Cfa Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 I was still living in Queens at the time, but I rode out the storm here. I remember the weather being a lot like yesterday's, but it just grew progressively more intense as the day went on, and by nightfall the house was vibrating from the wind, it felt like it wanted to detach from the foundation, and then the power went out, after that I don't remember much aside from the winds getting louder. I had no phone service for days, so I was really out of the loop. I didn't know the scope of the damage other than what I saw with my own eyes. On the drive back to Queens, the trees along the LIE, which hadn't even changed colors yet, were all bald, with many of them on the ground. Back in Queens, my immediate area didn't see any flooding, but we were in a Cat 3 or higher flood zone, but half of the trees either fell or were knocked sideways and fell during "Athena" shortly after Sandy. But hearing the stories from nearby Far Rockaway made me not want know any more about the storm, it was just too much at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsentropicLift Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 I remember we barely had any rain here. All of us were camped out at the firehouse waiting to see what was going to happen. We had just had Irene the year before which other than the flooding wasn't that big of a deal here, and people were very skeptical about just how severe the storm would be. The sun went down and the winds just became more and more severe. Eventually we began getting dispatched for reports of wires down, trees down, ect. I can remember being outside helping to tape off a front yard and a tree came down, missing the truck by about ten yards. It was at that point we all realized that it was really too dangerous for us to be on the road for non emergencies. I can remember the sky being illuminated with nearly constant flashes of lightning, although it wasn't lightning causing the flashes, but from all of the exploding transformers. We went back to the firehouse and then we lost power, but thankfully we had a backup generator. The entire township ended up losing power, and since we were one of the few places that had power, a few family's ended up basically living there for the next week. On the 31'st we received word that a contingency of fire departments were being sent down to the Seaside area. Eight of us, myself included loaded up into our Rescue truck and headed down the shore, staging in the Kohl's parking lot on Rt 37 (Visible from the GSP). A few hours later we headed into Seaside and met up with the guys from the Ocean Beach firehouse. At first we were supposed to stay with them, but the area was deemed to be unsafe because of looters. Natural gas was also leaking everywhere, but we were told to wait for a police escort before going out to investigate, again thanks to the looters. I can remember walking on the beach in Ocean Beach, on Halloween night, in full turn out gear, as we went from house to house. In some cases, two or three of them were pushed into each other like a pancake or an accordion. And the gas leaks were very easy to find. All you had to do was look for the hole in the sand. Later that night we relocated to the main Seaside firehouse, about two blocks off the boardwalk. That is where I spent the next two days. On one of our recon missions we found a guy that had rode out the storm in his house, on top of a piece of furniture. He said that at the height of the storm, the water was waste deep in his house and by that time it was too late to evacuate. Some people, no matter what, just refuse to leave. The next to last day I was there a few of us went up on the boardwalk. You couldn't stay on the island if someone found you, and the boardwalk was certainly off limits to civilians. At one point I remember standing near where the roller coaster that collapsed into the ocean was, and my buddy and I noticed two State Troppers coming towards us from a few blocks away, so we turned our backs so that they would see our fire department jackets, and they turned around and didn't bother us. The whole experience was surreal, and something I will never ever forget. The damage and devastation were catastrophic, and most comparable to war zone. I couldn't wait to get off that island, and to this day, I haven't gone back, and I don't plan to ever go back either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle W Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Sandy was the highest impact storm on record from the South Shore of Nassau west through NYC and the upper NJ Coastline. The 1938 hurricane stands as the benchmark storm for Central and Eastern Long Island. You can see how much higher it was than the previous record tides at the Sandy Hook gauge. Screen shot 2015-10-29 at 10.33.57 AM 10-38-09-357.png the November 7th 1953 storm is chronicled in the Brooklyn Eagle Newspaper... http://fultonhistory...cale - 7964.pdf http://fultonhistory...cale - 7988.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdp146 Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 the November 7th 1953 storm is chronicled in the Brooklyn Eagle Newspaper... http://fultonhistory...cale - 7964.pdf http://fultonhistory...cale - 7988.pdf Thanks for this. The '53 storm comes up every now and then but its hard to find much detail about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyg Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Sandy sucked. I remember dreading the forecast as it was happening and the storm pretty much held up most of my worries. In northern NJ we got these on and off winds where it would be blowing at 15 to 20 and then suddenly gust to 70+. There's a ton of trees around my area, luckily none on our property fell. The neighbor had a big pine tree crash through their deck though and my uncle had a pine crash through one of his rooms. We also own a house down in Brick off the bay in a lagoon community directly behind Mantaloking. The whole place flooded with about 2 feet of water. Luckily our house is raised 3 feet and only had minor damage in the garage and had to replace some air ducts. Conversely, older houses that were set lower had hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.. A few blocks over, two houses burned down and areas closer to the bay saw houses severely damaged by surge, boats piled on top of each other, cars in the water, etc. It was crazy. Any storm of that caliber can go OTS for all I care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeatherFeen2000 Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Is it possible we see 80s next week? GFS is showing 80's for our area? I hope not that's just uncomfortable at this point? Uncle or sacrus are 80's uncommon for early November? