Peabody Under Warning for Damaging Winds and Flooding

Peabody and the rest of the North Shore remains under warning for sustained damaging windspeeds and the possibility of major flooding as a result of Hurricane Sandy.

As of approximately 10:45 p.m. Sunday night, the National Weather Service was anticipating damaging easterly winds between 35-45 mph with gusts up to 75 mph, which could lead to widespread power outages for days and present a "significant threat to life and property."

"Hurricane Sandy will track northward along the eastern seaboard into Monday morning, turning west and making landfall in Central New Jersey late Monday. Widespread damaging winds and power outages are anticipated across all of Southern New England as the strong wind field of Sandy expands northward later tonight [Sunday] through Monday evening," says the NWS.

The warning is in effect between 6 a.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday -- the strongest and most damaging of the winds are expected Monday afternoon and evening along the coast.

As Sandy bears down on the region, schools have already been closed for the day and Massachusetts is under a statewide level of emergency. As of Sunday night, President Barack Obama authorized a federal emergency declaration for the Bay State, making federal aid available for emergency storm response.

Gov. Deval Patrick urged residents to stay off the roads and stay home Monday, calling on private employers to follow his lead and have all workers stay home except for essential personnel needed for public safety and emergency response.

While there may be no school Monday, as of Sunday night, no announcements had been made in regard to city offices and operations for Monday. At this time, it's business as usual and trash pickup has not been delayed. Curbside leaf pickup is also slated to begin this week (on your regular trash day).

Residents can also call 978-538-5758 for local storm updates.

The NWS says high-rise buildings along the coast will be most susceptible to wind damage Monday, but damage to inland structures and homes is still a possibility. The NWS points out that debris and downed trees or power lines could result in blocked roadways at times.

As for flooding, the worst of it is expected throughout coastal cities and towns, particularly the South Shore, but anyone in low-lying or flood-prone areas around Peabody should beware.

The NWS says sustained storm force winds with hurricane force gusts and a storm surge of three to six feet could lead to moderate to major coastal flooding during high tide on Monday and Tuesday. The flood warning is in effect from 6 a.m. Monday to 1 p.m. on Tuesday.

"Along the East Coast, the coastal flooding may be comparable to or worse than the Patriots Day storm of 2007," according to the NWS. "The worst of the flooding will occur around the midday Monday and Monday night high tides."

Based on tidal charts for Revere, those times are around 11 a.m. and midnight.

"Widespread flooding of vulnerable shore roads and basements due to the height of the storm tide and wave action is likely. Numerous road closures are likely...inundation of two to four feet above ground level is possible at vulnerable locations," says the NWS.