Storms of the century

I have rarely seen a category 1 hurricane hyped as much by the media as Sandy has been for the past several days.  Perhaps the confluence of other systems and factors has combined, along with the sheer size of the storm to give it the necessary strength and longevity to warrant the buildup.  Or, less charitably, the media is looking for something besides the presidential race to blow up.  Either way, we will know later today if it is real or if it is the usual hysteria.   We have already had several "storms of the century" and it is only 2012.  500 year floods are a commonplace, and it looks like Sandy will generate another.  At some point, perhaps the "very serious people" will tell us that yes, we can believe the relentless drumbeat of scientific evidence of climate change and get down to the hard work of dealing with it.  Meanwhile, I am in sunny southern California for a couple of days.  I had planned this trip before the weather blew up, so I would probably be here in any case, but there are many unscheduled visitors left stranded as the airports in the Northeast are closed today.  Ah well, we must all suffer these slings.