In other weather news, a Nor'Easter is on its way

Image source: dakine kane on Flickr

As the people in NJ, Staten Island, and the Rockaways – the hardest hit during Hurricane Sandy – clean up from the mega storm, the bad news keeps knocking at their now destroyed door – a Nor’Easter is coming. And while it will not be nearly as large as Sandy, here’s what The Weather Channel has to say about it:

We will be dealing with a very windy, rainy and cold Wednesday into Thursday along the Northeast I-95 corridor. The strength and duration of the winds would be dictated by the exact track and strength of the low. The winds will kick up high surf along the coast that could lead to additional coastal flooding.

Across the interior Northeast or New England, there may be enough cold air for snow to go along with the windy conditions, particularly from the Poconos to the Catskills, Upstate New York and interior New England.

Though this storm will not have near the magnitude of the impact Sandy had, the combination of rain and wind will add insult to injury for the recovery process along the East Coast.

Here are their projected storm path images, first for Wednesday:

Image source: TWC

And for Thursday:

Image source: TWC

Small consolation – it’s not going to be cold enough for snow. Regarding the precipitation in this storm, we’ve heard conflicting reports of just rain, sleet, and snow. Persistent rain might make one feel even colder, since the moisture can chill you to the bone (case in point: winter in SF vs. winter in Banff, Canada – wet cold vs. dry cold). According to AccuWeather meteorologist Brian Edwards, the wet and wind combo can make it feel like it’s freezing.

One option to protect oneself during this storm is at a warming center, which is a warm place to stay. Mayor Bloomberg encourages those that do not have heat to head there, and this is particularly prudent advice for this coming cold and wet storm. There are also emergency shelters, the number of which have been paired down to a few in Queens compared to before the hurricane, including the following:

Hillcrest HS, 160-05 Highland Av, Jamaica, NY 11432 (GMAP)
Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY 11367 (GMAP)
York College, 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd, Jamaica, NY 11451 (GMAP)

LIPA (not ConEd), which serves the Rockaways, expects the restoration of power to take two weeks (Mayor Bloomberg calls this unacceptable), so knowing where your warming center is will be a help. Additionally, blankets have been handed out in the Rockaways, which will be a help to those who are not interested in leaving.