Hurricane Sandy update

GOWANUS, NEW YORK CITY–The winds continue to increase here, howling past windows and splattering the rain. Tiny beads of water almost feel like sand when you step outside thanks to the strong gusts. Such isHurricane Sandy as it speeds into the New York metropolitan region and prepares to turn and slam in slow motion into the southern coast of New Jersey tonight.

At the same time, the storm will be merging with other weather systems to form what’s known as a “post-tropical cyclone,” or Frankenstorm as some meteorologists have called it in honor of the approaching Halloween holiday. And this Frankenstorm will be capable of dropping as much as three feet of snow in the mountains of West Virginia while dumping rain as far east as Rhode Island.