City | 3:09 pm | October 29, 2012 | By Julia Zorthian

Weather advisory warns 90 mph winds

Hurricane Sandy makes its way to the East Coast.
Hurricane Sandy makes its way to the East Coast. Photo by National Environmental Visualization Laboratory/Creative Commons.

New Haven can expect increasing rain and wind gusts up to 90 mph as Hurricane Sandy continues this afternoon, with thunderstorms occurring after midnight tonight, according to the National Weather Service. Flooding is likely in New Haven, with a storm surge rising anywhere from 3 to 6 feet.

The storm is expected to reach peak intensity in southern Connecticut between 3 p.m. Monday and 3 a.m. Tuesday, according to CBS Local. The surge is expected to swell to a height from 7 to 11 feet, which is about double the levels recorded during Hurricane Irene last year.

Conn. Gov. Dannel Malloy closed state highways to all traffic at 1 p.m.

In an email sent to Jonathan Edwards College, JE Master Penelope Laurans wrote Yale will probably sustain power throughout the storm, though it is likely that many Connecticut residents will not.

Around 3 p.m., Malloy tweeted that Connecticut residents who lose power should not expect it restored quickly.

“Utility crews cannot risk lives to fix power during storm. If you lose power, plan for it to be out throughout duration of storm,” he wrote.

As of 2 p.m., Sandy is moving northwest from offshore west of Virginia at a speed of about 28 mph. The hurricane is expected to make landfall in southern New Jersey by early evening.

The National Weather Service has announced a High Wind Warning, Coastal Flood Warning, Flood Warning and Hazardous Weather Outlook for New Haven. The forecast warns that “a flood warning means flooding is occurring or is imminent” and “a significant threat to life and property exists” during a High Wind Warning.

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