Mega-storm 'Sandy' gevoed door opwarming aarde

Satellietbeeld Sandy zondagavond 28 oktober: Colorado State University CSU RAMMB website. New York ligt net ten noorden van de bovenkant van de in geel gemarkeerde kustlijn.

CNN Bans Term ‘Frankenstorm’, But It’s A Good Metaphor For Warming-Driven Monster: ‘Largest Hurricane In Atlantic History’
Door Joe Romm, Climate Progress, 28 oktober 2012

What would you call an “unprecedented and bizarre“ storm that is:

• The “largest hurricane in Atlantic history measured by diameter of gale force winds (1,040mi)” [Capital Weather Gang]
• “A Storm Like No Other” [National Weather Service via AP]. NWS: “I cannot recall ever seeing model forecasts of such an expansive areal wind field with values so high for so long a time. We are breaking new ground here.”
• “Transitioning from a warm-core (ocean-powered) hurricane into an extra-tropical low pressure system, a classic Nor’easter, fed by powerful temperature extremes and swirling jet stream winds aloft to amplify and focus the storm’s fury” [meteorologist Paul Douglas]
• Being fueled in part by “ocean temperatures along the Northeast U.S. coast [] about 5°F above average,” so “there will be an unusually large amount of water vapor available to make heavy rain” [former Hurricane Hunter Jeff Masters]
• Also being driven by a high pressure blocking pattern near Greenland “forecast to be three standard deviations from the average” [Climate Central and CWG]
• “Stitched together from some spooky combination of the natural and the unnatural.” [Bill McKibben]

Zie ook:

Meteoroloog Jeff Masters van Weather Underground:
- 'if you are in a low-lying area that is asked to evacuate, I strongly recommend that you leave';
- 'I give a 50% chance that Sandy's storm surge will end up flooding a portion of the New York City subway system [...] resulting in billions of dollars in damage';
- 'Dr. Jacob is an adviser to the city [i.e. New York; K] on climate change, and an author of the 2011 state study that laid out the flooding prospects. “We’ve been extremely lucky,” he said. “I’m disappointed that the political process hasn’t recognized that we’re playing Russian roulette”.'

New York zet zich schrap voor naderende orkaan
Trouw, 28 oktober 2012

How Does Global Warming Make Hurricanes Like Irene More Destructive?
Door Joe Romm, 27 oktober 2012 

Later toegevoegd: 

'Superstorm Sandy was slechts voorproefje van wat nog komen gaat'
Door Martine Steenvoort, Trouw, 31 oktober 2012

Zie ook m'n blognotitie:
Minder ijs op de Noordpool = meer extreem weer 

Tags: Sandy, wervelstorm, VS, Amerika, New York, record, opwarming van de aarde, klimaatverandering, oorzaak, factor, gevolg, verband