Hurricane Sandy is a late-season tropical cyclone affecting Jamaica, Cuba, The Bahamas, Haiti and Florida, and threatening the East Coast of the United States and Eastern Canada. The eighteenth tropical cyclone, eighteenth named storm, and tenth hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Sandy developed from an elongated tropical wave in the western Caribbean Sea on October 22. It quickly strengthened after becoming a tropical depression and was upgraded to a tropical storm six hours later. Sandy moved slowly northward toward the Greater Antilles and gradually strengthened. On October 24, Sandy was upgraded to a hurricane, shortly before making landfall in Jamaica. Upon moving further north, Sandy re-entered water and made its second landfall in Cuba during the early morning hours on the next day, October 25, as a Category 2 hurricane. At least 41 people were killed: 40 in the Caribbean and 1 in the Bahamas. During the late evening of October 25, Sandy weakened to Category 1 strength and headed north through the Bahamas in the early hours of October 26.
Frankenstorm
A tropical wave was moving westward through the eastern Caribbean Sea on October 19. It had an extended low pressure area, and conditions were expected to gradually become more favorable for development. On October 20, the system became better organized, and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) assessed a high potential for it to become a tropical cyclone within 48 hours. By the next day, the associated convection, or thunderstorms, had become minimal, although barometric pressure in the area remained low, which favored development. The thunderstorms gradually increased, while the system slowed and became nearly stationary over the western Caribbean. At 1500 UTC on October 22, the NHC initiated advisories on Tropical Depression Eighteen about 320 mi (515 km) south of Kingston, Jamaica. This was based on surface observations and satellite imagery, which indicated the system had developed enough organized convection to be classified.
When the tropical depression formed, it was in an area of weak steering currents, located south of a ridge extending eastward from the Gulf of Mexico. The system was in an area conducive for strengthening; this included low wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures, and there was a possibility for rapid deepening. Late on October 22, a Hurricane Hunters flight observed winds of 40 mph (64 km/h) in a rainband, which prompted NHC to upgrade the depression to Tropical Storm Sandy. Outflow increased, while the convection organized further due to moist atmosphere. Due to the favorable conditions, NHC noted: "remaining nearly stationary over the warm waters of southwestern Caribbean Sea is never a good sign for this time of year." Despite the potential for significant intensification, the cloud pattern initially remained largely the same. Early on October 24, an eye began developing. By that time, Sandy was moving steadily northward, due to an approaching trough to its northwest. At 11:00 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) on October 24, the NHC upgraded Sandy to hurricane status after the Hurricane Hunters observed flight-level winds of 99 mph (159 km/h). At the time, Sandy was located about 65 mi (105 km) south of Kingston, Jamaica.
At about 3:00 p.m. EDT (1900 UTC) on October 24, Sandy made landfall near Kingston with winds of about 80 mph (130 km/h). Just offshore Cuba, Sandy rapidly intensified into a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale with 110 mph (175 km/h) winds. Shortly thereafter at 1:25 a.m. EDT (0525 UTC), the hurricane struck Cuba just west of Santiago de Cuba. At landfall, Sandy had a well-defined eye of over 23 mi (37 km) in diameter, and flight-level winds reached 135 mph (216 km/h). While over land, the structure deteriorated and the eye was no longer visible. After Sandy exited Cuba, dry air and increasing shear restricted the outflow and caused the structure to become disorganized. A mid-level low over Florida turned the hurricane toward the north-northwest. By early on October 26, most of the convection was sheared to the north of the center, and the size of the storm increased greatly.
Numerous schools on the Treasure Coast and in Palm Beach County, Florida announced closures for Friday October 26, in anticipation of Sandy.
Through regional offices in Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York City and Boston, FEMA will continuously monitor Sandy and will remain in close coordination with state and tribal emergency management partners in Florida and the potentially affected Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and New England states.
Much of the U.S. East Coast in the Mid-Atlantic and New England states have a good chance of receiving gale-force winds, flooding, heavy rain and maybe even snow early next week by an unusual hybrid of Hurricane Sandy and a winter storm. Government weather forecasters said there is a 90% chance, (the chance having increased from 60% on October 24), that the east coast will get "slammed". Utilities and governments along the East Coast are attempting to head off long-term power failures as a result of Sandy. Power companies from the Southeast to New England are alerting independent contractors to be ready to assist to fix storm damaged equipment quickly and are asking employees to cancel vacations and work longer hours. Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. is putting workers on standby and making plans to bring in crews from other states. In New Jersey, where the storm is expected to come ashore, Jersey Central Power & Light has told employees to be prepared for extended shifts.
On October 26, North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue declared a state of emergency for 38 counties in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy, taking effect October 27.
On October 26, Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray declared a state of emergency for the nation's capital. He said agencies will work throughout the weekend to prepare the city for Sandy. That same day the governors of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia also declared a state of emergency in preparation of the approaching storm. Spokespeople for public school districts in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area asked people to check their Web sites periodically over the weekend, but agreed if Sandy stays on its forecast track schools are not likely to be open on Monday. In addition to utilities and municipalities making preparations, the area's three major commuter systems planned to continue operations until conditions dictated otherwise but were likely to cancel some service on Monday if the Office of Personnel Management announces a federal government closure.
In Cape May County, New Jersey, officials advised residents on barrier islands to evacuate on October 26, which will become a mandatory evacuation on October 28. There was also a voluntary evacuation for Mantoloking in Ocean County.
Philadelphia's Mayor Michael Nutter asked residents in low lying areas and neighborhoods prone to flooding to leave their home by 2 p.m. October 28 and move to safer ground.
In New York City, officials activated the city’s coastal emergency plan, with subway closings and the evacuation of residents in areas hit during Hurricane Irene in August 2011. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said that some residents should prepare to evacuate. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for every county in the state. Cuomo was also asking for a pre-disaster declaration to get better access to federal assistance.
In Massachusetts, the state's emergency management agency has started issuing situational awareness news releases as some computer models show that Sandy could "potentially transition over the weekend into a powerful nor'easter." The five-day forecast from the National Hurricane Center predicts the center of the storm will travel along the east coast of the United States over the weekend. Governor Deval Patrick gave utilities until Friday to submit plans for the storm.
On October 26, Maine's Governor Paul LePage signed a limited emergency declaration, that allows power crews from other states and/or Canada to help Maine prepare for Hurricane Sandy. The declaration will help Maine power providers pre-place their crews by extending the hours their crews can drive.
