Sandy turns toward East Coast, flooding begins

Hurricane Sandy's winds picked up speed Monday as the storm made a left turn toward the East Coast, and some areas were already seeing flooding with waves and high tide combining to force water inland. 

Sandy, a monster storm as large as any to ever threaten the U.S., had maximum sustained winds of about 90 miles per hour and was 260 miles southeast of New York City at 11 a.m. ET, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm's wind speed has increased 15 mph over the past 12 hours.
 
"It's the worst possible time," NBC News meteorologist Al Roker said of the fact Sandy was due to come ashore during a full moon, which could lead to record flooding.

"This will be worse than Irene" last year in terms of storm surge, he said from Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., where the waves Monday morning were nearly over the top of the dunes protecting homes. 

Although Sandy was still hours from landfall, flooding was already reported in coastal areas. Among them:

• Much of Fire Island, N.Y., was under 18 inches of water, NBCNewYork.com reported.
• In Freeport, N.Y., a surge along a boating canal pushed docks onto lawns, matching the damage done last year Irene.
• Floodwaters poured through Atlantic City, N.J., tearing away a section of boardwalk.
• Numerous roads in Virginia and North Carolina were flooded, NBC station WAVY-TV reported.

 Sandy turns toward East Coast, flooding begins