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Hurricane Sandy is weakening and moving faster than anticipated. A computer model developed by an engineer at The Johns Hopkins University is now predicting fewer power outages than initially expected. Seth Guikema is predicting that an overall cumulative total of 8 to 10 million people will lose power in the wake of the hurricane, based on the last storm track and intensity forecast at 2 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, Oct. 30.

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6.5 million people in the Northeast US are without power, including all of Manhattan below 39th Street. Nuclear power plants in the region are on alert because of the danger that they may lose outside power supplies, or their water exchange systems may be flooded. The power plants rely on diesel generators for backup power. Outside power is essential to the continued functioning of their cooling pumps.
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A tsunami warning has been issued for Hawaii, and the warnings for US and Canadian coastal areas have been called off. Four to Seven foot wayve area expected to reach the Hawaii’s north facing beaches today. The warning has been issued after a 7.1 earthquake struck an island off the coast of Canada.

At the same time, the northeastern US is doing its best to prepare for Sandy. New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced that all public transportation will be shut down starting with buses and subways at 7PM Sunday and extending to commuter trains at 9PM.

Residents of the region are being urged to take the storm seriously and to move to higher ground in areas that are prone to flooding.
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Who would have believed it? Cleaning up pollution may lead to more hurricanes!

We’re not sure how this might effect tornadoes, but recent research suggests that cleaning up air pollution from factories in North America and Europe could have helped to cause more disastrous hurricanes in the US in recent years. Since 1995, according to NOAA, severe hurricanes have become much more frequent in the US.

It was always assumed that natural causes were behind the temperature fluctuations that lead to hurricanes, but a new study suggests that tiny airborne particles from industrial pollution (as well as from volcanic eruptions), are the more likely culprit.
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