Hurricane Sandy death toll reaches 178

Hurricane Sandy : phtoto NASA | Lastest update

2012 Hurricane & Cyclone Season

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Hurricane Sandy: Catastophy in Northeast U.S.A.. 

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 3 November, 2012 : - -  An extraordinary combination of ingredients came together to make Hurricane Sandy an extreme cyclone of unusual track, size, structure and power, unfortunately with severe and widespread impacts as a result.

The death toll in the USA from Superstorm Sandy rose to 109 victims on Friday, as additional deaths were reported. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned: "There could be more fatalities."

Deaths so far confirmed are:

•New York City 41
•New Jersey: 22
•Pennsylvania: 12
•Maryland: 11
•Rest of New York state: 8
•West Virginia: 6
•Connecticut: 4
•Virginia: 2
•North Carolina: 2
•Puerto Rico: 1

The storm also killed at least 69 people in the Caribbean

•Haiti 54
•Cuba 11

 

                             Flooding in New York & North East : Mark Olsen/U.S. Air Force

 

History was written as the extreme weather event continued to unfold. An extraordinary combination of ingredients came together to make Hurricane Sandy an extreme cyclone of unusual track, size, structure and power for the northeast United States, unfortunately with severe and widespread impacts as a result.

Sandy struck the northeast United States  with a combination of track, size, structure and strength that is unprecedented in the known historical records. A meteorologically mind-boggling combination of ingredients came together:

One of the largest expanses of tropical storm force winds on record with a tropical or subtropical cyclone in the Atlantic. The track of the center made a sharp left turn in direction of movement toward New Jersey in a way that is unprecedented in the historical database. Hurricane Sandy got blocked from moving out to sea by a pattern that included an exceptionally strong ridge of high pressure aloft near Greenland. A "warm-core" tropical cyclone embedded within a larger, nor'easter-like circulation. Moisture from the tropics and cold air from the Arctic combining to produce very heavy snow in interior high elevations.

 

    HMS Bounty (180-foot) sank 90 miles SE of Hatteras, N.C. : Tim Kuklewski/ /U.S. Coast Guard

 

That gigantic size was a crucially important aspect of this storm. The massive breadth of its strong winds produced a much wider scope of impacts. This storm's size, threat, and expected impacts was immense.

There was a humongous area of high seas which in some areas included waves of colossal height. Wave forecast models are predicted significant wave heights up to 50+ feet, and that is the average of the top 1/3, meaning that there would be individual waves that are even higher. A buoy between North Carolina and Bermuda measured significant wave heights of ~40' Sunday evening.

The Perfect Storm, originally known as the Halloween Storm because of the time of year when it occurred, peaking in 1991 on the same dates (October 28-30) as Sandy, became a part of popular culture because of the tragedy at sea. This one had some of the same meteorological characteristics and ingredients coming together, but in an even more extreme way, and slamming more directly onshore and then much farther inland and thus having a far greater scope and variety of impacts.

Sandy's progression in images courtesy of OSEI/NOAA

 

Tropical Storm Sandy and TD 19 Strengthening

Tropical Storm Sandy formed late yesterday afternoon, the eighteenth tropical storm of the 2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Tropical Depression 19 is forecast to later today become Tropical Storm Tony as the Season remains active heading toward its historical conclusion on November 30.

Tropical Storm Sandy in the Caribbean is moving slowly northward now, but is expected to pick up speed later today. The center of Sandy should move near or over Jamaica on Wednesday as a hurricane and approach eastern Cuba by Wednesday night. Environmental conditions consisting of low shear, warm waters and a moist atmosphere favor strengthening during the next couple of days. This image was taken by GOES East at 1345Z on October 23, 2012.

