The potential track for Tropical Storm Sandy, as of Tuesday morning, Oct. 23, according to the National Weather Service. As of Tuesday, the impact on Connecticut was expected to be minimal.
UPDATE 12:20 pm — The latest forecast model from the National Hurricane Center, released at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, puts Hurricane Sandy on track right for the tri-state area. According to the model, Sandy is expected to be off the North Carolina and Virginia shores on Monday morning and off the New Jersey shore on Tuesday morning.
First Selectman Jayme Stevenson told The Darien Times that the town is already preparing for the possibility of the storm hitting. She said a meeting will be held at the town’s Emergency Operations Center at the Darien Police Department with emergency responders on Friday morning to discuss it. The Department of Public Works is already scheduled to clean out storm drains, and is making sure all equipment is lined up and ready as well as lining up possible outside contractors should the need arise.
Stevenson said she’s already received concerned calls about Halloween, which is next Wednesday, Oct. 31, and trick-or-treating. Some parents have asked if trick-or-treating would be moved up earlier in the week to avoid any storm cancellations. Stevenson said it would be more likely that Darien’s trick-or-treating would be postponed in the case of a storm instead.
Last year, a surprise early snowfall knocked out power and wreaked havoc on many Fairfield County towns’ Halloween festivities. While Darien’s trick-or-treating went on as planned with police patrols ensuring safety, many towns were forced to postpone the tradition.
9:46 am — The chances of Hurricane Sandy hitting Connecticut continues to grow.
“There is increasing confidence that the tri-state area will feel the impacts of a major coastal storm late this weekend into early next week,” the National Weather Service said in a hazardous weather outlook statement issued Thursday morning. “This includes the potential for heavy rainfall, high winds, coastal flooding, and beach erosion. The specific impacts will ultimately depend on the eventual track and evolution of Tropical Cyclone Sandy as it interacts with deepening upper level low pressure system approaching the East Coast.”
Tropical storm warnings and watches are in effect for much of Florida by Thursday morning when Sandy was expected to move from Cuba to near or over the central Bahamas later Thursday and Thursday night and move near or over the northwestern Bahamas on Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Maximum sustained winds are near 105 mph — with higher gusts, making it a Category 2 hurricane, according to the center.
The most recent forecasts show the hurricane moving northeast of Florida before curving back along the East Coast, toward North Carolina.
According to forecast models, the storm could first be felt in Northeast late Sunday or Monday. The center of the large storm is not expected near Connecticut until late Tuesday — if at all.
