And Then, It Was Morning...

The storm is done. At least here. Winds are light in my region, though they may still gust quite strongly for the remainder of today. It looks like the storm maxed out here at 8:00-9:00pm EDT yesterday, and Baltimore Washington International recorded gusts near 60mph at that time. So far, over 6” of rain fell here that can be attributed to Sandy. The flood danger is not yet over, as rivers and reservoirs will continue to rise as rainwater runoff flows into them. Over 185,000 customers in Eastern Maryland are without power, still several thousand more in DC and nearby areas, and Western Maryland is currently under quite a bit of snow. Areas on the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Coasts? Well, we’ll be hearing about just how bad the damage there is over the next few days.

Experiencing a weather event of this magnitude is always strange for me. In some ways, I thrive on chaos. It forces my mind to focus on one thing, whereas I’d otherwise be thinking of 5 things at once. So, it’s very strange when the storm’s over, because often I start to think “That’s it? What do I do now?” At the same time, I know there are thousands upon thousands of other people within just a couple hundred miles of me wishing that they could think “That’s it?” after the storm has passed through. I also know that if the storm’s track had been just a little bit different; if the storm had traveled just a little bit further south, the damage here could have been devastating. While I can look out the window and see no noticeable damage across the street, I can also look around the windows, within my apartment, and see that the structure itself was stressed in the storm. Relatively substantial cracks in the drywall developed around the windows at the front of my apartment, presumably from the windows flexing in and out with the wind. Had the winds been much stronger than 30 or 40mph sustained with 50 to 60mph gusts, I do not know how long that wall would have held up.

A proper “After the Storm” post may come later. May…

THE SANDY SAGA- Part 6 (Pick Up Sticks)

~ ~ Monday, October 29, 2012 ~ ~

11:00pm - I am… tired. Have I really been doing this all day? It’s amazing how time flies when you’ve committed yourself to blogging hourly about your experiences in the mega freakish storm of death. Obligatory meteorological observations: at Dr. Gelaro’s, winds are at 24mph with 34mph gusts (at the airport, winds are reported at 33mph with 48mph gusts). Pressure is at 965.8mb and continues to fall. The latest advisory on Sandy, which will be the last issued by the NHC because Sandy is no longer a hurricane, has stated that Sandy’s central pressure is up to 952mb, and it’s (or her) forward motion has slowed to 18mph.

** SEMANTICS ALERT** Yes, Sandy is no longer a hurricane. BUT, Sandy’s sustained winds are still 75mph, which should make it a Category 1 hurricane, right? Well, actually no. I’ve spoken to some people today who have been confused by this. The general comment is “Well, Sandy is no longer a hurricane…” Honestly, that title doesn’t matter much when you’re dealing with a storm like this. A hurricane is a system with a center that is warmer than its surroundings.  It feeds off of heat. Sandy, however, has lost this characteristic. It’s now being called a post-tropical storm, and this has absolutely nothing to do with its intensity. It just means that Sandy’s fundamental dynamics have changed, and instead of being fueled by heat, it’s (or she’s) now being sustained by other mechanisms.

Crazy as it is, Sandy is now wreaking havoc hundreds of miles to the west of here! Power outages out in the Midwest are climbing, and parts of that region are seeing gusts comparable to what we’re experiencing here. Imagine that. But enough for tonight. Perhaps this saga will continue tomorrow…

THE SANDY SAGA- Part 5 (Maybe I Should Start Making These Titles Different)

~ ~ Monday, October 29, 2012 ~ ~

10:00pm – Still here. The winds recently have not been as bad, and the power hasn’t flickered for a while, but you never know. Latest obs down the street are winds at 19mph and gusts at 28mph. (It should be noted that winds a few miles down the road at the airport are reported as being higher… 33mph sustained with 49mph gusts.) It is still raining quite a bit, but it’s difficult to tell how hard from here because it’s still windy, and I can only see what’s illuminated by the lights throughout the neighborhood. Nearly 5” of rain have fallen here today. If I had to guess, I’d say that the most intense rain is probably over. But… wind could still be an issue. If Sandy hadn’t sped up just off of the coast though, I’m sure this storm would have been much worse. I think we will all be shocked by just how much damage this storm has caused in New York and New Jersey. Even here… thousands are without power as I type (at this time, there are nearly 200,000 customers without power in eastern Maryland, and there are several thousand more in DC and its neighboring cities. Keep in mind that one utility customer is generally 3 or 4 people). I have no idea what damage, if any, has occurred in my locality. My neighborhood has not gotten the brunt of this system, so I can’t see anything amiss as I look out my front windows. The neighbor’s wind chimes are still chiming. Still! Though I am presently sitting relatively at ease (it might be the Biscotti Effect), winds are forecast to remain high and possibly even increase as we go into the late evening/very early morning hours. I've got another storm day tomorrow.

