Wildlife experts are weighing in on what seems like a recent increase in bear encounters in New Jersey forests and even in suburban areas… According to Rutgers University wildlife ecologist Brook Maslo, developing suburbs have crossed into what is typically “bear country” too… “And so we’re going to have more human bear interactions. But of course most of those interactions are benign,” Maslo told WCBS 880’s Levon Putney.

The Tri-State area has seen some brutal winter weather in the past two years, with record-setting snowfall and record low temperatures… “This has all the signs of being what we call an El Nino winter,” said Dr. Dave Robinson, a state climatologist at Rutgers University… During El Nino, unusually warm water piles up in the pacific and becomes a driving force in weather patterns over the United States… “We have seen some El Nino winters – major El Nino winters – where we’ve had very little snow,” said Dr. Robinson… Big winters require moisture and cold air, and that that was certainly the case last year.

Residents of coastal communities affected by Superstorm Sandy in 2012 have been watching the path of Hurricane Joaquin closely – amid fears that history could repeat itself… The superstorm nearly wiped out the entire block and split a house in half. The night of Oct. 29, 2012 remains a vivid memory for those who lived through it… With so many fearing a second Sandy might be heading our way, CBS2 sat down with New Jersey State Climatologist Dr. Dave Robinson to discuss Joaquin. When asked if he saw any similarities to Sandy, Robinson, of Rutgers University, said, “At the moment, no.”… Robinson credited “a combination of good models – which of course, still exist – and an atmosphere that didn’t change once it got moving” for the forecast accuracy for Sandy… Despite the differences between Sandy and Joaquin, the storms share at least one thing in common – both tracks move over unseasonably warm water and that could affect Joaquin’s strength as it nears our shores.