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Subscribe to RSSNBC's Lester Holt reports from Norfolk, Va., where nearly 60 million people are on severe storm watch as Hurricane Sandy threatens more than 800 miles of the Eastern Seaboard from Maine to South Carolina.
Updated at 8:21 p.m. ET -- Superstorm Sandy strengthened Monday as it bore down on the East Coast, shutting down public transportation and leading to the first weather-related closure of U.S. stock market in 27 years.
Watch now: Multiple live video streams of Sandy coverage
Forecasters say the massive storm has the potential to be one of the most damaging ever to hit the United States. Here is a look at the figures that make up the storm. We'll be updating these numbers throughout the day.
Number of people affected: Expected to affect between 50 million and 60 million;
Tides are forecasted to be more than 11 feet in New York City, higher than the city has ever seen. As a result, Wall Street could be closed for several more days. NBC's Harry Smith reports.
Number of deaths blamed on Sandy: 65 in the Caribbean.
Size of storm: Nearly 1,000 miles wide;
States impacted: Nine states, Washington, D.C., and a coastal county in North Carolina have declared states of emergency;
Ground speed of storm: 28 miles per hour as of 2 p.m. ET Monday;
Speed of winds: 90 mph. Tropical storm-force winds extended 485 miles from the center;
Number of flights canceled: More than 10,000 flights were canceled through Tuesday, according to FlightAware.com, and that number is expected to grow into Wednesday;
Number of people told to evacuate: 375,000 in NYC; 50,000 in Delaware; 30,000 in Atlantic City, N.J.;
TODAY's Al Roker reports from Point Pleasant, N.J., where water is starting to come over the dunes as Hurricane Sandy strengthens. Due to the full moon, high tides are expected to add to the storm surge, which could rise to 11 feet.
Number of customers without power: As of 2:59 p.m. ET, 3.1 million were without power, most of them in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Get the latest news on Superstorm Sandy on NBCNews.com
Heaviest rainfall: Up to 12 inches in isolated regions of Mid-Atlantic states;
Inches of snow: Up to 12 inches in some areas expected. In addition, up to three feet of snow expected in the Appalachian Mountains from West Virginia to Kentucky;
Size of storm surge: 4 to 11 feet across much of the affected area;
BreakingNews.com's coverage of Sandy
Number of NYC students affected by Monday and Tuesday's school closure: 1.1 million;
Number of public transport riders without service Monday in NYC, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey: More than 10 million;
Gerry Broome / AP
After strong winds and heavy rain washed out bridges and damaged homes in multiple countries, the hurricane looks toward the northeastern U.S.
Miles of subway track closed in New York City alone: Nearly 660;
FEMA’s estimate for potential wind damage alone: $2.5 to $3 billion;
Residential properties at risk of damage: Nearly 284,000, valued at $88 billion;
Number of Atlantic City casinos shut down: 12.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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The stock market closed? Batten the hatches. This is gonna be a rough ride.
Part of me hopes that this storm story is being overblown, to encourage people to take it seriously
Part of me hopes that it isn't being overblown because is is the only thing the Media knows how to do
All of me, hopes people will be safe...and properties will be left undamaged...
Mr.Phea
If you have seen any kind of news report, you would know that this is not being "overblown" and you should take it seriously. Sounds like you may be conflicted! lol
For Clarity to B from NY
I hope this storm isn't as bad as they are saying it will be, for the sake of those in its path...while I also hope the Media has not turned up the Hysteria dial about Sandy, unless it was done to encourage preparation/evacuation for those in its path
You never know until it gets there. Weather prediction models are pretty accurate 2-3 days out so I wouldn't think they are too far off. The media probably doesn't have to hype it up too much considering it's 1,000 miles wide.
Better to overestimate the consequences than downplay it and not be ready.
AG99
Upto the point at which the over-estimation doesn't create future complacency (aka the New Orleans Effect)...Again, I hope people are safe and the storm doesn't do the type of damage it is predicted to do...but, because I'm not sure how loud the media would have to Scream next time
Stretch out your arms Barry.... stretch them out and calm the waters of the deep.............
Talk about overreacting! This thing is barely a Cat-1. For the NE I guess it's a big deal, but I've seen regular thunderstorms during the summer that were worse than Sandy.
Thunderstorms don't bring storm surges or wipe out power and bring flooding to very large areas. They are localized and more easily recovered from.
Thunderstorms move much faster and are much smaller! This thing is only moving 15 mph and extends over 3 states!! Where the heck do you live that you can be so cavalier???? I live in Central PA, and the storm is forcast to come straight at us, possibly still with hurricane force winds and be a 3 day event! Show me a thunderstorm that does that!!!
