Strengthening rapidly after tearing into Jamaica and crossing the warm Caribbean Sea, Sandy hit southeastern Cuba early on Thursday with winds around 170 kph. Power was cut and trees downed, with at least 21 fatalities across the Caribbean.

The storm is now weakening as it moves across the northern Bahamas. Concerns are now focusing on the Eastern Seaboard of the US.

We are likely to see some flooding anywhere from Florida to the Carolinas over the next few days. The storm is expected to slow down and coincide with a number of high tides in the process.

Current projections then suggest that the hurricane could merge with a very active cold front as it moves north with potentially devastating effect. The meeting of very cold Artic air and warm, moist tropical air could result in something akin to the “perfect storm” that killed 13 people in 1991 and caused 200 million dollars in damage.