Hurricane Sandy was 285 miles west of Cape Hatteras earlier this a.m. The intensifying hurricane is forecast to begin to turn northwest today and west-northwest before hitting land late tonight somewhere on the Jersey coast. It is possible that at high tide tonight, a 6- to 11-foot storm surge could hit New York harbor.

There are concerns of potential flooding in the NYC subways. Meanwhile, heavy rains are occurring in the Chesapeake Bay just southeast of Washington, D.C., with 4 to 8 inches of rain forecast for the Delmarva peninsula; 1-  to 2-inch snows are possible in the higher elevations of eastern West Virginia. High winds could wreak havoc, and power outages are expected along the East Coast as the storm approaches.

The stock market and the Nasdaq are closed today. Most flights along the East Coast have been cancelled or delayed. The weather in the Midwest will change slowly this week. Expect highs today and tomorrow across the Plains to range from the 60s and 70s and across the Corn Belt in the 50s, and 40s in the far Eastern areas.

Dry weather is forecast most of this week. Scattered storms could develop this next weekend in the eastern Plains and the western Corn Belt states with more moisture forecast next week, especially across the southern Corn Belt states, above-normal moisture across Texas and the northern Plains in parts of Montana and the Dakotas.

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