'Frankenstorm': Hurricane Sandy May Hit Sunday

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), Carroll County residents have time this weekend to prepare for what could be a 100-year hurricane starting possibly starting Sunday evening.

There is a slight chance of rain Saturday; otherwise expect cloudy skies and temperatures the mid-60s.

But by Sunday morning Hurricane Sandy is expected to be off the coast of the Carolinas on a north-bound trajectory. Forecasters see Sandy coming onshore sometime late Sunday or Monday, according to NWS meteorologist Jason Elliott, but we’ll feel the impact ahead of that. 

"After Sunday," he said, "things keep going downhill.” 

The area should expect “at least” tropical storm-force winds across the area and heavy rain, Elliott said, but it’s too early to tell exactly how fast those winds will blow and how much rain we’ll get.

Sandy is already responsible for 21 deaths across the Caribbean, according to NPR, and NWS meteorologist Paul Kocin told Bloomberg News that this could be a storm unlike any we've seen in awhile.

"What we’re seeing in some of our models is a storm at an intensity that we have not seen in this part of the country in the past century,” Kocin told Bloomberg. 

During the storm the county will be posting weather related information on various county websites and social media outlets. 

Below is a list of important links to obtain hurricane related information:

• Office of Public Safety Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/CCOPSSS
• Carroll County Government Website:http://ccgovernment.carr.org/ccg/default.asp
• Carroll County Government Twitter: @CarrollCoMDCarroll 
• County Access Channel 24

You can also get up to the minute information on the Westminster Patch Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/WestminsterPatch or by following on Twitter @WestminstrPatch. Follow Eldersburg/Sykesville Patch on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EldersburgPatch and on Twitter @EldersburgPatch.

Sign up for the Westminster Patch Newsletter and breaking news alerts to get updates on the storm.