Sandy A Hurricane (Again)

Sandy was downgraded to a tropical storm earlier this morning, but an Air Force plane has once again found hurricane force winds and it has been upgraded back to hurricane. These small distinctions don’t matter, as it is a function of just a few mph in an observation from a small part of a big storm.

Big is the important word. The tropical storm force winds of Sandy cover a 600 mile wide area this morning and they are going to expand. By late tomorrow night, they will be over 700 miles across!! That will be large enought o bring tropical storm force winds to an area from Boston to Wilmington, NC!

You will watch the storm’s barometric pressure drop over the next 24 hours as well as the system derives energy from the gulfstream and the warm/cold airmasses around it to intensify.

Sandy will not bring major devastation to one area of the coast like a major hurricane, but will bring widespread moderate damage to a huge area (like a derecho). A derecho with flooding (coastal and inland). Power outages will be widespread (on the order of millions, for days). Transportation will be disrupted.

Brian will have the video in a few minutes. Grab a cup of coffee and kick back to watch it.

Category: Tropical