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Hurricane Sandy Threatens Northeast and Mid-Atlantic

Hurricane Sandy's path projected on Thursday by the National Hurricane Center.http://www.nhc.noaa.govHurricane Sandy's path projected on Thursday by the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Sandy, now battering the Bahamas, is expected to barrel up the East Coast over the weekend and possibly collide with a winter blast, producing what weather forecasters fear could create a historic and potentially devastating storm for a large swath of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic early next week.

Under some of the most recent computer models, the hurricane could slam into the New Jersey coast on Tuesday with tropical-force winds and, depending on landfall, cause severe coastal and inland flooding and historic urban flooding in New York Ci ty, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Some weather forecasters are calling the unusual combination of a hurricane and winter weather from the Midwest “Frankenstorm,” which inspired the creation of a new Twitter account by that name.

Forecasters are drawing comparison to the so-called Perfect Storm of 1991, warning that the mix could cause mayhem, with downed power lines, flooding and high winds, from the Carolinas to New England and as far inland as Ohio. Some areas may be forced to cancel Halloween plans.

“If it actually hits at the kind of intensity it might across central to northern New Jersey, that would be a potential worst-case scenario for New York City,” said Paul Kocin, a meteorologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “That would maximize coastal flooding and winds for New York. The floodin g could be of a level that would be rarely ever seen.”

But Mr. Kocin cautioned that forecasts could change and that some computer models were showing that Hurricane Sandy, expected to move into the western Atlantic before turning back toward the northern coast, could hit anywhere from the Carolinas to the DelMarva peninsula to the southern coast of New England. What is certain, however, is that the winter weather moving from the Midwest is setting the stage for a dangerous storm.

“Without these two systems coming together, it is possible that the hurricane would remain harmlessly out at sea,” Mr. Kocin said. “The storm coming from the Midwest may cause the hurricane to not only make a left turn but make it more intense than it would be otherwise.”

“The storm, wherever it comes in, is going to have a large impact over a lot of people, no matter what,” he said.

An animation by NASA.

In New York City, Bloomberg administration officials activated the city's coastal emergency plan, which that led to the closing of the subway system and the evacuation of thousands of residents in low-lying areas during Hurricane Irene in August 2011. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said that some residents should prepare to evacuate. Our colleagues in City Room are noting descriptions of the storm.

“There will be a lot of rain along the whole East Coast, certainly in Southern Florida, and then coming up,” Mr. Bloomberg told reporters on Thursday. “If this storm merges with another storm coming from the Ohio Valley, it has the potential to give you real weird weather, like snow, and a lot of rain and high winds. On the other hand, it might just go out to sea, and they just don't know. What we are do ing is we are taking the kind of precautions you'd expect us to do, and I don't think anybody should panic.”

Jay Carney, the White House spokesman, said during a briefing that federal emergency management officials had been working with local officials to prepare for the storm. He said people living along the Eastern Seaboard should monitor weather reports in the coming days.

At least four people died in the Caribbean as a result of the hurricane, which is currently a Category 2 storm after making landfall in Cuba.