5 Things You Need to Know Today: Oct 29

Today is Monday, Oct. 29, and here are the five things you need to know:

1. Stay inside and keep put if at all possible today as Hurricane Sandy rolls into Marblehead. The National Weather Service is predicting that local residents can expect it to be very windy, and rainy with a northeast wind increasing to 35 to 40 mph in the afternoon. Tonight's low should be around 56. (sunrise, 7:14 a.m.; high tide, 11:30 a.m.; low tide, 5:43 p.m.; sunset, 5:39 p.m.)

2. Hurricane Sandy will shut down much of Marblehead today. Town offices and all Marblehead Public Schools are closed. So is the Jewish Community Center of the North Shore and the Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA. Click Here for full details. 

3. Be prepared for widespread power outages in Marblehead today. One of the best ways to stay connected if your power goes out during Hurricane Sandy is right on your smartphone. Click Here for a list of some helpful apps to have on your smartphone as Hurricane Sandy bears down on Marblehead.

4. Make a note that high tide in Marblehead will take place at 11:30 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. today. Local weather experts are predicting that winds can be gusting as high as 60 mph by this afternoon - so be aware of storm surge warnings and keep an eye out for local flooding.

5. Today in History: On Oct. 29, 1886, the first ticker-tape parade took place in New York City when office workers spontaneously threw ticker tape into the streets as the Statue of Liberty was dedicated.

For more things going on in Marblehead today, check out our events calendar.