Hurricane Sandy continues to ravage its way through the Caribbean as it heads towards Florida's east coast. The hurricane, which downgraded to a Category 1 storm, is near Great Abaco Island, the National Hurricane Center announced on Friday morning. By Friday morning, up to 29 hurricane-related deaths were reported in the Caribbean.
According to the Miami-based center, Sandy is moving towards the northwest at nearly 10 mph and is expected to continue slowing down throughout the day. The hurricane is expected to take a turn north on Friday night and then a turn towards the northeast on Saturday, the morning report stated. The NHC reported that Hurricane Sandy would move north of the Bahamas by Friday night.
Sandy weakened overnight, with maximum sustained winds of nearly 80 mph, and may continue to weaken, the center said in its 8 a.m. ET advisory. Hurricane force winds extend out to 35 miles, the center said, with tropical storm winds reaching out up to 275 miles. The NHC reported, "The wind field of Sandy is expected to grow in size during the next couple of days."
On Friday morning, the NHC updated its issued hurricane warnings to include northwestern Bahamas except for Andros Island. The tropical storm warning was updated to include the central Bahamas, Florida's east coast from Ocean Reef to Flagler Beach, Lake Okeechobeee and Andros Island. A tropical storm watch now includes Savannah River to Oregon Inlet, N.C., Pamlico Sound, Florida's east coast from Flagler Beach north to Fernandina Beach, Florida's Upper Keys from Ocean Reed to Craig Key and Florida Bay.
Hurricane Sandy, dubbed the Frankenstorm, is expected to produce up to 20 inches of rainfall in some areas, which could lead to life-threatening flash floods and mudslides. Rainfall amounts of up to eight inches are expected to hit parts of the East Coast, with Florida getting up to six inches and North Carolina getting up to eight inches. The National Hurricane Center warned that storm surge and tide will cause coastal flooding, with up to 8 ft in the Bahamas and up to 3 ft in parts of Florida.
The Weather Channel also reported that the northeastern states of the U.S. should prepare for a combination of high winds, heavy rain, major coastal flooding, beach erosion and even some wet, heavy snow. High winds could extend inland, potentially causing damage to trees and power lines, the Weather Channel reported.
The National Hurricane Center will release the next complete advisory at 11 a.m. ET. Look out for continuous updates from Latinos Post throughout the day.
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