Hurricane Sandy, also being called "Frankenstorm," is shaping up to be the next "Perfect Storm" such as the one in 1991. However, some are predicting that Hurricane Sandy could be even worse than the 1991 Perfect Storm.
In October of 1991, a nor'easter, known as the Halloween Nor'easter of 1991, absorbed Hurricane Grace. The cold air of the nor'easter, combined with the tropical air of Hurricane Grace, created the Perfect Storm. The Perfect Storm reached winds up to 70 mph and created waves up to 100-feet high as it churned over the Atlantic, along the east coast. The destruction caused by the storm cost $200 million and 13 people were killed, but fortunately, the storm never made landfall on heavily populated areas.
Some may have felt the effects of the Perfect Storm 21 years ago, while others may have heard of the storm from the Hollywood film, The Perfect Storm, which told the story of the crew on board the Andrea Gail, which sank at sea.
"It was difficult for us to convey the magnitude of the event to the public," Bob Case, the meteorologist who named the Perfect Storm told NOAA. "Not too many people could fathom-or believe-100-foot waves and hurricane force winds, 70-80 miles-per-hour plus, in a storm that was heading from east to west. "You were looking at a set of meteorological circumstances that come together maybe every 50-100 years."
Now, just over 20 years later, Hurricane Sandy is shaping up to be a storm that will be very similar to the Perfect Storm, but some are expecting it to be even worse. Hurricane Sandy already struck Jamaica, Cuba, and is just passing the Bahamas. So far, at least 29 people died as a result of the storm.
According to the predicted path of Hurricane Sandy, the storm will follow up the east coast and then take a sharp turn directly towards the Midlatlantic and New England, targeting heavily populated areas of New York, Pennsylvania and more beginning on Sunday and continuing through Halloween on Wednesday. The storm is large and moving slowly, so it is going to last for at least five or six days.
"It's looking like a very serious storm that could be historic," said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the forecasting service Weather Underground said. "Mother Nature is not saying 'trick-or-treat.' It's just going to give tricks."
Much like the Perfect Storm, a cold front is expected to clash with Sandy, which could mean there will be blizzards in some areas of the country. Masters believes Sandy is going to be even worse than the infamous 1991 storm. High winds will stretch out across a large portion of the heavily populated east coast as winds may extend out 300 miles from the center. The winds will lead to huge power outages and trees are likely to fall and take down power lines.
A full moon on Monday means that tides will be at peak highs, which will lead to coastal flooding combined with the heavy rains from the storm itself.
"The Perfect Storm only did $200 million of damage and I'm thinking a billion," Masters said. "Yeah, it will be worse."
Despite its similarities to the Perfect Storm, some are saying that Sandy is unprecedented.
"It's very rare to see a strong tropical system merge with such a strong winter like trough of low pressure. Throw in a full moon and the potential is there for a significant storm. This system is 1 part Hurricane, 1 part Nor'easter and 1 part Blizzard potentially. Impacts of all 3 types of storms are possible depending on location," Charlotte meteorologist Brad Panovich said on Facebook.
Panovich is warning people to not take the storm lightly as the category of the hurricane won't make much of a difference.
"For those on the coast don't let the Category of the storm or whether it's "just" a Nor'easter dictate your response. Your personal memories of previous storms are no use in this unique situation," Panovich said.
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