December 1992 Nor'easter

The December 1992 nor'easter produced record high tides and snowfall across the northeastern United States. It developed as a low pressure area on December 10 over Virginia, and for two days it remained over the Mid-Atlantic states before moving offshore. In Maryland, the snowfall unofficially reached ; if verified, the total would have been the highest in the state's history. About 120,000 people were left without power in the state due to high winds. Along the Maryland coast, the storm was less severe than the Perfect Storm in the previous year, although the strongest portion of the storm remained over New Jersey for several days. In the state, winds reached in Cape May, and tides peaked at in Perth Amboy. The combination of high tides and waves caused the most significant flooding in the state since the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962. Several highways and portions of the New York City Subway and Port Authority Trans-Hudson systems were closed due to the storm. Throughout New Jersey, the nor'easter damaged about 3,200 homes and caused an estimated $750 million in damage (1992 USD).

The nor'easter increased tides across the northeastern United States for several days due to its slow movement. In New York City, tides reached at Battery Park, which flooded Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive. Along Long Island, the nor'easter destroyed over 130 homes and left 454,000 people without power. In New England, 230,684 people lost power during the storm. Five houses were destroyed in Massachusetts, and flooding reached deep in Boston. Further inland, the storm produced significant snowfall, estimated at around in The Berkshires. The high snow totals closed schools for a week in western Massachusetts. Overall, the storm caused between $1–2 billion in damage (1992 USD) and 19 deaths, of which four were directly related to the storm. In March of the following year, the Storm of the Century caused worse damage across a larger region of the eastern United States.

Meteorological history

A storm complex moved eastward from the Texas coast into Georgia on December 9. On December 9, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a coastal flood watch in anticipation of the developing storm. On December 10, an upper-level trough was located along the East Coast of the United States. At around 1200  UTC that day, cyclogenesis – the development of a low pressure area – occurred over southeastern Virginia. The cyclone moved quickly northward through the Chesapeake Bay until reaching a position just west of Chestertown, Maryland on December 11. By that time, the system had intensified to a pressure of , while the parent trough extended from Maryland through the New York metropolitan area to around Cape Cod. On December 11, the NWS issued gale warnings and advised for boats to avoid the ocean. The storm turned to the southeast and briefly stalled near Georgetown, Delaware. This was due to a high pressure area north of Maine halting its motion. The interaction between the two systems produced strong easterly winds from Virginia to New England. The nor'easter finally moved offshore on December 12, and later that day passed to the southeast of Long Island.

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. 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. The National Climatic Data Center reported 19 deaths related to the nor'easter, although news reports shortly after the storm reported 20 deaths. Overall damage was estimated between $1–2 billion (1992 USD), mostly in New England.

The storm's widespread snowfall ranked it as the equivalence of a Category 2, or "significant", on the ''Regional Snowfall Index'' scale.

Mid-Atlantic

In the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, the nor'easter dropped over of snow. Officials restricted travel on roads to emergency vehicles only in the state's two easternmost counties. In the state, the storm left 15,000 people without power. In northern Virginia, of snow stranded 2,500 people in Winchester. In western Maryland, snowfall totals unofficially reached in Garrett County. If verified, the total would have been the highest snowfall amount in the state's history. High winds produced up to snow drifts, which stranded trucks on Interstate 68. High winds knocked down trees and power lines, leaving 120,000 people across the state without power, including some without any heat. At least 10 people required rescue from their homes. In the Washington Metropolitan Area, the mixture of rain and snow caused hundreds of traffic accidents.

The nor'easter struck about 14 months after the 1991 Perfect Storm produced similarly high tides across the region, and only 11 months after another nor'easter in January 1992. In Wilmington, North Carolina, the storm dropped of rainfall, which broke the daily rainfall record set in 1888. High tides damaged much of the dune system along the Assateague Island National Seashore and about a third of the newly installed dunes in Ocean City, Maryland. Along the Maryland coast, the storm dropped heavy rainfall, with a total of in Salisbury; the high rains flooded local streams. At Assateague National Seashore, wind gusts peaked at . The storm struck shortly after a full moon, and the combination of high tides and waves breached dunes in some locations. Despite its longevity, the nor'easter was less severe than its predecessors along the Delaware Bay, mostly because the stronger northeast quadrant was over the coastline for one tidal cycle, and the predominant southeast winds were blocked by Cape Henlopen. However, there were still high tides and flooding along the Delaware Bay. In Lewes, the nor'easter produced a high tide of , which at the time was the seventh highest on record. High tides continued in Delaware until December 15. Several days of high tides caused minor beach erosion and damaged dune systems. In Dewey Beach, there was property damage from coastal flooding. The storm produced significantly more rainfall than the storm in January 1992, including a total of in Wilmington, Delaware. A station in New Castle County reported a record 24‑hour rainfall total of . The rains caused flooding and the third highest discharge on record at Duck Creek in Smyrna. Wind in Delaware peaked at at a station along the Indian River. Further north along the Delaware River, a high tide of was reported in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. High winds in the city broke the steeple of a church, and the resulting debris briefly closed the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. Hurricane-force wind gusts left about 160,000 residents without power. Heavy snowfall spread across the state, reaching . State College reported a total of , which contributed to its snowiest December on record.

In contrast to Delaware and Maryland, the strong northeast portion of the nor'easter affected New Jersey for several days, producing strong winds and record high tides. Wind gusts reached in Cape May, which were the strongest winds in association with the storm. Sustained winds were around in the region. High winds in Atlantic City destroyed the windows of storefronts. Along the Jersey coast, the nor'easter produced waves of up to in height. About offshore Long Branch, waves reached heights of . In South Jersey, the storm surge struck the coast near low tide, which restricted flooding. The highest tide in South Jersey was in Ocean City, which broke the previous record of set in 1984. Further north, the surge coincided with several days of high tides and a lunar tide, causing significant flooding and beach erosion. The highest tide was in Perth Amboy along the Raritan River, which broke the record set in 1960. In many locations, the storm produced the highest tides since the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962. The storm also dropped rainfall across the state, peaking at in Morristown, along with gusts peaking at 58 mph (93 km/h) at Morristown Municipal Airport. The rainfall caused higher discharge rates along rivers. The storm also produced high snowfall totals, including in Sussex County. Throughout the coastline, the cost to replace the lost beach from erosion was estimated at $300 million (1992 USD).

Most of the impact in New Jersey was from the high tides, which caused the worst flooding in 30 years in some locations. In Hoboken, high tides flooded portions of the New York City Subway and Port Authority Trans-Hudson systems, leaving them closed for a few days. High tides destroyed portions of the boardwalks in Bradley Beach

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