Sandy is here, and like many of you, we have no idea what that means in scientific terms. All we know is that it's windy and rainy and we just blew all of our money on batteries and booze, so this better be real.

To help us better understand what the hell is going on up there, we're joined by Angela Fritz, an atmospheric scientist and expert in climatology who works and writes for Weather Underground. Angela's a little pressed for time today, so get your questions in quickly, and she'll answer as best as she can in the time she has available.

First, a primer on the storm from Angela:

Sandy is still a category 1 hurricane, and it has sustained maximum winds of 90 mph, with higher gusts. Sandy has begun to take its much-anticipated turn to the west and impacts along the coast began yesterday in North Carolina. Storm tide (which is the storm surge + tidal effects) is expected to reach up to 15 feet, especially in the New York, Long Island, and Connecticut region. Water is already rising in New York today, though the worst surge impacts aren't expected in the New York area until this evening. We are expecting that Sandy will be a multi-billion dollar disaster. Wind will likely cause widespread power outages, and heavy rain will cause inland flooding in urban areas and along small streams, but the most destructive part of this storm will be its surge.

You can read Angela's state-by-state forecasts here, and follow her on Twitter here. She'll start taking your questions at 1:20 p.m. ET.

Update, 2 p.m.: Angela had to leave. Check out her analysis below and stay safe.