Well Superstorm Sandy has been monitored and tracked for a good week and seems to be progressing about as scheduled.   The center of what was Hurricane Sandy came on shore about 5 miles south of Atlantic City, NJ early Monday evening.  At that point it was removed from tropical status as it was absorbed by the surrounding larger circulation associated with a deep low pressure system in the eastern U.S.  It was still producing 85 mph winds after is was no longer named a hurricane.

 This storm has been so complex and so large that one could spend hours trying to lay out all the interesting weather elements with it.  One of the big moments was when storm surge reached a new all-time record for parts of the New York City Area Monday evening, some places around 12 feet as of 8 p.m. EDT.  Otherwise more than 3 million customers in the eastern U.S. were without power around the same time.  Inland and river flooding was starting as well.  Parts of West Virginia already had picked up over one foot of snow.  Wind warnings are in effect as far west as Lake Michigan.

The air pressure with Sandy was down to an incredibly low 26.76″ Hg Monday afternoon.  Just for comparison the lowest air pressure in the Atlantic Basin came with Hurricane Wilma in October 2005 with a reading of 26.04″.  Hurricane Gilbert had 26.18″ in 1988.  A Labor Day Hurricane that hit Florida in September of 1935 had a pressure of 26.35″.  Rita in the Gulf of Mexico in September of 2005 had a pressure of 26.48″.  For non-tropical systems an icredible low pressure moved through northern Minnesota on October 26th, 2010 producing a barometric pressure reading of 28.20″.  Normal air pressure for the northern U.S. is around 30.00″ Hg.

You can see the tight packing of isobars (pressure lines) on the maps below from Monday evening.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all affected by the wrath of  this storm.

Posted under Hurricanes, Storms, Weather NEws