Tropical Storm Sandy formed south of Jamaica Monday afternoon and is expected to develop into a Category One hurricane and impact Jamaica by Wednesday morning. With sustained winds of 50 mph, Sandy is currently moving to the north/northeast very slowly around 5 mph. Once out of the Caribbean late this week all eyes will be watching to see just where exactly Sandy moves once in the Atlantic. While the current National Hurricane Center forecast track has the system losing hurricane status and weakening into a tropical storm the impact felt across the East Coast this weekend could be significant and mean a longer cold spell for the Midwest and Great Lakes.
A dip, or trough, in the jet stream is expected to bring well below normal temperatures for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The current track for TS Sandy from the American GFS weather model has the system east of Florida Friday but back out to sea by Saturday and Sunday. While this would likely mean an increased risk for rip currents and a few showers due to onshore flow for the east coast, the weather pattern would remain progressive and allow for the cold air in the Midwest to depart a little more quickly to the east.
On the other hand, the European weather model has the complete opposite and a full blown out storm system impacting the east coast by late weekend. This would cause a block in the jet stream and keep the cold around longer next week for the Midwest and Great Lakes. The official forecast track from the National Hurricane Center does have a little more of an eastward track once the system enters into the Atlantic by Sunday meaning a likely more progressive and quickler flow in the jet stream. Time will tell, I guess.
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