UDunnoBro, Hurricane Sandy is now the largest hurricane in Atlantic history. I think that warrants a little news coverage, don't you? Pompous dick.
Diameter.... yes, but all other stats for Sandy are rather low-end.... a hurricane is still a hurricane, but for intensity, speed, sustained winds, etc.... Sandy is a big blow............
I live in Florida,
We usually mow the yard during a category 1, we tell our kids to come in from outside during a category 2, we actually board up for a category 3. Face it you cant get any lower to sea level than Florida (+1 foot above seal level). You people who are affected are so because of poor maintenance to your power line clearances because your electrical companies are accustomed to not worrying about hurricanes. As for your flooding the thing exasperating that issue is the full moon.
To survive do like the previous poster suggested with the bath tub, have candles and lanterns, be very careful with the fires on candles, make sure you have food and blankets, and if you are in low level or even sub level apartments then seek shelters.
Why is it, when a natural disaster hits anywhere in the US, there is always someone that has to "brag" that it isn't as bad as what happened to them. Theirs caused more damage and/or killed more people. In my opinion, if one person is lost in the disaster then it is major. I pray that help gets to the ones that need it, and power gets restored quickly, before we loose more people. I personally will be doing whatever I can to help from my home state of MS (home of Katrina and Camille). And, to add some perspective, Sandy has displaced a greater amount of people than the population of the state of MS (2.9 million). Lets work together people!!!!
Just want to remind those who will lose power/water during & after Hurricane Sandy: You can fill your bathtubs with water & use it to flush toilets. Just leave a large pitcher or small bucket next to the tub. Fill it & pour it down the toilet to flush. Praying that everyone will be safe during this time.
janharr, we will be doing that. Thanks for the reminder, hoping others see it.
There are electric crews coming from Oklahoma as well! My friend's husband left yesterday to go to Virginia to help.
There are electric crews coming from Oklahoma. My friend's husband left yesterday morning to go to Virginia to help.
I refuse to wait for the 30 second commercials on this site, so I can view their videos!
Obama failed to divert the storm. I'm not surprised.
Saying that 8 states are affected does not mean much on the east coast. Texas counties are bigger than most New England states. It will be interesting to see how this storm is followed up compared to Katrina.
Jim,
So 8 out of 50 states does not mean much? Texas counties are bigger than most NE states? You are waiting around to see if the clean up is like Katrina? Why? How is that interesting? You into devastation?
Jim please don't display your lack of knowledge of geography and population density. 60 million people in its path. Texas has thousands of square miles with no one there. From the sounds of things we are already better prepared on the ground for the aftermath. This will create jobs no one anticipated or wanted but will take care of to get things corrected.
Suggestion for people who will lose power/water: You can fill your bathtubs with water to use for flushing toilets. Just keep a large pitcher or small bucket by the tub, fill it & pour down the toilet. It would be best to conserve as much water as possible, since you don't know how long you'll be without it. Also fill as many pitchers, etc as you can for drinking water. (For the last hurricane, we also stocked up on charcoal & lighter fluid, as well as propane gas---there are multitude of things you can cook on the outdoor grill.) Will be praying that everyone will reamin safe during this time.
Also if you can a inverter which you can plug into your car works wonders if you are without power, just plug it in, turn your car on, run whatever power needs you need off of it.
It was helpful here in Florida, when we were without power for weeks; also have something to boil water with, whether its a propane stove or electric running off your car, the water has a habit of being contaminated with the really bad storms.
Hurricane Charlie cut power to over 900,000 Florida homes, MILLIONS of people were without power, some for weeks. This storm is vastly overrated. The good news is that this is all the bad news they could come up with.
I hope you are right. But the problem here is we are not used to this level storm. Most end up as tropical storms by the time they get here. And you have to consider this is a convergence of three storms. And it is huge dropping lots of water in areas that cannot handle it. When we lived in Boca, heavy water just ran off quickly.
Florida is not the only state in the country.
Also typically a hurricane doesn't make landfall this far north, and two its the combination of factors that make it a real possibility for a problem.
I live in Florida where we do get hurricanes fairly commonly, but I always make a habit of respecting the storm, any hurricane is no joke.
amazing fox news is covering the crud out of this and the coverup in bengazi. i know i know a lot of liberals here are saying what is bengazi ?
like obama, they "were not told of the event."
The fantasies of right-wing Obama-haters are truly fascinating to behold. Do these people really think that we are not all upset about Benghazi? Are these fantasies so important to them that they have to announce them on an article about the weather?
As an ex-Marylander I remember Hazel. It was not as large as Sandy but damage along the East coast was bad. I hope all my friends will be safe.
