Sandy intensified and was reclassified as a hurricane Saturday as it churns along a track that could see it reach the tri-state as a hybrid super-storm with the potential to cause widespread flooding and lasting power outages.
NBC 4 New York has learned that Gov. Chris Christie will declare a state of emergency later Saturday, joining New York in the alert.
The storm had been briefly downgraded to a tropical storm, which is defined by only a small difference in wind speed; a hurricane has sustained winds of at least 74 mph while a tropical storm has 73 mph and under. More fluctuations between hurricane and tropical storm status are expected as it heads north.
Sandy, which has left more than 40 people dead in its path across the Caribbean, is expected to move parallel to the southeast coast of the U.S. through the weekend.
Tropical storm conditions are expected to reach the coastal Carolinas Saturday evening and spread north Sunday. The storm could regain strength Sunday night, which is when its effects could start to be felt in our area.
