East Coast braces for Hurricane Sandy

(WTNH) -- With Hurricane Sandy moving up the East Coast, residents from the Carolinas to Maine are preparing for what's to come.

Hurricane Sandy remains a Category 1 hurricane as it pulls away from the Bahamas. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and was traveling north at 7 mph at 2 p.m. Friday.

Tropical Storm Watches are in effect for as far north as Cape Hatteras, North Carolina as of Friday morning.

The National Hurricane Center expects Sandy to curve towards the northeast, but they say an unprecedented turn back towards the northwest is then likely.

Sandy is expected to merge with an approaching cold front to produce one huge storm.

The large size of the storm means that storm conditions will be felt over a wide area. The result is that residents hundreds of miles away from the center of the storm could be significantly impacted.

At this point, the fringe effects of Sandy are expected to reach Connecticut by Sunday night. The worst conditions are then projected to move in on Monday.

The severity of the storm will depend on its exact track. The National Hurricane Center expects Sandy to move into the mid-Atlantic region, putting Connecticut on the northeast side.

Sandy is forecast to cause heavy rains, coastal flooding and strong winds along its path.

Stay with News 8 for more details.

Visit WXedge.com for around-the-clock storm updates and discussions