Monday Morning's Weather Discussion - Landfall Near Atlantic City as the Strongest Storm to EVER hit New Jersey and One of the Strongest Storms to EVER Hit the United States in Recorded History

Sandy is strengthening and now has sustained winds of 85mph.  Sandy has shifted ever so slightly to the south from last night and is now projected to make landfall near Atlantic City as the strongest storm to EVER hit New Jersey and one of the strongest storms to EVER hit the United States in recorded history.  This will be devastating for the entire New Jersey Coast, with possibly catastrophic conditions just to the north of where the center crosses the shore, with the worst possible conditions along the shore near Toms River up to Sandy Hook and into Staten Island and New York City.  This storm will likely be catastrophic throughout our area.  The rain and strong winds should be starting here over the next few hours, and become steadier and heavier as the day goes on.  The worst conditions will be felt this afternoon and tonight, with the main effects from the storm over by tomorrow morning.  Feel lucky if you have power after 2pm this afternoon, then you can just count the minutes until it goes out.  I will be surprised if anyone has power in our area after this is over, but who knows, maybe someone will get lucky.  Tomorrow we will be able to start cleaning out and the utility crews can start fixing things.  The rain showers may mix with snow tomorrow through Friday, especially in the higher elevations of Northwest New Jersey, just to add insult to injury.  The next storm of concern will occur next Tuesday.  I have been watching this potential storm for a week already, and it is starting to look quite potent on the European model. It is also very close to being our first major snowstorm of the season as the coldest air of the season will be in place just prior to the storm; however, it still looks just a bit too warm for snow.  I will keep an eye on it though.  Stay tuned.