Help me understand: how will the cold front actually make Sandy stronger?

[Hugabear]

Usually, when hurricanes encounter colder temperatures, they weaken. Yet some reports that I've ready indicate that the approaching cold front may actually strengthen Hurricane Sandy.

I'm not doubting the experts, but is there some meteorological explanation that I'm missing here?

[Armstead]

1. I think it's because it is forming a wall that keeps the storm in place.

That's what I've heard...Might be wrong though.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. There is a high parked east of it, pushing it inland

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Because the lows are getting stronger

You got three centers of low pressure mixing into a strong nor'easter. This s why you have no tropical weather warnings any more.

[Xipe Totec]

4. Here is a detailed analysis

[MineralMan]

5. It's temperature differentials that determine the strength of storms.

For example, in Minnesota, our very worst thunderstorms come when a cold front meets warmer, moisture laden air. The cold air dives under the warm air, creating upward circulation underneath and creating a region that has a large temperature differential. Lots of energy with that combination.

[RobertEarl]

23. This thing is like a very wide low speed tornado.

Wind in the north side is blowing to the west from the east. The wind on the south side is blowing from the west to the east.

The south side is up to 20 degrees colder than the north side. The circulation turns to the left. Warm wind from the east then from the north and then from west back to east. It is only about a 1,000 mile wide tornado, and blowing at just an average speed of 40 mph. A huge low speed tornado.

As a comparison, Andrew was like a huge fast tornado, only about 100 miles wide. Katrina was about 200 miles wide. As these systems compact the winds become much more forceful.

[Botany]

6. 2 reasons

1) When you have two fronts coming together you can spin off high winds and
tornado activity

2) The cold front coming from the north west and a stationary high pressure
cell in the North Atlantic will force the hurricane into a narrow "channel" to the
north and west which will focus the storms energy into a relatively narrow
area of land.

[obamanut2012]

7. Read the book "The Perfect Storm"

Seriously! It explains so much of this, and it's just fascinating, even to a non-sciencey type like myself.

[Major Hogwash]

8. Cold fronts spin counter-clockwise, so the cold front will "suck" the storm further inland.

Thus increasing the wind speeds, bringing more moisture from the Atlantic Ocean farther inland.
Therefore, the amount of moisture sucked up into the eyewalls of the hurricane will increase and will rise higher than what it would have without the cold front's "sucking" effect.
When moisture rises that high in the air, it is pushed farther by the winds before it falls in the form of rain or snow, so this Frankenstorm will affect inland areas much farther from the coast than normal.

[dipsydoodle]

12. And the wind from the hurricane is already travellin' east to west

[Blue_In_AK]

9. Here you go.

I just posted this pic. It looks like a big squeeze.

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[dipsydoodle]

13. I lost track of your other post

before I could ask a question.

The arctic cold and the jet stream just are , although the jet stream can move about a bit , so why doesn't that happen throughout the winter ? Or does it anyway ?

I'm UK so can't really relate to this hooligan weather.

[Blue_In_AK]

19. I'm no weather expert,

But the jet stream does move around quite a bit. It affects our winters by bringing sudden warm winds sometimes, going from below zero to mid 40s in a a matter of hours.

[SheilaT]

10. It's also why there will be snow,

and blizzard conditions in parts of West Virginia and Maryland.

[HopeHoops]

11. Because it will park her over Harrisburg, PA (where I am) for 24-48 hours.

Parking makes the system build steam. It will also turn it to the right (satellite view) toward State College on her way to New York. Either way, we're fucked. Harrisburg is also a low pressure zone right now - bad combination. This is going to get nastier than it already is (and it's nasty now).

[DonRedwood]

15. all that rain for 48 hours....oh man, you are in trouble

[HopeHoops]

16. We have good drainage. I'm worried about other people. The wind is our biggest concern.

The roof is new, but that doesn't mean it will hold up. The trees and shrubs are in danger. I think the cars are in safe spots, at least based on past storms. But hell, this thing is fucking HUGE!

[Lex]

14. IF the cold front brings DRY air

that's when I thought it weakens a hurricane.

[WillyT]

17. This Might Help...

From this article: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/10/why-sandy-has-meteorologists-scared-in-4-images/264198/?google_editors_picks=true

[Samantha]

18. So if you are good at 'splaining things, can you clarify this storm for me

I am sitting in College Park, MD, 15 miles outside of DC. What do you think will happen here when the storm actually hits? I am very bad at these things. I keep looking at the maps, reading the info and I have formed a general opinion, but I am totally unsure of it. So any prediction would be greatly appreciated. It has been raining here since last evening, occasionally now we are getting some kind of quick gusts of wind, I expect all this to increase when the storm actually lands, but from what the local weather people said last night, we will be in the worst of it from this evening until tomorrow evening. What is the worst of it? I thought before 80 mph winds and perhaps 8 inches of rain for this area, but I just don't know now.

Sam

[cthulu2016]

20. Hi Sam. Not much beyond very nasty weather

In College Park you'll have 40-50 MPH winds gusting to 70 and it will rain buckets, but if you are indoors it should just be a night of really nasty weather outside.

This is assuming that you are not in a flood area—I think of College Park as pretty well elevated.

The only big question for you is whether you lose power or not.

[Samantha]

24. Thank you so much, cthulu2016

I had kind of thought maybe 8 inches of rain, high gusts of wind, maybe loss of power some time tonight. I don't know if College Park would be considered a flood area or not; my neighbor says it was built on a swamp (like DC). But someone visiting me told me he thought we might have some trees come down tonight because the ground is so soggy. It has been raining since last night.

I do think I am not in as bad a situation as those in NJ or NY and I really feel for them.

To the west about 150 miles is my small place in WV and the news said there is a blizzard going on on that area. What a rough night.

Sam

[slutticus]

21. Enthalpy of Vaporization (in reverse)

Phase changes of water release massive amounts of energy.

Imagine all of the water vapor in sandy suddenly condensing, and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light. Total protonic reversal.

[RobertEarl]

22. Thats why the wind blows

Warm air from the Atlantic is blowing into the cold air from Alaska. Not only does the warm moisture laden air rise, causing a wind, the release of the energy in the warm air also causes wind as the ice falling from the sky displaces air below.

This storm has always had its highest winds to the southwest. That is because that is where the warm air and cold air are meeting.