 However, the system maintained a warm thermal core, and despite strong 50 kt (60 mph) wind shear, continued to develop thunderstorms due to an abundance of divergence from a nearby trough; the same trough turned Sandy toward the northeast as the two began to phase and morph into what many called a "Superstorm".On October 27, Sandy briefly weakened to a tropical storm, after dry air became fully ingested into the mid- and upper-level circulations.Later that day, however, data received from the Hurricane Hunters indicated that Sandy had re-intensified into a minimal hurricane.