Is Climate Driving Frankenstorm Sandy onto DC as Election Nears?

Although predictions are still iffy, Pepco and other utilities around the District of Columbia and the Atlantic seaboard are bracing for winds and water from Hurricane Sandy. Some experts think the impact of the hurricane itself will be worsened by interaction with a large blocking dome of high pressure. "Recent studies have shown that blocking highs have appeared with greater frequency and intensity in recent years, which some scientists think may be related to the loss of Arctic sea ice as a result global warming," reports Andrew Freedman for Climate Central on October 24, 2012. Coming so close to an election in which neither candidate has mentioned climate, it could be the political "perfect storm."

KEY STORIES:

"Hurricane Sandy Poses Growing Threat To East Coast" (Climate Central)

"Forecasters Warn East Coast About `Frankenstorm'" (AP)

"Experts Sound Alarm on Hurricane Sandy, Likely To Be Worse Than 1991 'Perfect Storm'" (Capital Weather Gang/Washington Post)

"Early Worries That Hurricane Sandy Could Be a ‘Perfect Storm’" (New York Times)

"Hurricane Sandy: The Next Climate Wake-Up Call?" (Politico)

"Hurricane Sandy: Mother Nature's Revenge on the 2012 Election?" (Big Think)

"Hurricane Sandy, Climate Change & New England's Stormy Future" (Daily Kos)

"Hurricane Sandy, Winter Storm Hybrid Threatens New York, Delaware, Maine With Bad Weather" (AP/Huffington Post)

"Frankenstorm: Why Hurricane Sandy Could Be the Perfect Storm, Part II" (TIME)

"So You’re About to Get Hit By a Hurricane…" (TIME)

"Hurricane Sandy Remains a Category 2, Continues on Its Track Toward The East Coast" (Weather Underground)