[palmer]

Yes, the dry (and cold) slot wrapped around Sandy starting east of Florida and prevented further strengthening. But the cold air around our latitude actually strengthened Sandy about a day before landfall (the dense cold air pushing the warm air upwards or baroclinic forcing). But the warmer than normal Atlantic was also a factor in that forcing.

[justa-hairyape]

It was much more then that. The jet stream driven cold front actually peeled off clouds and moisture from the west end of Sandy and sent that moisture along with the cold fronts existing moisture northward. Which was the opposite direction Sandys west end was traveling (counter clockwise). So the cold front was very powerful. Stripping away Sandy's west end and preventing Sandy from wrapping up that moisture. Actually that vast majority of people are confusing Sandy getting ripped apart with Sandy being large. They are are also confusing the cold fronts moisture with Sandy. Sandy never made landfall as a Hurricane in the US. It weakened very quickly after it traveled over the gulf stream.