A Repeat of Hurricane Sandy?

Science-fiction-ish for now, but the 12z Canadian shows #Erika w/ a Sandy-esque hook into NYC. http://t.co/E4x5q8m32K pic.twitter.com/vxPsvZn60L

— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) August 27, 2015

DON'T PANIC YET! Before everyone freaks out, just remember this is one run of one computer model. Is there a possibility that it would happen...yes. Is that possibility high, not at all!!! 

I found the Canadian model's forecast for current Tropical Storm Erika very interesting. As you can see in the GIF above, tweeted out by Eric Holthaus of Slate, the weather model from our neighbors to the north, takes Erika right up the coast, then a hard left into New Jersey. This is the exact path Hurricane Sandy took in 2012. Its amazing that a path like that would show up on a computer model again. 

Is it possible? Yes. Likely? Not really. Sure the pattern supports blocking to the north, preventing a storm from going out to sea like most do but will Tropical Storm Erika live through the wind shear in the Caribbean or the high mountains of Hispaniola? We'll have to wait to find out. Most models have the storm emerging into the Bahamas by the end of the weekend and giving Florida a close encounter or even a hit (Florida hasn't been hit by a hurricane in 10 years!!!) 

Right now the storm will hopefully give Puerto Rico some beneficial, drought busting rain. For everyone else, its a good time to keep an eye on it but that's it. No panicking just yet! 

Below are images from the Canadian computer model, showing Erika off the coast of North Carolina with a 932 millibar low! That would be an extremely dangerous storm. Below is also an image from the model, showing the storm off the coast of New Jersey by September 4th.  

Summer on the Shore - Photos of Charles Island in Milford, Connecticut

So apparently I uploaded these photos to blogger months ago but never got around to finishing the post. So on the evening of a nor'easter, I figured why not post some nice photos from the warm summer evenings we're already missing here in New England. 

These photos were taken with my iPhone one evening in August in Milford, Ct. From this beach you can see our local island, Charles Island. On this particular evening a thunderstorm was moving by just inland, making for a beautiful sunset and some rumbles of thunder! 

What's really cool about Charles Island is the fact that at low tide there is a sandbar that connects the island to the shore (so cool!). However, don't run out to the island just yet! Although it's possible to walk to the island at low tide, the walk takes awhile and many have been caught by the strong water currents flowing back in. 

The island itself has an interesting past, including tales of pirate's treasures and Native American burial grounds, as well as a curse!  Everything that has been built on the island in the last 300 years has burned down, including a hotel! 

The island is a protected bird sanctuary from May to October when many birds are nesting on the island. The island has also been impacted by Tropical Storm Irene, as well as Superstorm Sandy. The exposure to Long Island Sound has taken many trees down as well as causing some erosion. 

Foggy December Day 12/10/12

It's almost mid December and here in CT a warm front straddles the coastline. Temperatures range from the upper 40's to mid 50's this morning with a chance of hitting 60 degrees this afternoon. Although the temps make for a more comfortable day with no overcoat, it sure is a buzz kill when it comes to the Christmas Spirit!

With most warm fall days comes the fog and today is no different! As moisture streams northward it hits the cooler air causing it to condense at ground level and creating what we see as fog. Along the CT coast and CT valleys, this fog can be very dense. Below are some photos I took with my iPhone of fog at the beach. As you can see the first picture is of a flag pole at Anchor Beach, the rock it sits on is only 20-25 feet away from the street, over the water, yet it's hard to see! The second picture actually shows concrete steps that were removed due to damage from Hurricane Sandy with fog in the background! And finally the last picture is of Woodmont beach in the fog!