I wasn’t going to let Sandy ruin my plans in New York City this weekend – so here I am!
Took a nice drive on the Merritt Parkway to get down here. It seemed like more people were actually trying to get INTO the city, rather than trying to escape as Sandy continues along the coast.
Hurricane Sandy is forecasted to make landfall anywhere from New Jersey to Delmarva on Monday. Here in New York City, coastal flood warnings have been issued along with high wind watches. Places along the coast will be impacted the most not only because of the wind and rain, but storm surge as well.
There will be a full moon on Monday. During a full moon, the water level during high tide is higher than normal. Combine a lunar high tide with a hurricane, and that means places like New York City, Long Island, the Jersey shore, and the Delmarva Peninsula could see seas rise 4-8 feet higher than normal. The National Weather Service predicts up to 20 foot waves south of Long Island, that’s why a mandatory evacuation was ordered for Fire Island. So far, that is the only place in the greater New York area that has been ordered to evacuate.
New York City’s mayor, Michael Bloomberg, held a news conference earlier, letting the public know they have made preparations for Sandy’s arrival. One thing that caught my attention – he asked all surfers to stay out of the water. Obviously, the surfers will want to take advantage of the high waves, but even the most experienced surfer could put themselves in danger with this storm.
Here in New York, they can expect 2-4″ of rain along with sustained winds of 40-50 MPH with gusts up to 70 MPH!
I’ll be making the trip back to the Pioneer Valley tomorrow! See you Monday morning!
-Meteorologist Ashley Baylor
