Tropical Storm May Hit New England Early Next Week

Do you remember that snowstorm that dumped snow and left large areas without power for days last October? 

Well, get ready for another potential Halloween storm. This time it likely won't bring snow to New England, but it could bring heavy rain and damaging wind early next week. 

Tropical Storm Sandy, located in the Carribbean, could strike the East Coast by Tuesday, Oct. 23.

Sandy was about 395 miles (636 kilometers) south of Kingston, Jamaica, and had winds of 40 mph (64 kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. It is expected to head toward Jamaica and be near or over the island Wednesday, perhaps with winds close to hurricane strength of 74 mph (119 kph).

National Hurricane Center forecasters predict the storm will follow a northward track, but they are still not certain of an exact path.

Some models have the storm running parallel to the coasts of Florida and the Carolinas before moving inland to bring heavy rains and winds to the Mid-Atlantic and New England early next week.

The storm could even bring a heavy wet snow to the Appalachian Mountains. 

Other models have Sandy remaining off the East Coast, but close enough to bring wind and heavy surf.

Forecasters are advising East Coast residents to monitor the progress of the system.

It’s the third year in a row that the Atlantic basin has had at least 18 named storms, a higher than average year of about 11.