Hurricane Sandy is seen churning towards the east coast of the United States is this NOAA handout satellite image taken on October 27, 2012. Image taken October 27, 2012. (Photo : REUTERS/NOAA National Hurricane Center/Handout)

Hurricane Sandy, dubbed “Frankenstorm,” eyes at New York City along its projected path, and will potentially freeze the city’s public transportation over the weekend.

Find out NYC's hurricane evacuation zones

The monster hurricane Sandy, which media dubbed as “Frankenstorm” for its potentially catastrophic effect as a hybrid of hurricane-force winds and a cold front, is expected to touch down on the U.S. east coast next week.

The most updated forecast suggests that the landfall will be made on early Tuesday, striking the Eastern Seaboard near the Delaware coast.

Sandy, which was downgraded to a Tropical Storm on Saturday morning, again regained hurricane strength just hours later, continues its path northwards with sustained winds of 75 mph. At 2 p.m. EDT, Sandy was around 335 miles southeast of Charleston, S.C., moving at 11 mph. 

The monster storm has already resulted in 42 deaths in the Caribbean, and its threat has been described as "serious as a heart attack for anybody near the rising water" by veteran weather forecaster Bryan Norcross on a blog post on Weather Underground. 

"We're expecting a large, large storm," Louis Uccellini, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Center for Environmental Prediction, said Friday.

"The circulation of this storm as it approaches the coast could cover about the eastern third of the United States."

"This storm will affect millions and cost billions. This is really going to be a huge storm and something unprecedented in meteorological terms,” AccuWeather forecaster Marshall Moss has told The New York Daily News.

Sandy may mark the most intense storm in New York’s history, and could possibly force New York City into evacuation.

Friday evening, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for the entire New York State as the Category 1 hurricane is likely to approach the area as early as Sunday.

“As we prepare for the possibility of Hurricane Sandy hitting New York State, I am activating all levels of state government to prepare for any potential impacts,” Cuomo said.

“We are working with federal and local partners to follow storm developments and organize a coordinated response plan. With unpredictable weather conditions, we are taking the greatest precautions – especially after our experience from last year’s storms. I urge New Yorkers to plan for hurricane conditions and follow news reports to stay updated on the storm’s progress.”

“With the angle that it’s coming in, it’ll just pile up water right up against the shoreline,” Henry Margusity, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather, said.

“We’re still trying to assess the surge of water from the storm. There could be flooding up the Hudson River all the way to New York City.”

As early as Saturday, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is expected to announce whether to order evacuation of New York City’s low-rise residents

Bloomberg further warned a possible shutdown of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority transits.

“The MTA’s hurricane plan calls for the beginning of suspension of service before the arrival of sustained winds of 39 miles per hour or higher. The MTA is still reviewing whether to suspend some or all service in advance of the storm, but we are working closely with them and they have assured us ample notice will be provided of any suspension,” Bloomberg said.

“A major concern given this type of storm is the possibility of prolonged power outages, as you know. And we’re also working closely with ConEd, as we always do. But this is a large, unpredictable storm so be prepared for possible outages.”

Besides New York, state of emergency has been declared across the east coast including Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington D.C.
Around 10 inches of rain and 2 feet of snow could hit some areas, and winds are expected to reach 50 to 60 miles an hour, according to forecasters.

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