio
Wind gusts of up to 60 mph could hit some counties on Tuesday and rain could change over to a snowy mix. Utilities expect the wind to continue blowing down trees and poles.
Power outages: More than 215,000.

Pennsylvania
Wind and flooding closing more than 200 bridges and roads.
Power outages: 1.2 million.

Rhode Island
Howling winds and storm surges forced mandatory and voluntary evacuations in low-lying and coastal communities. Officials say Providence's hurricane barrier performed well as high tides added to problems created by the pounding by Superstorm Sandy.
Power outages: 116,000.

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

Vermont
Winds knocked down trees and power lines, and localized flooding is possible Tuesday.
Power outages: More than 8,500.

Virginia
Utilities brought in crews to help restore power after high winds and snow. A curfew was ordered Monday on Chincoteague Island. Power outages: More than 131,000.

Washington, D.C.
Federal and local governments will remain closed Tuesday along with the courts, public schools and the Metro system that serves 1.2 million weekday customers.
Widespread cancellations are expected at the region's three major airports.
Power outages: 25,000.

West Virginia
Some areas are buried under more than a foot of snow.
Power outages: More than 200,000.

Wisconsin
A village along Lake Michigan suggested residents evacuate Tuesday morning because of the possibility of dangerously high waves and flooding.

Impacts from Sandy – 31 October, 2012, 7:45 am EDT

Good Morning – The Northeast is well on its way to recovery as Sandy is winding down, a quick look at storm warnings this morning -- the mountains of West Virginia the Blizzard Warnings have been replaced by Winter Storm Warnings through this afternoon and Flood Warning continue for parts of New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, D.C., Pennsylvania, and Maine for minor river flooding.

A running CNN tally reflects a steady restoration of power to affected areas, but early Wednesday, nearly 6.3 million customers were still without power in 15 states and Washington.

Here's a look at how Sandy has affected the United States and Canada.

Worldwide

Airlines around the world have cancelled flights to and from the northeast United States because of the growing threat from deadly Hurricane Sandy. Airlines are waiving change fees for air tickets. Contact your airline and check your flight status before travelling to the airport. Expect travel delays possibly until Friday, as airlines cope with backlog of travelers

Connecticut

496,000 customers were without power, according to utilities.

Delaware

Power is still out for 8,600 customers, authorities said. Delmarva Power said it plans to have power restored by Friday at 6 p.m.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Power has nearly been completely restored. 1,730 customers were without power according to CNN's latest tally.

Metro transportation bus and rail service is expected to be back to normal for Wednesday morning's commute.

Maine

The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for much of the state Wednesday morning, as heavy rainfall is expected to move through, as Sandy heads towards Canada.

More than 80% of power outages have been remedied, according to Central Power Maine. About 16,500 customers were still without electricity, according to a CNN tally.

Maryland

Utilities said 182,000 customers were without power.

Massachusetts

Utilities said 111,000 customers were without power.

New Hampshire

A flood warning is in effect for the Saco River until Wednesday afternoon.

New Hampshire's power suppliers reported 83,000 customers without electricity.

New Jersey

It will take weeks for rail service to resume on the coastline, according to the New Jersey Transit Rail. Downed trees covered the tracks in many areas, ripping down power lines with them, while other sections of track are washed out.

Service on the Northeast Corridor Line also remains suspended.

Amtrak service is to resume Wednesday between Newark and points south, between Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia, and between Boston and Portland, Maine.

PATH train service -- which typically ferries 245,000 people under the Hudson River to New York City each weekday -- will take six to nine days to restore, Christie said. New Jersey Transit train, bus and light rail service remain suspended, he said.

Newark Liberty International will open Wednesday, but Teterboro airport remains closed.

The state was hit the hardest by power outages, and over 2 million customers remain without electricity, according to CNN's tally.

New York

Amtrak said flooding into its tunnels under the Hudson and East Rivers made it impossible to predict when service would be restored to Penn Station.

Bloomberg said more than 80 houses were lost in a fire in the Breezy Point section of Queens.

John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport are to reopen Wednesday at 7 a.m. with limited service, Port Authority said. LaGuardia and Teterboro airports remained closed.

About 1.9 million are still without power, suppliers said.

Buses service will run on regular routes Wednesday, MTA announced, though there may be detours and "substantial waits." But subway tunnels remain flooded with no estimated time for repair.

A crane atop a luxury Manhattan skyscraper under construction is dangling over West 57th Street.

New York Stock Exchange will re-p[en this morning.

North Carolina

Power has been virtually completely restored.


The state of emergency for 24 counties in the western part of the state remains in effect because of snow

Ohio

Suppliers said 152,000 homes and businesses were without power.

Pennsylvania

Utilities said 903,000 homes and businesses were without power

Rhode Island

The union's smallest state, with slightly more than 1 million residents, reported 66,000 customers without electricity.

The state has closed most of its emergency shelters.

Virginia

The number of customers without power stood at 60,000.

The state has seen heavy snowfall….is there skiing in VA?

West Virginia

West Virginia is still seeing feet of snowfall from Sandy, and a winter storm warning is still in effect there, with more snow expected in the Appalachian Mountains. The good news is that a number of ski resorts are opening today, one of the earliest starts on record beating out all but two ski resorts here in Colorado.

Utilities said 236,000 customers had lost power.

Ontario

Superstorm Sandy is adrift to the north towards Canada, sending gale force gusts across the Great Lakes.

Power has been restored to 113,000, with 37,000 still without electricity, the provincial energy minister said.

Sandy's effects will be felt for a few days in Ontario, according to its government website. Rains have caused minor flooding and road closures.