By Jen Samuel, Managing Editor
Hurricane Sandy is moving closer to New Jersey – and it appears the “Frankenstorm” is not holding back.
Millions are bracing for the storm’s impact.
The dangerous storm is expected to hit the coast of New Jersey within hours.
Hurricane Sandy is expected to create coastal hurricane winds and heavy Appalachian snows, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
Strong gusting winds began rolling in to northern Delaware this afternoon and flood flash warnings have begun in several states.
Northeast power outages are likely.
The NWS said that as the system gets closer to the coast, it is expected to gain characteristics more similar to a nor’easter, making it a hybrid-type storm.
The NWS has issued high wind and coastal flood warnings, a flood watch and hazardous weather outlook for the Garden State.
According to a weekend report by the National Hurricane Center, which is a branch of the NWS, sometime prior to making landfall, Hurricane Sandy is expected to lose its characteristics as a tropicalcy clone and take on the structure of a wintertime low-pressure area.
Sandy is expected to bring significant wind, surge, rainfall and inland flooding hazards across the Northeast, and snowfall to more limited areas, the NHC said.
East Windsor Regional School District is closed today and Tuesday. Schools are closed across the Northeast.
All Monday flights have been cancelled at the Philadelphia International Airport as well.
In Washington D.C., the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal emergency aid has been made available to New Jersey to supplement state and local response efforts.
Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency, a FEMA release said. Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding.
FEMA has declared active disasters in multiple states including Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and as north as Vermont and New Hampshire.
Gov. Chris Christie on Saturday declared a state of emergency throughout New Jersey in anticipation of the mega storm.
”I am urging all New Jerseyans to take every possible and reasonable precaution to ready themselves for the storm’s potential impact,” Gov. Chris Christie said on Saturday.
Noteworthy, there will be a full moon tonight, which creates high tides along coastal shores.
Across America, Hurricane Sandy is being referred to as Frankenstorm.
And from New York to Pennsylvania, bottled water was sold out at many businesses over the weekend, and some stations were out of gasoline Sunday.
According to today’s NWS forecast, after moving farther out to sea, Hurricane Sandy will make an unusual turn towards the northwest on Monday, heading for the New Jersey coastline by Monday night. Although this system is only a minimum hurricane, gale force winds extend hundreds of miles away from the center of circulation owing to its very low pressure.
The NWS is forecasting 70-mph winds by nightfall in Hightstown and East Windsor. Rainfall is slated for New Jersey throughout the week, with the heaviest rainfall predicated to impact the state on Monday.
Last year at the end of August, Hurricane Irene caused massive floodwater damages to local towns across the state. It hit Central Jersey as a tropical storm.
According to the Office of the Governor, “Unnecessary travel is not recommended.”
For more information, visit www.weather.gov or www.state.nj.us.
