BREAKING: Hurricane Sandy Heading For New England

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Wednesday, October 24, 2012

John Ghiorse, GoLocalWorcester Meterologist

Hurricane Sandy over Cuba: some think this potentially "Perfect Storm" could hit New England early next week. Photo: NOAA.

It’s been well over a year since the leftovers of Hurricane Irene slammed into our area causing general havoc including massive power outages. That was August 28, 2011. Since then there has been little to get worked up over weather-wise, a couple of so-so snowstorms last winter, a few severe thunderstorms and small tornadoes here and there but thankfully no major, widespread weather disasters. In fact, during the past year or so, we have been living in relative “weather heaven” with an unusual amount of sunny, warm days during each of our past four seasons.

Hurricane Sandy: Another "Perfect Storm"?

Now, because of the projections of a few of the many weather prediction mathematical models, there is rampant speculation that New England is about to be hit by a major storm perhaps of the “Perfect Storm” ilk that struck around Halloween in 1991. Right now Hurricane Sandy, a Category 1 hurricane, is a long way away, located south of Jamaica in the Caribbean about 1700 miles to our south. During the next couple of days, it will move over Cuba and into the Bahamas, threatening parts of southern and eastern Florida with hurricane force winds. After that, it is expected to continue to move northward … and this is where it gets sticky. Some data indicates it will move more eastward, away from the U.S. mainland but other just as reliable data is forecasting the storm to gradually lose its tropical characteristics and morph into a massive storm that will turn up the east coast, the center of which could move directly over Southern New England. If that happens, and it is a BIG IF, it would be here early next week. Since the storm would be so large it could well extend over several days, say from Monday through Wednesday. With so much uncertainty in the future track of the storm, it is impossible at this time to fill in any of the details such as how much wind, how much rain, how much, if any, flooding, etc.

The bottom line is that we still have plenty of time to watch, prepare and calculate but, at least, the potential is there. I will have more on this over the next few days, keeping you up to date on the latest developments and forecasts.