What’s funny/interesting is the fact that I just went over and opened a shade, and now the wind seems louder. Like somehow blocking out the view of the outside made the storm stop in here. Which is a ridiculous notion, really… that’s impossible. But maybe because I couldn’t see the droplets falling on the window or the screen rippling, I didn’t think to pay attention as much to the sound of the wind. And the light starts to flicker again…

THE SANDY SAGA - Part 4 (Is This Getting Old Yet?)

~ ~ Monday, October 29, 2012 ~ ~

9:00pm – Winds: 24mph with 30mph gusts. The pressure is at 967mb, and still falling (for reference, 24 hours ago, the pressure here was around 1004mb). Thankfully, yours truly still has power (*knock on wood… again*), but power is out in many surrounding areas. Underground electrical wires… they can be a seriously awesome thing. I will, however, be surprised if my place manages to get through this thing without going dark. Sad part? The worst is apparently still to come. I have to hand it to you, southerners, this whole mammoth storm thing is tough! It’s not so much the howling wind and rain thing here right now, but more the prospect that my power could go out at any minute, so holyshnikiesIbetterhurryupandmakemymicrowavepopcornnow! It’s odd to think that not too horribly long ago, electricity was some fable… The prospect of being without a TV that could bring you cable broadcasts with the push of a button or without a computer through which you would instantly communicate with friends and colleagues did not scare people because these circumstances were completely normal. To me, however, the idea that I may very well be forced to go without the internet by factors outside of my control is absolutely frightening. What would I do at 9:15pm on a Monday night? Sleep? Strike up a conversation with my finger puppets? Read by frosting-scented candle-light? Bet you didn’t think this would start to become a philosophical discussion, did you?

THE SANDY SAGA - Part 3

Considering that I can no longer count on my power being up for long enough to compile several hourly updates to publish all at once....

~ ~ Monday, October 29, 2012 ~ ~

8:00pm – Sandy (*sandy* Fishnets *fishnets*) continues. As of 8pm: 23mph winds with 32 mph gusts. It’s now 8:30pm and the power just flickered on and off several times. Yikes. The outage map in my area is starting to get a lot more colorful, but SO FAR my immediate vicinity has been mostly spared. So far… Of course, if the recent flickering is any indication, that may not last long. Sandy made landfall in the last hour, just south of Atlantic City, NJ. My friend (who prompted me to write these storm updates) has family there. His grandfather grew up in a coastal Jersey city that has sustained severe damage because of Sandy. Parts of Atlantic City itself have been flooded. For all of those who say that this storm was hyped up by meteorologists and was no big deal, I challenge you to look the people of those cities in the eye and say those words.

THE SANDY SAGA - Part 2

And now we start publishing these updates more frequently, because who knows if or when it will go dark!!

~ ~ Monday, October 29, 2012 ~ ~

6:00pm – New hour, more of the same. I got a phone call, so I missed the 6:00pm obs, but right now winds are about 22mph sustained and gusting to near 30mph. Over ¼” of rain has fallen in the past hour. Gusts also appear to be getting, in general, worse, and I can hear something rattling outside that I didn’t hear before.

Ooooooh shnikies. That rattling? It appears to be my windows…

7:00pm – New deets: Winds at 25mph with 45mph gusts. My place? It’s creaking and rattling a lot more now than it was earlier today. I’ve closed the blinds on all of my windows, just in case one of them decides that it’s had enough of this dreadful, tedious life. It might not help much, but a pleated shade should offer some protection, right? Right?!

This is me sincerely hoping that my power does not go out.