But the storm shifted that debate, too.
As the storm shifted, Emily Sutton was one of a handful of chasers unexpectedly caught up in it.
The storm shifted south Friday afternoon, allowing the city's airport to reopen later in the day.
Overall, Mr. Soller said, the storm shifted so much sand inland that Fire Island probably migrated north, toward the mainland, by about 65 to 85 feet.
Paul Knight, a meteorologist at Penn State University, said the New York region would receive 8 to 16 inches -- his best guess was 12 inches -- unless the low-pressure system powering the storm shifted off the expected course.
The storm shifted more to the north, resulting in land interaction earlier than anticipated.
The storm shifted once again onto a west-northwest course on August 11, moving very slowly towards the coast.
The storm shifted south-southwestward on January 13 before resuming its southeast trajectory, influenced by a ridge to the south.
As the water showed evidence of receding, and the storm shifted its rage east, our hope was that the worst is over.
