December 1992 nor'easter
Category 2 "Significant" ( NOAA: 4.88) | |
(IR) image of the nor'easter on December 12 | |
Type | Nor'easter Blizzard Winter storm |
---|---|
Formed | December 10, 1992 |
Dissipated | After December 12, 1992 |
Highest gust | 80 mph (130 km/h) at Cape May, New Jersey[1] |
Lowest pressure | 985 mbar[2] |
Maximum snowfall or ice accretion | ~4 ft (1.2 m) in The Berkshires in western Massachusetts |
Fatalities | 4 direct fatalities, 19 total |
Damage | $1–2 billion (1992 Mid-Atlantic states, New England |
The December 1992 nor'easter produced record high
The nor'easter increased tides across the northeastern United States for several days due to its slow movement. In New York City, tides reached 8.04 ft (2.45 m) at
Meteorological history
A storm complex moved eastward from the Texas coast into Georgia on December 9.
Impact
The storm affected a large region of the northeastern United States from West Virginia to Massachusetts with heavy snowfall, sleet, rain, and high winds.[1] The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attributed four deaths to the nor'easter, but only included those directly related; the agency did not include storm-induced traffic accidents or heart attacks.[1] The National Climatic Data Center reported 19 deaths related to the nor'easter,[2] although news reports shortly after the storm reported 20 deaths.[7] Overall damage was estimated between $1–2 billion (1992 USD), mostly in New England.[8]
The storm's widespread snowfall ranked it as the equivalence of a Category 2, or "significant", on the Regional Snowfall Index scale.[9]
Mid-Atlantic
In the
The nor'easter struck about 14 months after the
In contrast to Delaware and Maryland, the strong northeast portion of the nor'easter affected New Jersey for several days,
Most of the impact in New Jersey was from the high tides, which caused the worst flooding in 30 years in some locations.
New York and New England
Before the storm's circulation passed the New York area, its associated trough produced sustained easterly winds of 50 mph (80 km/h) along Long Island. Wind gusts reached 77 mph (124 km/h) at
In Connecticut, local TV stations named the storm Beth. Across the region, the
Aftermath
On December 17, President George H. W. Bush declared three Connecticut counties as disaster areas.[27] The next day, the president declared 12 New Jersey counties as disaster areas, including all of the counties along the Atlantic coast.[14][28] The declaration allowed for $46 million in relief for public damages and $265 million for insured damage in the state.[14] On December 21, the president declared 9 Massachusetts counties and 5 New York counties as disaster areas.[29][30] On January 15, 1993, Sussex County, Delaware was also declared a disaster area.[31] Across the nor'easter's path, 25,142 people received assistance from Federal Emergency Management Agency, equating to $346,150,356 in federal aid.[32] Only three months after the nor'easter struck, another nor'easter caused more severe damage across a larger region of the eastern United States. The March nor'easter, known as the Storm of the Century, killed 310 people and left over $1.5 billion in damage (1993 USD).[6]
See also
References
- ^ PMID 8418398. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- ^ a b c d e f "Storm Data December 1992" (PDF). 34 (12). National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved 2012-03-26.
{{cite journal}}
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(help)[permanent dead link] - ^ ISBN 0-945582-51-X.
- ^ .
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kelvin W. Ramsey; John H. Talley; Darlene V. Wells (February 1993). Summary Report: The Coastal Storm of December 10-14, 1992 Delaware and Maryland (PDF) (Report). Delaware Geological Survey. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-9786280-0-0. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
- ^ a b c "Storm Strikes Plains; East Coast Bails Out". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. 1992-12-15. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ Mark Lackey (2011-06-17). "Billion Dollar U.S. Weather/Climate Disasters". National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- ^ National Climatic Data Center. "Regional Snowfall Index: RSI and Societal Impacts". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 2012-03-09.
- ^ a b c d e "Storm smashes into Northeast". The Albany Herald. Associated Press. 1992-12-12. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ Barbara McNaught Watson (2007-01-08). "Maryland Winters". Baltimore/Washington National Weather Service. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
- ^ "Snow and rain across Midwest". The Bryan Times. Associated Press. 1992-12-11. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ a b c d Thomas P. Suro (2008-09-17). "Maximum tide elevations prior to and during December 11–12, 1992, in New Jersey" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2012-03-09.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Thomas P. Suro (2008-09-17). "December 11-12, 1992, in New Jersey". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2012-03-09.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Joseph F. Sullivan (1992-12-12). "The Storm's Havoc: New Jersey; Swamped and Powerless, Thousands Flee Shoreline". New York Times. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ^ a b c Thomas O. Herrington. "New Jersey Sea Grant College Program Manual for Coastal Hazard Mitigation" (PDF). State of New Jersey. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
- ^ a b Christopher E. Schubert and Ronald Busciolano. "Peak Storm-Tide Elevations Produced by the December 1992 Storm Along the Coast of Long Island, New York, with Historical Peak Storm-Tide Elevation" (PDF). State University of New York. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ John T. McQuiston (1992-12-15). "After the Storm; Fire Island Record Tides Are Toppling More Homes Into the Sea". New York Times. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
- ^ Jonathan Rabinovitz (1992-12-12). "The Storm's Havoc: Long Island; Degree of Ferocity Shocks a Place That Is Used to Storms". New York Times. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
- ^ a b John T. McQuiston (1992-12-14). "After the Storm; Long Island; Almost 3,000 Homeless In a North Shore Town". New York Times. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
- ^ a b "Major Winter Storms". Albany National Weather Service. 2011-02-15. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
- ^ "Northeast Utilities: Major Storm Comparison" (PDF). 2012-01-01. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-11-15. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
- ^ Jeff McLaughlin (1992-12-13). "Tidal surges gouge beaches, destroy houses along Cape". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 2012-05-12. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ http://www.weatherknowledge.com/The_Great_NorEaster_of_Dec_1992.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "After the Storm; Flooding and Snow Stagger Massachusetts". New York Times. 1992-12-14. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "Whales Beached on Cape". Worcester Telegram and Gazette. Associated Press. 1992-12-13. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "Connecticut Coastal Flooding, Winter Storm: Major Disaster Declared December 17, 1992 (DR-972)". Federal Emergency Management Agency. 2004-10-18. Archived from the original on 2012-01-03. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
- ^ "New Jersey Coastal Storm, High Tides, Heavy Rain, Flooding". Federal Emergency Management Agency. 2005-05-20. Archived from the original on 2012-01-03. Retrieved 2012-03-09.
- ^ "Massachusetts Winter Coastal Storm: Major Disaster Declared December 21, 1992 (DR-975)". Federal Emergency Management Agency. 2004-10-18. Archived from the original on 2012-01-03. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
- ^ "New York Coastal Storm, High Tides, Heavy Rain, Flooding: Major Disaster Declared December 21, 1992 (DR-974)". Federal Emergency Management Agency. 2005-05-20. Archived from the original on 2012-01-03. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
- ^ "Delaware Severe Coastal Storm, Flooding: Major Disaster Declared January 15, 1993 (DR-976)". Federal Emergency Management Agency. 2004-10-14. Archived from the original on 2012-01-05. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
- ^ "Significant Flood Events 1978 - January 31, 2012". Federal Emergency Management Agency. 2012-03-14. Archived from the original on 2008-02-01. Retrieved 2012-03-14.