John Bolaris: Metro’s expert weatherman gives reasons for incoming epic Sandy flooding

I say once Hurricane Sandy because as of your Monday a.m., Sandy has transformed itself into a Mid-atlantic Super cyclone: meaning Sandy has lost its tropical traits and is now feeding on a very rare, in fact Ive never seen anything like it, combination of the atmosphere.

Here’s the ingredients:

1. A late season hurricane.

2. A huge blocking system over Greenland not allowing the storm to move out.

3. A potent trough, which is actually capturing the storm and pulling it at ramming speed towards the Jersey Shore.

4. Full moon taking place today, which causes unusually high tides to begin with.

5. Finally a storm that now is feeding like a Halloween Momster as the screaming jet plunges
into the storm with all of its dynamics lifting the storm in strength to perhaps unprecedented levels.

The angst we all feel today is what does it mean for my family and home and as a meteorologist, I’m praying to God that we get this storm as accurately predicted in order to save life and property. Trust me: this is a first time kind of storm none of us have ever dealt. It’s a storm with a severe left hook towards the coast in combination with astronomical high tides. Some places along the coast, the destruction is going to be devestating to some.

So as the winds scream, the rains pound, the tides surge, the river & streets flood…we wait, we pray that everyone of our family members will be safe.

Power outages and flooding can last more than a week in some places.

Help your neighbors, be calm and remember we are all in this together.

Long week ahead, be safe.