When it makes landfall, Sandy could have characteristics of both a hurricane and a Nor’easter, says Perry Samson, a University of Michigan professor of atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences who teaches a course called Extreme Weather. According to Samson, this storm is interesting because a hurricane coming across warm water and intensifying will meet with a cold front coming down from the North, and the combination will turn the hurricane into an extratropical storm, having the characteristics of both a Nor’easter and a hurricane.
ABOUT THE PROFESSOR: Perry Samson is the Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Atmospheric Science the University of Michigan. His research includes chemical meteorology; computer simulation of atmospheric transport and chemistry of contaminants, applications of meteorological and air pollution instrumentation; and educational technology.
