From AccuWeather.
You probably already heard this. But if you’re all digital, all the time, you tend to focus on business, digital, startup or other info silos. And miss important stuff.
So you should know AccuWeather is issuing warning that Hurricane Sandy is shaping up to be – and we swore we’d avoid using this cliche, unlike all the other media outlets – “the perfect storm.”
Especially if you’re running for office.
But let’s start with a brief but strongly worded warning from AccuWeather for anyone traveling east from Louisville.
The College Station, Pa.-based weather company is predicting a very destructive storm for the East Coast.
From the AccuWeather Storm Notice:
This will then be a catastrophic storm for the Middle Atlantic and Northeast. It will not be a purely tropical system, with a core of powerful winds near the center, but rather more like a Nor’Easter, with strong winds over a larger area. Damaging winds will affect areas from Virginia up into New York and New England, leading to widespread power outages and property damage. A storm surge of 5-10 feet, perhaps higher in spots, near and north of where the center comes in will combine with astronomical high tied to lead to devastating coastal flooding, and heavy rain will lead to flooding over a large area around the storm. Heavy wet snow can be problem for the West Virginia mountains.
Accuweather Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski is going even further, terming Sandy an ”extremely rare and dangerous storm ” with the potential to affect 60 million people and cause billions in damage. The peak of the storm is projected to be Monday into Tuesday.
Read his complete “Worst Possible Scenario” forecast here, which includes the possibility of extreme coastal flooding in eastern mega-cities such as New York and Philadelphia.
If that weren’t enough, the damage from the storm could change the upcoming national elections, writes WaPo blogger Rachel Weiner because bad weather boosts the Republicans, with voters punishing the incumbents! But Weiner also points out that if President Obama handles the crisis well, it might give him a bump. If he flubs it, though, it could cost him the election.
For pure scare factor, this from a Post overview story, “Experts sound alarm on Hurricane Sandy,” includes a truly sobering assessment of what the storm could inflict.
Jeez, who needs Halloween?
Reasons to be concerned:
1) Longevity
Jim Cisco, NOAA’s Hydrometeorological Prediction Center:“It’s almost a weeklong, five-day, six-day event. It’s going to be a widespread serious storm.” (via the Associated Press)
National Weather Service (NWS), Philadelphia: “The storm will be slow moving. This worsens the impact for coastal flooding as it will affect multiple high tide cycles.”
2) Lack of precedent
Brad Panovich, broadcast meteorologist, Charlotte: “It’s very rare to see a strong tropical system merge with such a strong winter like trough of low pressure. Throw in a full moon and the potential is there for a significant storm. This system is 1 part Hurricane, 1 part Nor’easter and 1 part Blizzard potentially. Impacts of all 3 types of storms are possible depending on location.
“For those on the coast don’t let the Category of the storm or whether it’s “just” a Nor’easter dictate your response. Your personal memories of previous storms are no use in this unique situation.”
Jim Cisco, NOAA’s Hydrometeorological Prediction Center: “We don’t have many modern precedents for what the models are suggesting.” (via the Associated Press)
3) Potential for record flooding
NWS Philadelphia: “If the center of the storm makes landfall along the New Jersey or Delaware coast, record coastal flooding is possible [for DE and NJ beaches].”
4) Expanding area of strong winds
James Franklin, National Hurricane Center: “[Sandy] will get broader [when it makes landfall]. It won’t be as intense, but its effects will be spread over a very large area.” (via the Associated Press)
Dave Tolleris, Wxrisk.com: “In [the mid-Atlantic] winds could reach up to 75 miles per hour in gusts during the height of the storm which will be fairly prolonged.”
5) Inland snow potential
NOAA’s Hydrometeorological Prediction Center: “HEAVY SNOWS POSSIBLE ON THE SOUTHWEST EDGE WHERE THE ONTINENTAL POLAR AIR RUSHES ACROSS THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY AND CENTRAL APPALACHIANS AND ADJACENT LOWLANDS TO THE EAST”
Dave Tolleris, WxRisk.com: “The snowstorm potential here remains high especially in the elevation above 800 or 1000 feet. It is still too early to know which portion of the interior Middle Atlantic mountain areas are going to see the heavy snow but somebody is gonna get really crushed with an early season snowfall.”
6) Potentially worse than 1991 Perfect Storm, which struck 21 years ago
Background on Perfect Storm, Will Komaromi, researcher University of Miami: “Something similar [to Sandy] happened in late October through early November 1991. It was known as “the Perfect Storm”, resulting in 13 fatalities and caused > $200 million in damages to the northeastern U.S. and fishing and shipping interests. In the Perfect Storm, northward-moving Hurricane Grace phased with a mid-latitude trough, similar to the one over the Central U.S. today. . . .
“The Perfect Storm deepened to 972 mb…”
Why Sandy could be more powerful, Will Komaromi: “Most of the models now indicate even stronger jet dynamics will occur next week than occurred during for the Perfect Storm, and that today’s storm could potentially deepen to well below 960 mb or even below 950 mb. The fact that the Gulf Stream is anomalously warm for this time of year means that Sandy will weaken less as a tropical system…”
Sandy will be worse, Jeff Masters: “The Perfect Storm only did $200 million of damage, and I’m thinking a billion.Yeah, it will be worse.”(via the Associated Press)
7) Some good advice
National Weather Service, Philadelphia: “Leaves! There a lot of leaves on the ground. Leaves are excellent material to clog/block storm drains, worsening local/neighborhood flooding. Get leaves and any other obstructing materials away from storm drains before this storm arrives.”
