Putnam Officials: Strongest Winds to Hit Monday Night

The Putnam County Emergency Management team sent the following to residents, via NY-Alert (the state's online communication system), shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday:

Headline: UPDATE: Putnam County Officials Urge County Residents To Continue To Monitor The Arrival Of A Dangerous Storm With High Winds

This morning, in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Sandy, MaryEllen Odell, Putnam County Executive, along with County Emergency Response Officials participated in a National Weather Service briefing. Following is an overview of the current and predicted conditions.  

Hurricane Sandy continues its slow path towards our region and as it does, there have been several changes. Over the last 24 hours the center of the storm continues to gain strength and organization. As it slowly gains strength it would appear that it is going to make landfall slightly north of the original prediction, now central New Jersey.  

For our area the two major concerns are high wind speeds and tidal surges along the Hudson River. While rain remains a factor, the National Weather Service believes we will not see the severe impacts from water as we did in Irene. The winds for our area will begin to pick up in intensity at approximately 4:00 AM Monday October 29, 2012 reaching its peak Monday at 8:00 PM. Winds, although diminishing, will stay with us through mid-day Thursday.  

Total rainfall for this event is 2" – 6" with localized rain bands bringing in 1" 2" per hour. Winds: 
Sunday (10/28/12) 8:00 PM 14 MPH 
Monday (10/29/12) 8:00 AM 28 MPH Gusts to 44 MPH 
Monday (10/29/12) 8:00 PM 41 MPH Gusts to 62 MPH 
Tuesday (10/30/12) 8:00 AM 32 MPH Gusts to 49 MPH 
Tuesday (10/30/12) 8:00 PM 24 MPH Gusts to 36 MPH 
Wednesday (10/31/12) 8:00 AM 11 MPH Gusts to 25 MPH 
Wednesday (10/31/12) 8:00 PM 7 MPH 

Putnam’s Hudson River communities need to prepare for a higher than normal tidal surge. Due to atmospheric conditions and an increasing East Fetch (sustaining winds and atmospheric pressure that do not allow normal drainage of previous high tides) it is predicted that the tidal surge will be 2’ – 4’ over the normal high tide with the National Weather Service predicting closer to the 4’ mark. In addition the longer storm duration will result in up to 3 higher than normal tidal cycles.  

Temperatures will remain slightly above seasonal at the onset, but as the storm mixes with a cold front, temperatures will begin to descend into slightly lower than seasonal. By Wednesday we will see temperatures of 50 F during the day and 40 F overnight. There are no below freezing temperatures predicted.  

We should be prepared for localized flooding conditions as the remaining leaf cover is removed from trees. This can create blockage for normal drainage paths such as small streams.   

We advise all residents and visitors to Putnam County to prepare now. Charge your cell phone and have a car charger available.Have a battery powered radio and flashlights as well as extra batteries on hand.

Make sure you have enough medications (prescriptions and over the counter) on hand for all family members for at least one week. Inspect your house and surrounding areas for loose items, secure anything that can move in high winds. Go to http://www.ready.gov for more storm preparation tips. 

In addition, take time now to review your Personal Storm Emergency Plan and:  

• Have an Emergency GO Kit (everything you need if you have to leave your house)  Establish a Family Communication Plan (how will you communicate with your family during and after the event?) 
• Know your surroundings; is your property flood prone? Take protective action now! 
• If you have a generator, be sure it has been installed by a qualified electrician. You MUST have a transfer switch installed to prevent dangerous electricity from injuring utility crews as they repair damaged lines  
• For more information on storm preparation go to www.ready.gov  
• To track the storm or for up to date weather information go towww.weather.gov or www.nhc.noaa.gov (the National Weather Service’s Hurricane Center)  
• To report an outage or to review current outages for NYSEG go tohttp://www.nyseg.com/outages/default.html  
• To report an outage or to review current outages for Central Hudson go tohttp://stormcentral.cenhud.com/default.aspx  
• Stay informed before, during and after the event by signing up for NY-Alert at www.nyalert.gov. By being a NY-Alert subscriber you can receive weather advisories, road closure information and local updates from the County and your local municipality by phone, fax, email or text message, all at no charge!