Hurricane Sandy has been moving northward through the northwestern Bahamas today with winds in excess of 120 km/h, the Canadian Hurricane Centre’s latest update states.
During the weekend Sandy is forecast to continue to track north or northeastward while remaining at or near hurricane strength. Sandy will gradually lose some of its tropical characteristics during the next few days.
On Monday Sandy is expected to take a turn to the northwest toward the United States east coast.
Current indications are that Sandy will move inland on the United States east coast on Tuesday as a very large and powerful storm.
The centre notes there are various factors influencing the evolution of the storm. As a result there is still a relatively high degree of uncertainty in the impacts of the storm.
Based on the current forecast scenario, southern and eastern Ontario are likely to see the most rainfall from this system.
These areas will likely also be subject to strong and gusty winds as will southern Quebec and the maritimes.
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(Earlier story)
According to the Canadian Hurricane Centre of Environment Canada this morning, hurricane Sandy will be moving through the Bahamas today with winds in excess of 120 km/h.
Sandy will quite likely impact parts of eastern Canada early next week.
During the weekend Sandy is forecast to track northward while remaining at or near hurricane strength.
Sandy will begin to lose some of its tropical characteristics during the next two days, it will however, remain a large and powerful cyclone as it shifts toward the east coast of the United States.
The centre notes the track and intensity will depend on many changing factors over a period of several days.
The Associated Press story:
‘Frankenstorm’ threatens US East Coast with flooding, high winds; damage could reach $1B
By Seth Borenstein
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — The weather monster that U.S. forecasters call “Frankenstorm” was looking more ominous by the hour for the East Coast on Friday.
Meteorologists expect a natural horror show of high wind, heavy rain, extreme tides and maybe snow beginning early Sunday, peaking with the arrival of Hurricane Sandy on Tuesday.
“It’s looking like a very serious storm that could be historic,” said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the forecasting service Weather Underground.
With a rare mix of three big merging weather systems over a densely populated region, experts predict at least $1 billion in damage.
Hurricane Sandy, having blown through Haiti and Cuba and leaving more than 20 dead, continues to barrel north. A wintry storm is moving across the U.S. from the west. And frigid air is streaming south from Canada.
If they meet Tuesday morning around New York or New Jersey, as forecasters predict, they could create a big, wet mess that settles over the nation’s most heavily populated corridor and reaches as far west as Ohio.
Government forecasters said there is a 90 per cent chance — up from 60 per cent two days earlier — that the East Coast will get pounded.
“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,” New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday.
Some have compared the tempest to the so-called Perfect Storm that struck off the coast of New England in 1991, but that one hit a less populated area.
“The Perfect Storm only did $200 million of damage and I’m thinking a billion” this time, Masters said. “Yeah, it will be worse.”
