Hurricane Sandy, Frankenstorm, skirts along US coast, leave 41 dead in Caribbean
The late season Hurricane Sandy appears to be one of the worst storms to hit northeast US in decades.
Sandy is cruising northward on Friday leaving 41 reported dead in the Caribbean and widespread damage, extended power outages and flooding.
Hurricane Sandy NOAA satellite photo
“We’re expecting a large, large storm. The circulation of this storm as it approaches the coast could cover about the eastern third of the United States,” said Louis Uccellini, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Centers for Environmental Prediction.
As of Friday morning, federal forecasters were looking closer at the Delaware shore as the spot it will turn inland and merge with a wintry storm front. But there is a lot of room for error in the forecast and the storm could turn into shore closer to New York and New Jersey and bring the worst weather there.
Forecasters predict wind damage, widespread and extended power outages and coastal and inland flooding were anticipated across a broad swath of the densely populated U.S. East Coast when Sandy comes ashore.
This late season storm has garnered the nickname “Frankenstorm” by some weather watchers because it will combine elements of a tropical cyclone and a winter storm – of course, also timing its appearance around Halloween.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Thursday said the city was striking a tone of calm preparedness.
“What we are doing is we are taking the kind of precautions you should expect us to do, and I don’t think anyone should panic,” Bloomberg said. The city has opened an emergency situation room and activated its coastal storm plan.
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