No Change to Sandy's Forecast Track; Storm May Intensify Before Landfall

The National Hurricane Center said Saturday night that the projected track for Hurricane Sandy had not changed, with forecast models still predicting the storm will eventually make landfall along the New Jersey coastline.

Meanwhile, the Miami-based agency said it would not lengthen the watch or warning area for the storm to locations north of areas currently under such warnings since Sandy may no longer be considered a tropical system once it reaches the Shore area.

Instead, official advisories for the storm would come in the form of high wind warnings and various marine warnings issued by local National Weather Service offices.

"There has been no change to the track or the intensity forecast reasoning," forecasters from the hurricane center said in an advisory issued at 5 p.m. Saturday. "Sandy is likely to remain at or near hurricane strength for the next day or so."

The advisory said Sandy would eventually come into contact with another weather system which would pull it toward the east coast and simultaneously cause it to further strengthen, though it could lose some of the characteristics that technically make it a tropical weather system.

Sandy will be a "vigorous extratropical cyclone" by the time it makes landfall in New Jersey, packing winds of up to 80 m.p.h.