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morris Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Is it possible we see 80s next week? GFS is showing 80's for our area? I hope not that's just uncomfortable at this point? Uncle or sacrus are 80's uncommon for early November? It would be more than a +20 departure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdp146 Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Is it possible we see 80s next week? GFS is showing 80's for our area? I hope not that's just uncomfortable at this point? Uncle or sacrus are 80's uncommon for early November?I see low 70s on the GFS next week. Certainly warm but I don't know where you heard 80s. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle W Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 November has only three years that had temperatures 80 or above... 84 11/01/195083 11/02/195081 11/01/197480 11/15/199379 11/02/198279 11/03/200378 11/07/193878 11/05/196178 11/04/197578 11/03/1990 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJO812 Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 The GFS and GEFS MJO have it going back to 1. Euro has it bending backwards also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1220 Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Also three years ago. Was trapped by flood waters (in technically a non-flood zone) with fires burning a few blocks away. No rain/70mph winds. Yeah, that will stay with me. image.jpg image.jpg Happy Sandy-versary!! I've gone through my story a few times but at this time on that night 3 years ago, I was more than halfway through a bottle of rum, in the dark listening to the radio when it could be heard over the howling winds. Every once in a while I heard bangs from falling trees or explosions, which could be easily seen out the window. It was almost like July 4th. I heard worse and worse news about Long Beach and other coastal locations, and wondered how many people weren't going to make it, since most people I knew didn't evacuate (we did, a few towns inland with relatives). Luckily, everyone in Long Beach did (of course, over 100 people elsewhere didn't), but there was devastation that we're still not over, despite how rosy the city and Chamber of Commerce make it seem. I was out of my house for about 2 months, and was still one of the first on my street to be back. The last came back over a year after Sandy. Other neighborhoods in town still today have homes sitting around untouched since the day after the storm, due to lack of funds to repair them. Yup, definitely a night I'll never forget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doncat Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Only November 80 degree reading at my station was 80 degrees on the 3rd in 2003. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eduardo Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 I agree and the calls for a pattern change will likely be too early also like last year But the weenie suicides'll come right on time just like last year as well :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmillz25 Posted October 30, 2015 Author Share Posted October 30, 2015 Sandy was like no other for me. Living in northern Brooklyn I never lost power or was flooded. I did witness alot of damage tho trees down and garbage pails and debris all over the place. I can recall going to the store and having to hold on for dear life because I thought i was going to be knocked down by the wind. The strongest wind gust here was 83 mph at 7:30 pm which happens to be the time I went to the store. Incredibly Sandy actually brought a whole sh!tload of snow to the mountains of W. Virginia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1220 Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 I'm getting annihilated this morning. I'm under a tornado warning, severe T-storm warning, and flood warning. Rain has been going nonstop since about 5 this morning, and areas SW of me have over 7" already. The heaviest rain and storms are stalling over me now, and the rain intensity is about as heavy as I've ever seen. Winds are gusty too. We're supposed to get something of a break later this afternoon before being nailed again tonight. El Nino is back with a vengeance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1220 Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Austin's airport just had almost 6" of rain IN ONE HOUR!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morris Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Austin's airport just had almost 6" of rain IN ONE HOUR!!! WOW! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1220 Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Catastrophic flooding this morning especially on the south and east sides of Austin close to the airport, down into Hays County. That area is under a flash flood emergency and has up to 12" of rain, and it's still pouring all over the city. I'm up to about 7" where I am. Considering that even after this training rain ends, we're expecting more tonight, some of those areas might end up with 15" if not more. I might make it to 10" at this rate. There are pictures on Twitter of cars being picked up and taken down the creeks there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian5671 Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 great trick or treating weather on tap and then a dry torch to come next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzucker Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Austin's airport just had almost 6" of rain IN ONE HOUR!!! That's insane...the last time we had 6" of rain in an entire storm here was Irene, I believe. To get it in one hour is crazy, must be devastating flash flooding. Texas has had a really tough time coping with the