Landfall Between Asbury Park and Sandy Hook According to the European Model

Tropical Storm Sandy will become a hurricane today and will become one of the strongest storms of all time, if not THE most intense storm of all time, just prior to making landfall somewhere between Asbury Park and Sandy Hook early on Tuesday morning, according to the European model.  The storm should weaken just prior to landfall, thank goodness, preventing a complete disaster, but the winds will still be in excess of hurricane force, and possibly well in excess of hurricane force, most of the day on Monday and through Tuesday morning in our area.  After going inland, the eye of Sandy will then go westward across Middlesex, Somerset, and Hunterdon counties and will then start to weaken dramatically as it continues to head northwest.  She will then sit over our area for several days until completely falling apart, causing showery weather through Friday.   Total rainfall amounts should be between 5 and 6 inches throughout our area, causing some severe flooding.  To add insult to injury, there is even a chance that the rain could mix with sleet or snow in some areas on Tuesday afternoon and night as the cold air comes around the backside of the storm.  The wintry weather threat though has decreased quite dramatically with the new track bringing the eye to the south of us, or directly over us.  This track would keep things a bit warmer and will minimize the potential for problems with wintery weather from Sandy.   There is an ongoing debate among meteorologists as to whether Sandy will be considered a Hurricane when she makes landfall, or will actually become an extra-tropical system as they call it, and be classified as an extremely intense Nor’easter because of her phasing with the Polar Vortex.  It really does not matter though.  Sandy or the extreme Nor’easter resulting from Sandy is apparently destined to become one of the most intense storms of all time.  Stay tuned for updates.