Better to over-react than under-react. Just ask the people of New Orleans
Where on this pathetic excuse for a news site would I find updates about the murder of a US Ambassador and 3 other brave Americans and the subsequent cover-up by the President and his staff? I looked under US, World, Politics, Entertainment, Business and Sports and nada. So the biggest news story since Watergate somehow passed by you corrupt clowns and you think by not covering it we'll just forget it? What about the story about the Commanding General of African Command being relieved of his duty because he ordered his guys to try and rescue Chris Stevens? Or the removal of the Admiral over the Mideast Battle Group at the same time? Do you folks even have any reporters or do you just run feeds from other left leaning sites?
I'm sorry, is the rest of the world not as obsessed with Obama hatred as you? Oh dear, how will you ever survive? You'd better make up some more crap just in case.
Also seriously the storm is a bit more important in people's minds right now.
This storm is going to be very, very bad.
It is the size of the storm, not the intensity. It is a low grade hurricane.
Some people on this forum do not seem to understand that the hurricane is a huge low pressure system, and it is the low pressure that raises the water level that allows the surface waves to do so much damage. One foot of surge will go an average of 800 feet inland, so it is a big problem.
Add to this the fact that the electrical grid in the area was built as early as 1915 and it is on its last legs. If the of this storm provide moisture for a cold front, it will generate mega-sleet; which will take down a significant percentage of the grid.
You have to love Americans. FEMA will open up the floodgates and the money will pour into the (rich) communities (owned by the one percenters) and they will use the money to rebuild in exactly the same location. And the hard working tax payers pick up the bill! What a country.
If Obama emulates Giuliani after 9/11 he can look presidential and win the election.
If Obama emulates Bush after Katrina we can look forward to four years of sun, sex, sin, divine intervention,
death and destruction (better known as the Military Industrial Complex aka the Republican Party)
Nutcase.
Not a nutcase, the infrastructure problem he mentioned is a problem, its why over each successive hurricane the damage tends to increase.
@ Endtrust
Your tinfoil hat too tight today? Please sight your sources.
ENDRUST wouldn't you like to state something to eRtwngr?
It never fails to amaze me that when a storm is about to occur (a Nor'ester) or has occured in the NE, that how tremendous it is, how much snow they're getting blah blah blah. But yet when something similar happens away from this area, there is very little coverage. Years ago, many years, I wondered why the Weather Channel gave so much coverage to this area, well, where are they located at? When the huge hurricanes hit Lousianna, Charleston, Florda, etc., the hype was there but not like in the NE and the devastation was worse because of the rapidity of the storm and the 100+ mph winds. I've been in several super typhoons in the Pacific that last for days, like this one might, so I know what its like, you secure and wait it out.
Would it be such a bad thing if the east coast got wiped off the map?
To those of us normal, hardworking folks, yes. Maybe Texas should be the first to go...
California..hands down
That's just silly and illogical. On a map the east coast would still be the east coast. I won't have moved to the south, north or west coast. It might look different but it will still be the east coast.
Notice that according to he mainstream media.. nothing else is happening in the world?. Sorry for the storm but we have them all the time. Why when one hits the Northeast that is all we hear 24/7? The thing is barely a hurricane, what is unique is the cold fronts, but an 11 foot storm surge.... thats really not a big deal.
everyone be safe , '' and vote democrat '', they're the only party who won't politicize helping you after the passing of the storm. AND '' YES '' I'M STONE COLD SERIOUS !!!!!
So those Democrats would be the ones (you) politicizing it while it's still blowing.
Um you do know that you are politicizing the storm even before it makes landfall right there Mr. rocket scientist?
And yes, I do believe you are stoned.
Number of new jersey casinos shut down = 12. thats just the casinos that have been out of business. before teh storm.lol
This storm is the result of the wrath of God from the planet Kolob.
I thought it was the end of the Mayan Calendar 2 months early.
Compare deaths from Hazel in 1954. Another east coast October, during a full moon, meeting a cold front hurricane like Sandy.
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/outreach/history/#hazel
And adjusted for inflation, that $281 million in 1954 equals $2.3 billion today. That isn't too far from the $2.5 billion FEMA is estimating for Sandy.
So a 1954 hurricane back when CO2 was 315 ppm is about the same as a 2012 hurricane when CO2 is 391 ppm.
I hope that this hurricane doesn't do damage to where the east-coast states have to be completely evacuated from the wraith of this storm.
It's all Romeny's and Obama's fault heh heh. They are to blame for this storm LOL. To funny, I'm surprised no one is blaming them for this heh heh
There is a lot of hot air swirling around those two.
It supposedly is the most dangerous storm in 100 years but the weather tards still go out and stand in it, like theyre some hero. Its a storm, get over it. Now if it were a CAT 5 and hitting 2 other weather systems, now thats a story, and the weather tards would still go stand outside in it.