Hurricane Sandy update 11 a.m.

Hurricane Sandy 11 a.m update from the National Weather Service.

The storm, which is now more than 1,000 miles in diameter, has strengthened as is traverses the Gulf Stream, as predicted. It now packs winds of 90 mph and has a central pressure of 943 MB, lower than the 1938 hurricane.

The center of Sandy was located about 260 miles south-southeast of NYC at 11 a.m.

It will cross the north wall of the Gulf Stream before 2 p.m., forecasters say. That will bring to a halt any significant additional development, according to the forecast. But the weather service warns this “should have little impact on the overall intensity or the size of the extremely large wind field of the storm.”

As of 11 a.m. hurricane force winds were only occurring in the southwest
quadrant of the storm. But hurricane force winds are forecast to hit Long Island this afternoon, according to the weather service.

Sandy has accelerated its forward motion speed and is now forecast to make landfall over the New Jersey coast this evening rather than after midnight tonight, as originally predicted.

For perspective on the size of Sandy: Hurricane Katrina was 415 miles in diameter compared to Sandy’s 1,000 miles and Katrina’s hurricane force winds extended 104 miles from its center, compared to Sandy’s reach of 175 miles. Sandy’s tropical storm force winds extend out to 485 miles from its center.

Storm surges across the island are expected to be 6-11 feet above high tide, which officials describe as dangerous and potentially life-threatening. Major coastal erosion is expected.

Hurricane force winds are also forecast for Long Island and New York City later this afternoon. Heavy rains are not expected on Long Island, with total amounts of one to three inches forecast, though isolated maximums of five inches are possible, the weather service said.

Photo caption: Reeves Beach, Riverhead at high tide on Monday morning, Oct. 29 (approximately 11:30 a.m.) RiverheadLOCAL photo by Eric Biegler

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