Hurricane Sandy 2012 UPDATE: Biggest Storm In New York City History? Details
As Hurricane Sandy makes its way toward the East Coast, storm crews are currently putting hundreds of sensors in place to predict the flooding toll within the region. Federal agencies along with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will be attaching the 150 storm surge sensors to several poles on piers that will span from Massachusetts to Chesapeake Bay. The plan is being put into place in order to track wind gusts, rainfall and water levels along the east coast. Eight of those sensors will be recording the storm-tide in current time as it hits land.
It's being said that New York City may very well see its largest storm surges in history. According to the National Hurricane Center advisory, "The combination of an extremely dangerous storm surge, and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters."
With a full moon set to take place on Monday, the intensity of the storm surges may increase, as the tug of the moon will make the high tides running along the Eastern Seaboard roughly 20 percent higher than normal, News 12 meteorologist in Westchester, N.Y., Joe Rao told OurAmazingPlanet.
The storm's estimated duration may also make flooding worse, according to Live Science, who spoke to Sean Potter, spokesperson for the National Weather Service.
"We'll still see tropical storm-force winds occurring for 24-36 hours starting into tomorrow morning going into Tuesday afternoon. That's one thing that really sets the storm apart compared to Hurricane Irene."
As of 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 28, the center of Sandy was located 250 miles southeast of Cape Hattra, North Carolina, and 575 miles south of New York City. The storm is heading toward the northeast close to 14 mph.
The most up-to-date forecast tracker places the center of Sandy near the coast on Monday Night, stated the National Hurricane Center. At landfall, the winds will most likely be close to hurricane force.
