Sandy

If it's Monday, it must be time for a hurricane.

And I'm not referring to the cocktail emanating from Pat O'Brien's in New Orleans.

Hurricane Sandy is rapidly approaching the Atlantic coast of the US. As of 8:00 a.m., the huge storm was producing sustained winds of 85 miles per hour after turning north northwest toward the coastline of New Jersey, according to the National Hurricane Center. The center of the storm is now moving at 20 mph, a significant speedup from earlier in the morning.

Hurricane Sandy is drifting up the Atlantic coast and is expected to make landfall later this afternoon, probably somewhere in New Jersey.

But as of 8:52 a.m. CST this morning, she's already having an impact well in to New York City. I've already seen Twitpics of Battery Park City starting to surrender to the surge, which is truly frightening considering how much of the storm is still yet to come.

As an FYI, both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal have eliminated their paywalls and are making their content free, if you're looking for up-to-the-minute updates on the storm.

YouTube is also streaming the Weather Channel (where NBC's Al Roker was just seen trying to stay vertical at Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey).

I spoke with a good friend of mine who lives on the edge of Cobble Hill (in Brooklyn), and he indicated the water had not yet lapped over the piers there, but that it was likely only a matter of time. Forecasters are expecting a 6-to-11-foot surge when high tide strikes around 8:00 tonight.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo just held a press conference and announced the closing of both the Holland and Brooklyn Battery tunnels at 2:00 p.m. EST.

If you're interested in seeing more detaila about the storm, Google's offering up its "Crisis Map" here, and a more specific look at NYC here.

On Twitter, the National Hurricane Center is offering facts and tips at @NHC_Atlantic, and the Weather Channel can be followed at @weatherchannel.

I was living in NYC in 1985 during Hurricane Gloria, and that storm paled by comparison. So, please, be safe out there, stay away from the ocean, stay inside, and ride this sucker out as safely as you can!