Why did Hurricane Sandy take such an unusual track into New Jersey?

[jeffreyi]

Link:
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/article.html


(edit)

The blocking ridge that steered Sandy into New Jersey

A strong ridge of high pressure parked itself over Greenland beginning on October 20, creating a "blocking ridge" that prevented the normal west-to-east flow of winds over Eastern North America. Think of the blocking ridge like a big truck parked over Greenland.

(edit)

Better than even chance that this is linked to arctic sea ice loss....


Dr. Jeff Masters, Weather Underground

[thecrow]

1. Got a link?

[jeffreyi]

4. Ooops. Added the link. nt

[thecrow]

5. Thank you

[SubgeniusHasSlack]

2. The melting of the Arctic ice cap has forever transformed the jet stream

that would have normally steered the storm out to sea.

NYC will be unlivable in a few years as it will be mostly underwater and the infrastructure will never be able to be restored to preSandy functionality.

I have to produce a TV show in NYC in December and I am not looking forward to going there now. And I have always LOVED to go to The City.

[AverageJoe90]

7. Do we know that, though?

The answer to that is, of course, no, we don't, and it will probably be a while before we do.

[Botany]

3. Yup a high pressure (warmer air) system parked over .....

.... Greenland* in late October is really weird and with the higher levels of the seas
from glacial melting helped to make this storm far worse. Normally the strong
cold front coming from the north and west in SHOULD HAVE pushed Hurricane
Sandy out into the Atlantic.


* The melting of Greenland's ice cap???????

[GliderGuider]

6. All right. Trust Jeff Masters to put a stake in the ground on this.

We are seeing the beginning of a long term (potentially permanent?) shift in Northern Hemispheric weather patterns due to the meltback of the Arctic ice cap. This is not your grandfather's weather any more...

[Demeter]

8. No GPS

really