Sandy Nearing Landfall

The latest 5:00 pm EDT advisory from the National Hurricane Center had Hurricane Sandy approximately 30 miles east-southeast of Cape May, NJ and moving west-northwest at 28 mph. Sandy is expected to make landfall within the hour or so, as it races towards the coast. Sandy still has maximum sustained winds of 90 mph, with tropical storm force winds likely extending outward from the center from South Carolina to Maine and hurricane force winds from Virginia to southern New Jersey.  Below is a map from the National Hurricane Center showing the surface wind field of Hurricane Sandy and a visible satellite image from NOAA.

Sandy is making landfall earlier than expected, which is actually good because it will be a few hours early than high tides and therefore will help flooding/storm surge a little.  Power outages continue to rack up as Sandy nears the coastline, along with flooding and damage reports.  If you live in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, your preparations need to be complete as conditions will continue to deteriorate tonight.  As Sandy moves slowly inland winds will subside some tomorrow morning, but will still be strong enough to cause damage and knock down trees and possibly power lines.  We will continue to update you with the latest information. Impacts from Sandy for the Tennessee Valley will continue to be windy and unseasonably cool conditions.

- Jennifer Watson

Twitter: @JWatson_Wx

Facebook: Jennifer Watson WHNT