Sandy kills 21 in Caribbean, heads toward US

NASSAU, Bahamas — Hurricane Sandy pounded the Bahamas with battering winds and rain on Friday after killing 21 people across the Caribbean, and was posing a menacing threat to the U.S. East Coast. U.S. meteorologists expect a natural horror show of high wind, heavy rain, extreme tides and maybe snow to the west beginning early Sunday, peaking with the arrival of Hurricane Sandy on Tuesday and lingering past Halloween on Wednesday. Experts predict at least $1 billion in damage in the United States. "It's looking like a very serious storm that could be historic," said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the forecasting service Weather Underground. "Mother Nature is not saying, 'Trick or treat.' It's just going to give tricks." Weather trackers say the hardest-hit areas could span anywhere from the coastal Carolinas up to Maine, with New York City and the Boston area potentially in harm's way. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecaster Jim Cisco said: "We don't have many modern precedents for what the models are suggesting." Although Sandy is not forecast to be as strong as other recent storms to hit the Northeast, such as Hurricane Irene in August 2011, it holds the potential to cause significant damage because it will be moving slowly, forecasters said. U.S. government forecasters said there is a 90 percent chance — up from 60 percent two days earlier — that the East Coast will get pounded. "If you live on the U.S. East Coast, keep an eye on this storm," FEMA director Craig Fugate wrote on Twitter. 21 fatalities so far The number of deaths blamed on Sandy's torrential rains and heavy winds jumped to 21 on Thursday: 11 in Cuba, nine in Haiti and one in Jamaica. The fatalities in Cuba included a 4-month-old baby, NBC News' Mary Murray reported. Most were killed by falling trees or in building collapses in Santiago de Cuba province and neighboring Guantanamo province, the government said. Video: Wide area of Northeast threatened Late Thursday, Sandy weakened to a Category 1 storm as it tore through sparsely populated low-lying southeastern islands in the Bahamas, knocking out power and blowing off rooftops of some homes. Early Friday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Sandy was about 15 miles southeast of Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas and was packing maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour. South Florida feels effects Winds and rains generated by Sandy were also being felt in south Florida. A Tropical Storm Warning was in effect on Florida's East Coast from Ocean Reef to Flagler Beach and around Lake Okeechobee, the National Hurricane Center said. A Tropical Storm Watch was in effect for the Florida coast from Flagler Beach to Fernandina Beach, the Florida Upper Keys from Ocean Reef to Craig Key and Florida Bay, it said. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport reported Thursday night that 24 arrival flights and 23 departures were canceled for the day, according to NBCMiami.com. Sandy led to the cancellation of 23 arrivals and 21 departures at Miami International Airport, it said. The hurricane part of the storm is likely to come ashore somewhere in New Jersey on Tuesday morning, the NOAA's Cisco said. "It's almost a weeklong, five-day, six-day event," he added. "It's going to be a widespread serious storm." It is also likely to hit during a full moon when tides are near their highest, increasing coastal flooding potential. Slideshow: Sandy barrels through the Caribbean (on this page) 'A Nor'easter on steroids'? With some trees still leafy and the potential for snow, power outages could last to Election Day, some meteorologists fear. "It could be a Nor'easter on steroids," NWS meteorologist Robert Thompson told NBC station WHDH-TV in Boston. "It's got the potential to rival the great Nor'easters of the past depending upon the eventual track it takes." Interactive: Wild Nor'easters explained (on this page) Nor'easters are powerful storms that come up along the East Coast from the south and then increase in volatility with winds from the northeast. In this case, another storm is expected to move into the Northeast from the Ohio Valley around the same time, adding to the weather mix. "Residents from New England to New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia should remain vigilant and be prepared to take action in the next few days," weather.com advised. Sandy will likely be around for the 21st anniversary of the infamous "Perfect Storm" of Oct. 30, 1991, that killed six fishermen, WHDH noted. Sandy was expected to move past the Bahamas by Friday evening and head north off the U.S. coast. Related: Sandy slams Cuba; 'high impact' likely in US Northeast Related: Northeast utilities gear up for storm Related: Damage could be worse than Irene, experts say Related: New England fears repeat of 2011 Halloween storm Sandy is forecast to remain a Category 1 hurricane as it continues to move over the Bahamas on Friday, sending swirling rains and winds across several hundred miles. The Bahamas Electricity Corp., which supplies power to most of the Bahamas, said Sandy had caused power outages on several islands. NBC News' Marry Murray, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.