Hurricane Sandy shaping up to leave behind severe damage, political turmoil in its wake
From AccuWeather.
You probably already heard this. But if you’re all digital, all the time, you tend to focus on business, digital, startup or other info silos. And miss important stuff.
So you should know AccuWeather is issuing warning that Hurricane Sandy is shaping up to be – and we swore we’d avoid using this cliche, unlike all the other media outlets – “the perfect storm.”
Especially if you’re running for office.
But let’s start with a brief but strongly worded warning from AccuWeather for anyone traveling east from Louisville.
The College Station, Pa.-based weather company is predicting a very destructive storm for the East Coast.
From the AccuWeather Storm Notice:
This will then be a catastrophic storm for the Middle Atlantic and Northeast. It will not be a purely tropical system, with a core of powerful winds near the center, but rather more like a Nor’Easter, with strong winds over a larger area. Damaging winds will affect areas from Virginia up into New York and New England, leading to widespread power outages and property damage. A storm surge of 5-10 feet, perhaps higher in spots, near and north of where the center comes in will combine with astronomical high tied to lead to devastating coastal flooding, and heavy rain will lead to flooding over a large area around the storm. Heavy wet snow can be problem for the West Virginia mountains.
Accuweather Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski is going even further, terming Sandy an ”extremely rare and dangerous storm ” with the potential to affect 60 million people and cause billions in damage. The peak of the storm is projected to be Monday into Tuesday.
Read his complete “Worst Possible Scenario” forecast here, which includes the possibility of extreme coastal flooding in eastern mega-cities such as New York and Philadelphia.
If that weren’t enough, the damage from the storm could change the upcoming national elections, writes WaPo blogger Rachel Weiner because bad weather boosts the Republicans, with voters punishing the incumbents! But Weiner also points out that if President Obama handles the crisis well, it might give him a bump. If he flubs it, though, it could cost him the election.
For pure scare factor, this from a Post overview story, “Experts sound alarm on Hurricane Sandy,” includes a truly sobering assessment of what the storm could inflict.
Jeez, who needs Halloween?
Reasons to be concerned:
1) Longevity
Jim Cisco, NOAA’s Hydrometeorological Prediction Center:“It’s almost a weeklong, five-day, six-day event. It’s going to be a widespread serious storm.” (via the Associated Press)
National Weather Service (NWS), Philadelphia: “The storm will be slow moving. This worsens the impact for coastal flooding as it will affect multiple high tide cycles.”
2) Lack of precedent
Brad Panovich, broadcast meteorologist, Charlotte: “It’s very rare to see a strong tropical system merge with such a strong winter like trough of low pressure. Throw in a full moon and the potential is there for a significant storm. This system is 1 part Hurricane, 1 part Nor’easter and 1 part Blizzard potentially. Impacts of all 3 types of storms are possible depending on location.
“For those on the coast don’t let the Category of the storm or whether it’s “just” a Nor’easter dictate your response. Your personal memories of previous storms are no use in this unique situation.”
Jim Cisco, NOAA’s Hydrometeorological Prediction Center: “We don’t have many modern precedents for what the models are suggesting.” (via the Associated Press)
3) Potential for record flooding
NWS Philadelphia: “If the center of the storm makes landfall along the New Jersey or Delaware coast, record coastal flooding is possible [for DE and NJ beaches].”
4) Expanding area of strong winds
James Franklin, National Hurricane Center: “[Sandy] will get broader [when it makes landfall]. It won’t be as intense, but its effects will be spread over a very large area.” (via the Associated Press)
Dave Tolleris, Wxrisk.com: “In [the mid-Atlantic] winds could reach up to 75 miles per hour in gusts during the height of the storm which will be fairly prolonged.”
5) Inland snow potential
NOAA’s Hydrometeorological Prediction Center: “HEAVY SNOWS POSSIBLE ON THE SOUTHWEST EDGE WHERE THE ONTINENTAL POLAR AIR RUSHES ACROSS THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY AND CENTRAL APPALACHIANS AND ADJACENT LOWLANDS TO THE EAST”
Dave Tolleris, WxRisk.com: “The snowstorm potential here remains high especially in the elevation above 800 or 1000 feet. It is still too early to know which portion of the interior Middle Atlantic mountain areas are going to see the heavy snow but somebody is gonna get really crushed with an early season snowfall.”
6) Potentially worse than 1991 Perfect Storm, which struck 21 years ago
Background on Perfect Storm, Will Komaromi, researcher University of Miami: “Something similar [to Sandy] happened in late October through early November 1991. It was known as “the Perfect Storm”, resulting in 13 fatalities and caused > $200 million in damages to the northeastern U.S. and fishing and shipping interests. In the Perfect Storm, northward-moving Hurricane Grace phased with a mid-latitude trough, similar to the one over the Central U.S. today. . . .
“The Perfect Storm deepened to 972 mb…”
Why Sandy could be more powerful, Will Komaromi: “Most of the models now indicate even stronger jet dynamics will occur next week than occurred during for the Perfect Storm, and that today’s storm could potentially deepen to well below 960 mb or even below 950 mb. The fact that the Gulf Stream is anomalously warm for this time of year means that Sandy will weaken less as a tropical system…”
Sandy will be worse, Jeff Masters: “The Perfect Storm only did $200 million of damage, and I’m thinking a billion.Yeah, it will be worse.”(via the Associated Press)
7) Some good advice
National Weather Service, Philadelphia: “Leaves! There a lot of leaves on the ground. Leaves are excellent material to clog/block storm drains, worsening local/neighborhood flooding. Get leaves and any other obstructing materials away from storm drains before this storm arrives.”