Forecasting Sandy is almost over. Nowcasting Sandy is about to begin..

The wind will be ferocious. Power will vanish quickly in lots of places. And the rain!? Up to 8 inches in most places hit by Hurricane Sandy.. and some forecasts are even calling for 20 inches in localized areas. That is 20 inches of rain.. this could lead to epic flooding like we have not seen in generations.. What occurs in New York City could be equally memorizing as much has it will be horrendous. 

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is expected to make an announcement Sunday about mass transit in the city..

In the mean time, the Northeast has all but exhausted its hours of preparation time. Those attending Halloween parties in scantily clad nurse and cat outfits hopefully did what they needed to do during the daylight hours to get supplies, such as water, food, and batteries that can last for days if power isn’t restored.. 

Federal officials, along with state governments, have done what they could to warn the population about the impending threat. From New Jersey to Main.. The Carolinas to Ohio..the pain this storm brings is going to be felt far and wide. And it has begun.

The Weather Channel is offering up a top five list of why Sandy will be epic. Included with the fearful list is that high tide could worsen flooding conditions.. (It is a full moon don’t forget..)

Once again, preparation mode is about over.

Nowcasting begins.

This storm is likely to make landfall Monday night or Tuesday—but the treacherous conditions will begin long before that..

The Saturday morning Frankenstorm update

• Accuweather has a running live blog as events develop about Sandy..


• Henry Margusity has a great blog and you can also find up to date information from him on Twitter


• Here are all of the latest maps and coordinates of Sandy


• The Weather Channel has great coverage of the storm


• And finally here is a goodnews feed andphoto wire feed

All of those links are worthy to look at now and as the storm continues. 

Here at Coal Speaker base, it appears as though Sandy is going to be making a direct run for my neck of the woods. As she does she is going to be bringing hell and high water to numerous mid-Atlantic states. 

I worry about the storm surge in New York City, along with the underground subway system. I really do. They are prepping for disaster, but I don’t know if they are ready for catastrophe (which we all hope to hell does not occur).. 

The wind will be a major issue. I doubt my power will stay on, though I hope it fends for its electrical life as Sandy hovers over.. Also a fear: The rain. Last year Lee and Irene dumped enough to flood out so many places here in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware.. Remember though 8 to 12 inches of rain fell over a week. This time the rain will be just as heavy and fall within 3 to 4 days. That will make situations much faster and dramatic. Flash flooding instead of a slowly creeping water line.. All this while power is out..? This is going to be a truly devastating storm for so many people..

If only divine intervention could toss it out to see.. Or Governor Chris Christie’s mighty blow from his 500 pound bag of wind. Neither appears likely at this point.