Hurricane Sandy: Incoming Storm Reaches Category 2 Status

On the eve of the anniversary of a devastating Halloween snowstorm in Connecticut last year the state once again is warily watching a hurricane churning up the East Coast and utility officials are already preparing for a possible hit.

The Caribbean-born Hurricane Sandy made landfall over Cuba this morning as a Category 2 hurricane, bringing sustained winds of 105 mph. Forecasters predict the current track will take Sandy over the Bahamas before it turns north. 

From there computer models differ on where Sandy will go. One takes it northeast and out to sea over the Atlantic. But another, more reliable model, says Sandy will make landfall somewhere near Delaware, the National Weather Service says in its most recent update on the storm this morning.

One meteorologist is predicting that Sandy will become the "perfect storm" that will slam New England.

The most recent models of the storm, says Weather Underground forecaster Jeff Masters, "portray an increased risk to the U.S. and Canadian East Coasts for early next week. The GFS model, which had been showing that Sandy would head to the northeast out to sea, now has changed its tune, and predicts that Sandy will double back and hit Maine on Tuesday evening.

"An extra set of balloon-borne radiosondes is going to be launched at 2 p.m. (today) all across the U.S., which should help tomorrow evening's model runs make better forecasts of where Sandy might go. Extra radiosondes will be launched every 6 hours through Saturday afternoon."

If Sandy does hit New England one major difference between this storm and last year's is Sandy is expected to bring rain and not snow.

WABC-Channel 7 meteorologist Bill Evans said in his weather blog on Greenwich Patch, "The consensus amongst the various models would imply that late on Monday or Monday night, that very intense low pressure system will track westward and come onshore somewhere between southern New England and the Chesapeake Bay...

"This potentially devastating storm, which would probably impact the region for a period of two or three days, will then unleash its fury on the East Coast, and it has yet to be determined just how bad conditions will be in the Tri-State Area," wrote Evans, who's also an Old Greenwich resident. (For his complete forecast, click here.

Officials at CL&P and United Illuminating, the state's two major electric suppliers, are already taking steps to prepare for the worst and have begun contacting outside contractors who could help restore power to customers if Sandy wreaks havoc in Connecticut, according to a report today in the Hartford Courant.

The utilities came under harsh criticism last year after two storms, Tropical Storm Irene in late August and an October Nor'easter, each cut power to hundreds of thousands of utility customers throughout the state, some of whom went without electricity for more than a week.

CL&P took the brunt of much of that criticism and the backlash eventually led to the resignation of its chief executive.

And in preparation for the arrival of Sandy, Greenwich Harbormaster Ian Macmillan is urging boaters to plan ahead, especially if they are planning to remove their boats from the water.

"The tides are now low during the early afternoon which limits those who wish to pull their keel boats out of the water to make appointments during the few mornings left," Macmillan said. "The low tides during the afternoons will prevent the deep draft vessels from hauling out during the pm before Sunday’s winds.  Those who cannot pull their boats may wish to use the hurricane gate in Stamford and may require time to make that trip."

He also suggests, "Bilge pumps should be checked, cleared and backed up with fresh or charged batteries. Items must be secured from the effects of sustained winds of 50 knots for at least ten hours."

To read the advisory he released Thursday morning, please see the attached document at right.

*Local editor Barbara Heins contributed to this report.