Sandy Moving In...

Here is an update on Hurricane Sandy...

Sandy's track.
NHC

Currently (as of 8 PM Sunday), Sandy is a category 1 hurricane (Scale goes 1-5 with 5 being the strongest) with max winds of 75 mph and a pressure center of 950mb.  Rain from Sandy will begin to move in to Crawford County Monday and will stick around through at least Thursday.  Below is the Euro weather model and the path that Sandy will take, along with 6 hour precip (colors). 

8 PM Monday night.

8 AM Tuesday morning.

8 PM Tuesday night.

8 AM Wednesday morning.

Rainfall amounts expected from Sandy.  3-4" of rain is forecasted for
NW PA with locally higher amounts (5"+)
HPC

The impacts from Sandy on Crawford County are pretty clear.  Heavy rain will be an issue as forecasters are predicting 3-4" of rain with locally higher amounts (5"+).  With that amount of rain in a short amount of time, flooding becomes an issue in low lying areas and areas near rivers/creeks.  If you are in these areas, please be aware that during heavy rain events, rivers can rise rapidly in a short amount of time.  Always seek higher ground if situations like this occur. To put it in perspective to how much rain this storm will give us, the average rainfall for October is around 3.5 inches.  Currently we are at 3.43 inches.  This storm is expected to produce 3-4" of rain for us in a couple days and some locations will receive more, doubling what we currently have.

Power outages are likely.
TWC

Another impact will be wind gusts.  Winds are expected to be sustained at 30-40 mph with gusts even possibly reaching 50-60 mph.  These winds will no doubt take down trees and power lines/poles.  That is why power outages will likely occur in the area.  Power could be out for a  long period of time.  Manpower will be strained and the weather conditions will make it hard to restore power.  It is important that you have flashlights ready with fresh batteries in case of a power outage.  Also, water and food is also important and make sure you have enough in case there is no power for a while. Also bring in any loose furniture you may have outside or any other object that can easily be tossed by the wind.

Snow is not a concern at this point in NW PA.  Some locations to the east in the mountains could see some flakes and a light accumulation heading into the latter part of the week but here in Crawford County if we do see any snow it will be just a few flakes.  It is a different story to those living in SW PA and in West Virginia.  Locations in the mountains down there are expected to get pounded with blizzard like conditions.  Nothing to worry about here in Crawford in terms of snow though.

Locations in eastern PA and on the eastern coast will definitely be hit the hardest.  Thankfully here in NW PA we do not have to worry about storm surge.  We will feel the effects from this storm and it is important not to take it lightly.  Remember it is always better to over prepare than under prepare.  

Here are the advisories that we are currently under.  I expect the flood watch to change over to a warning when the rain begins to fall.

Flood Watch Remains In Effect From Late Tonight Through
Tuesday Evening

High Wind Warning In Effect From Noon Monday To 4 Pm Edt
Tuesday

Full details for the advisories are here. 

The most important thing is to use common sense during storms like these.  Turn around, don't drown is a good rule to abide by and stay inside whenever possible.  

Any questions, send me an e-mail at jordan@crawfordweather.com

And all hail King Euro, The European Weather Model. This weather model has been fairly accurate for a week now in predicting the path of this storm.  Last Sunday I stated this storm would make landfall between Ocean City, MD and Long Island, NY.  Well, it looks like it will do just that.