Tuesday, October 30, 2012

The quiet in the center of the storm

Daisy pulled a fast one on us. She was expected to move into central Pennsylvania and then head north. Instead she just kept heading west until she got near Pittsburgh/Youngstown and then took the turn. at 6pm this evening, as you can see by the wind map below, the center of Sandy was right along the Ohio/PA border. That put us near what would have been the eye of the storm when it was tropical. As a result the wind died down considerably this afternoon. Since the heaviest wind is on the west side of the storm, central Ohio was the area that celebrated a windiest afternoon.


As we go through the overnight, Sandy should move far enough away from us that the wind will increase once again. It won't be as windy as last night, but it will still become quite breezy. Last night we experienced a 45mph wind gust at the Weather Center in Streetsboro just after 2am.

Rainfall was fairly heavy today. As of 6pm we had collected .80" at the Weather Center giving us a total of 3.30" since the rain began on Saturday. By the time this whole system moves away, which should be during the day Friday, we expect to have had over 4" of rainfall this week.

In the meantime, just sit back for another couple of days and enjoy the clouds, the wind, and the rain. Based on the current forecast we should finally see the sun again on Saturday, but it's only Tuesday evening, so you never know.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Hurricane Sandy Update - 3:30pm Monday

It was interesting this afternoon watching the wind field increase in NW Ohio and work it's way eastward. Overnight tonight we should see sustained winds of 30+ mph with gusts over 50mph. During the day tomorrow the wind will eventually back off to a sustained level of 20+ mph with gusts over 30mph.  It's still going to be very windy, but the worst of the weather should be overnight tonight (Monday) and Tuesday morning.

Rainfall will continue to be quite heavy as well. We had 1.50" on Saturday and Sunday. By the time we get to Thursday morning we will add another 2" or more to that total. By the time this system moves out of the area early Friday, we will probably end up with nearly 4" of rain. That's a lot of water!

Overnight tonight and tomorrow we need to be concerned about trees and power lines. The continued strong sustained winds will wear down trees and wires and eventually the trees will fall over, the power lines will break, and extensive power outages will occur. Be careful where you park your vehicle and be careful where you walk.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Sandy update: Sunday 8pm

Over half an inch of rain fell today at the Weather Center. This is just the beginning of what is going to be an interesting week.

Hurricane Sandy will affect NE Ohio in a big way beginning Monday afternoon. Sustained winds Monday afternoon will reach 20+ mph and remain there through the day Tuesday. In addition, wind gusts of 40+ mph are expected Monday night and throughout the day on Tuesday. These strong winds combined with up to 2” of rainfall during the period will make the ground soft and cause trees to uproot. Considerable property damage and widespread power outages can be expected beginning Monday night. Conditions will start to improve during the day Wednesday, but will still be dangerous.

When you go out tomorrow, be careful where you park your car. Try to avoid parking near trees or power lines. You know why!

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Getting ready for Sandy

Unless you've been living under a rock you know that a big storm is heading into our neighborhood. At present it looks like we will see winds and rain increase during the day Sunday. However, Monday night through Tuesday we will likely see the worst of it. During that time we expected 2-3 inches of rain, sustained winds of 20+ mph with gusts of 30-40 mph.  That much wind for that duration combined with the heavy rain (which will make the ground soft) will likely result in numerous trees being blown over. When trees come down you get property damage along with power outages.

So, that's what we have to look forward to.

The winds will back down a bit on Wednesday, however it will still be breezy. And, the heavier rains will turn to showers. But, still...it could be ugly.

More later.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Here comes Sandy!

Hurricane Sandy is heading up the east coast and will impact our weather next week. While the exact track is not certain, the present indications are that Tuesday will be our big day. Winds will actually increase during the day on Monday.  We could end up with a period of 24-36 hours of sustained winds of 15-20mph with gusts well over 30mph. That will be a long period of heavy wind and could result in damage to trees and power lines as they become weakened by the continuing winds.

We will know more by late in the weekend. Meanwhile, just be advised that some interesting weather is on the way.