Frankenstorm

Much is being said about what could happen once "Sandy" makes its arrival along the East Coast early next week.  It could mix in with a few other features in the atmosphere that could end up causing a big mess. This "Mess of a Storm" if you will, has been dubbed "Frankenstorm", because it could strike near Halloween.

So for you with friends and family along the East Coast, here is what we know.

• At present, "Sandy" looks very weak on satellite imagery with clear skies,as well as dry air filtering on the Eastern side of the storm.

• It should weaken and remain as a tropical storm for at least 36-48 hours while it stays a few hundred miles or so away from the US.

• But, there is plenty of warm water due to the Gulf Stream current, and this could allow it intensify back to a hurricane.

Meanwhile, across Canada, there is an area of low pressure that is pushing along a cold front to the Southeast. Both of these systems are expected to clash somewhere along the Atlantic coast near Halloween.

Key things we should look at is how strong or weak Sandy will be when it gets there. Regardless, this is what the models indicate:

• Rain: Anywhere between 5-10 inches. Some of this rain could even turn to snow.

• Flooding: Good possibility along rivers, the coast, and low lying communities.

• Wind: Depends on Sandy... but maybe even Hurricane Force Winds can't be ruled out.

Sandy has already caused devastation throughout its journey in the Caribbean and the Bahamas. I'm hoping it will only be a scare more than anything else as it approaches the East Coast down the road.

Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy will make its closest approach to South Florida on Friday when it will be around 200 miles to our east. It should mainly impact the Bahamas directly starting as early as Thursday morning.

This is a huge system and its wind field will continue to grow, that is why we will feel tropical storm force winds over South Florida through Friday at least.  Pockets of heavy rain will move in and out until Saturday.  The main impacts will be at the beach with choppy seas, strong winds, beach erosion, some street flooding and the threat of rip currents. Boating is not advised until Sunday.

The forecast cone calls for Sandy to weaken as it travels north over the Western Atlantic but by early next week it could nudge back to New England as a depression impacting them with rain, rough seas, and breezy conditions.

This is from NHC:

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT...

A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* CUBAN PROVINCES OF CAMAGUEY...LAS TUNAS...GRANMA...SANTIAGO DE
CUBA...HOLGUIN...AND GUANTANAMO
* THE RAGGED ISLANDS IN THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS
* THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS
* THE NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* HAITI
* FLORIDA EAST COAST FROM OCEAN REEF TO FLAGLER BEACH
* LAKE OKEECHOBEE
* THE REMAINDER OF THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* FLORIDA EAST COAST FROM NORTH OF FLAGLER BEACH TO FERNANDINA BEACH
* FLORIDA UPPER KEYS FROM OCEAN REEF TO CRAIG KEY
* FLORIDA BAY

T.S. Sandy

Tropical Storm Sandy is spinning in the Caribbean Sea and aiming for Jamaica. A hurricane warning is in effect for Jamaica and Eastern Cuba.  The long range models are all in agreement that Sandy will move North eventually impacting the Bahamas before turning NE and drifting toward Bermuda.

As Sandy moves over the Bahamas, we will see an increase in cloud cover, the winds will pick up, and we could received 1-2" of rain from Thursday through Saturday. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Coastal Waters from Palm Beach South through Broward and Miami-Dade, including Biscayne Bay, for increasing winds and choppy to rough seas. Boating is NOT advised.

Right now our thoughts are with our friends in Jamaica and Cuba as they ready for the possibility of Category 1 system rolling over them.

Names for Winter Storms?

As we all know, for many decades, NOAA has been naming tropical systems. Who can forget Andrew, Katrina, or Wilma to name just a few. Well, now a national network has decided to do their own naming, not of hurricanes... but winter storms!  What you say?  Yes, The Weather Channel will start naming winter storms for the 2012-2013 winter season.

 

The say the reason for this is to raise awareness on the possible impacts of a winter system and this works better with a "named storm" since it is easier to talk about and remember.

 

Their procedure will be as follows:

• They will name it no more than three days before impact.
• They will include the potential for snowfall, ice, wind and temperature.

 

My only question is, since these names are not offered by an official government agency, no other broadcast organization will use them, so there is not one unified voice. This will defeat the purpose of  having a name to simplify the watches and warnings process. While the Weather Channel my use a name, CNN won't, nor will MSN or CBS or etc...

 

What do you think, good or bad idea?

 

 

Here is a list of the winter storm named for 2012:

 

Athena
Brutus
Caesar
Draco
Euclid
Freyr
Gandolf
Helen
Iago
Jove
Khan
Luna
Magnus
Nemo
Orko
Plato
Q
Rocky
Saturn
Triton
Ukko
Virgil
Walda
Xerxes
Yogi
Zeus