 

Hurricane Sandy Forms in the Caribbean Sea

Hurricane Sandy has formed according to the 11 am EDT update from the NOAA National Hurricane Center. Environmental conditions are expected to remain favorable for additional strengthening to occur up until Sandy makes landfall on Jamaica early this evening. Uncertainties in the progression of atmospheric conditions after that, including wind shear effects and interactions of the storm with land, are contributing to a low confidence in the forecast out to 120 hours. This image was taken by GOES East at 1445Z on October 24, 2012.

 

Hurricane Sandy Passes over Cuba, Heads to Bahamas

Hurricane Sandy has cleared western Cuba and is headed towards the Bahamas. Forecast models show Sandy maintaining significant intensity and high rainfall rates through the next 24 hours. This image was taken by GOES East at 1345Z on October 25, 2012.

 

Satellite Captures Detailed Imagery of Hurricane Sandy Intensification

Early in the morning on October 25, 2012, the Suomi NPP satellite passed over Hurricane Sandy after it made landfall over Cuba and Jamaica, capturing this highly detailed infrared imagery, showing areas of deep convection around the central eye. Besides the highly detailed infrared imagery, the satellite’s day night band captured detailed visible-like imagery of the cloud tops, along with the city lights of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

 

Sandy Moving Through Northern Bahamas, Expected to Impact Mid-Atlantic or Northeast Early Next Week

Hurricane Sandy will move northward through the Bahamas on Friday, bringing tropical storm conditions to the east coast of Florida. Tropical storm conditions are possible in the Carolinas Saturday and Saturday night. Sandy is expected to turn toward the northeast on Saturday, followed by a turn to the northwest early next week, with direct impacts expected for the Mid-Atlantic or Northeast U.S. This image was taken by GOES East at 1445Z on Oc

 

Sandy, Early Morning, 

This image shows Sandy as imaged by the NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP VIIRS instrument's day/night band. This band collects information from the ambient light radiated into space from human settlement and activities and also captures reflected moonlight from cloud structures. The full moon, which enhanced the storm surge that has inundated New York City and Atlantic City because of tidal forces, lit up the cloud tops of the storm in great detail. This image was taken around 0735Z on October 30, 2012. 

 

Sandy Makes Landfall

Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy made landfall at 8pm ET on October 29, 2012 about 5 miles southwest of Atlantic City, NJ, as seen in this NOAA GOES-13 satellite colorized infrared image from the same time. Official projections from the National Hurricane Center have the storm moving westward through Pennsylvania and then moving north into New York. The change in designation from hurricane to post-tropical cyclone is due to a continued deterioration of the convective center of the system, characteristic of tropical cyclones and hurricanes. However, Sandy is just as dangerous - sustained 80 mph winds along with heavy rainfall, surge, and coastal and inland flooding are expected as this storm continues to move inland.

 

Sandy's Impacts Felt Over Wide Area

Post-tropical cyclone Sandy is slowly moving westward while weakening across southern Pennsylvania. High wind warnings are in effect along the central to southern Appalachians and across portions of the Great Lakes. Storm warnings remain in effect along the mid-Atlantic and New England coast from Virginia to Massachusetts. Storm warnings are also in effect across the Great Lakes. Flood and coastal watches, warnings and advisories are in effect over portions of the mid-Atlantic and northeast states. Blizzard warnings remain in effect along the higher elevations of the central Appalachians. Winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories have been issued for extreme western Maryland and southwestward into eastern Tennessee, eastern Kentucky and extreme western North Carolina. Sandy has slowed in forward motion and is expected to continue its westward track across southern Pennsylvania this afternoon and should turn toward western New York tonight. The cyclone will move into Canada on Wednesday. This image was taken by GOES East at 1445Z on October 30, 2012.
 

Hurricanes, Cyclones Typhoons:

2012 Hurricane Season Links
Tropical Analysis and Forecasting (NOAA)

NHC Forecasts & Warnings(NOAA)
NHC Latest Satellite Imagary (NOAA)

Central Pacific Hurricane Center (NOAA) 
Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)

Source: NOAA / JTWC

Compiled by: SV Editors

Tags: Cyclones, Hurricanes, Typhoons,  

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