drought-flood cycles that have been so prevalent the last few years. It's good to see lakes being refilled and aquifers fed, but when it comes all at once on parched soil, a catastrophe awaits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluewave Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Catastrophic flooding this morning especially on the south and east sides of Austin close to the airport, down into Hays County. That area is under a flash flood emergency and has up to 12" of rain, and it's still pouring all over the city. I'm up to about 7" where I am. Considering that even after this training rain ends, we're expecting more tonight, some of those areas might end up with 15" if not more. I might make it to 10" at this rate. There are pictures on Twitter of cars being picked up and taken down the creeks there. Onion Creek just beat the all time record crest set in 1998 and well above the May 2015 previous second place. Historic Crests (1) 25.10 ft on 10/17/1998 (2) 21.56 ft on 05/24/2015 (3) 21.07 ft on 10/31/2013 (4) 20.20 ft on 07/05/2002 (5) 17.56 ft on 06/09/1997 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1220 Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 That's insane...the last time we had 6" of rain in an entire storm here was Irene, I believe. To get it in one hour is crazy, must be devastating flash flooding. Texas has had a really tough time coping with the drought-flood cycles that have been so prevalent the last few years. It's good to see lakes being refilled and aquifers fed, but when it comes all at once on parched soil, a catastrophe awaits.The airport's probably over 13-14" based on nearby gauges (it's closed now). The rain finally stopped here but we're in bad shape to say the least. I have a little over 8" so far, downtown has 8-10". The vast majority of low water crossings near creeks in Austin are closed. Near Onion Creek on the southeast side is devastated. We're not done with the rain, but hopefully from here we see scattered heavy showers and at most another inch or two. I was nowhere near the heaviest rain and I'd say this is tied with the pre-Irene rain event in Aug 2011 for the heaviest rain I've seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morris Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 The airport's probably over 13-14" based on nearby gauges (it's closed now). The rain finally stopped here but we're in bad shape to say the least. I have a little over 8" so far, downtown has 8-10". The vast majority of low water crossings near creeks in Austin are closed. Near Onion Creek on the southeast side is devastated. We're not done with the rain, but hopefully from here we see scattered heavy showers and at most another inch or two. I was nowhere near the heaviest rain and I'd say this is tied with the pre-Irene rain event in Aug 2011 for the heaviest rain I've seen. I wondered why there is nothing reporting now. It's checked manually? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1220 Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 I wondered why there is nothing reporting now. It's checked manually?I think it's manual-I haven't seen any report from there since the hour they had almost 6". If they have 13" or more today, they now have over 20" this month combining this with the over 7" the airport had last weekend from the remnants of Patricia. My backyard has about 15" between both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluewave Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 This is one of the guys that got swept up in the flash flood and had to get rescued from a tree. https://twitter.com/KVUE/status/660124087205892096 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the moors in england Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Yanksfan looks hot in his avatar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1220 Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Photo album of the major flooding in the Austin area today: http://www.statesman.com/gallery/weather/heavy-rains-hit-central-texas-103015/gCXpF/#8330631 The airport is still closed-it's estimated that 14" of rain fell there. (Edit: Officially 14.53" at AUS today, 22" for the month counting last week's rain. A week ago there was zero rain for the month!!! And we're not done-more is expected overnight with the incoming trough) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1220 Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 AUS has an event total of 16.27" after more storms overnight. For the month, they're up to almost TWO FEET (23.82"), their wettest month on record. This rain entirely fell between this past rain event and the one last weekend related to Patricia. I think this now makes 2015 the wettest year on record at the airport. My backyard ended up with 9.77" and a monthly total of 16.3". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishRob17 Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 AUS has an event total of 16.27" after more storms overnight. For the month, they're up to almost TWO FEET (23.82"), their wettest month on record. This rain entirely fell between this past rain event and the one last weekend related to Patricia. I think this now makes 2015 the wettest year on record at the airport. My backyard ended up with 9.77" and a monthly total of 16.3". If your monthly total had reached 17" I'd be impressed...I can't back that up, that's some month down there, wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluewave Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 AUS has an event total of 16.27" after more storms overnight. For the month, they're up to almost TWO FEET (23.82"), their wettest month on record. This rain entirely fell between this past rain event and the one last weekend related to Patricia. I think this now makes 2015 the wettest year on record at the airport. My backyard ended up with 9.77" and a monthly total of 16.3". Texas will probably get the award for most dramatic swings between drought and flash flood this year. Just click on the start of year animation and turn up the speed. http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/MapsAndData/Animations/DynamicAnimations.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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