The October 2021 nor'easter, which eventually became Tropical Storm Wanda, was an erratic

nor'easter A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below) is a large-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. Typically, such storms originate as a low ...

and

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

that struck the

East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the region encompassing the coast, coastline where the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean; it has always pla ...

, and meandered across the northern Atlantic Ocean in early November 2021. The powerful

extratropical cyclone Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...

affected much of the East Coast, causing significant flooding in areas which were previously affected by hurricanes

Henri Henri is the French form of the masculine given name Henry, also in Estonian, Finnish, German and Luxembourgish. Bearers of the given name include: People French nobles * Henri I de Montmorency (1534–1614), Marshal and Constable of France * H ...

and Ida. As Wanda, the cyclone was the twenty-first and final tropical cyclone of the

2021 Atlantic hurricane season The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season was the third-most active Atlantic hurricane season on record in terms of number of tropical cyclones, although many of them were weak and short-lived. With 21 named storms forming, it became the sec ...

. The system originated from a non-tropical mid-level trough that moved across the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

on October 24–25, and moved out into the Atlantic, where a well defined

area of low pressure In meteorology, a low-pressure area (LPA), low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. It is the opposite of a high-pressure area. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclem ...

formed. This quickly became a

bomb cyclone A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechanical ...

off the East Coast of the United States on October 27, causing flooding and bringing powerful gale-force winds to the region in the process. Then, on October 30, after weakening and moving eastward out into the Atlantic, the system acquired

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

characteristics and was given the name ''Wanda''. By 12:00 UTC on November 1, the system transitioned into a tropical storm. Over the next several days, Wanda meandering well west of the

Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...

, before curving southward and then accelerating northeastward, before degenerating into a

post-tropical cyclone A post-tropical cyclone is a former tropical cyclone that no longer possesses enough tropical qualities to be considered a tropical cyclone. The word may refer to a former tropical cyclone undergoing extratropical transition or a tropical cyclone ...

on November 7, several hours before merging with a frontal system. The nor'easter caused over $200 million (2021

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...

) in damage in the

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States (also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. Located on the East Coast of the United States, ...

, and two storm-related deaths were reported. More than 600,000 customers across the region were without electrical power at the height of the storm. There were no reports of deaths from Wanda.

Meteorological history

On October 2425, a non-tropical mid-level trough moved across the

and out into the Atlantic, where a well defined

formed. The

National Hurricane Center The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the IERS Reference Meridian, Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian ...

(NHC) began monitoring the disturbance on October 24, noting that it could potentially develop into a

several days later. The extratropical low that produced the

(which later transitioned into Tropical Storm Wanda) formed on October 25, about southeast of Cape Fear,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, when the eastern part of the trough began interacting with the warm waters of the

Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the United States, then veers east near 36°N latitude (North Carolin ...

. The following day, the low proceeded to move northeastward along the

U.S. East Coast The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the region encompassing the coastline where the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean; it has always played a m ...

, ahead of another trough. There it deepened, and its

structure A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...

improved, as it absorbed another extratropical low over the Northeastern United States, which was located to the west. The nor'easter became a bomb cyclone on October 2627, when its central

barometric pressure Atmospheric pressure, also known as air pressure or barometric pressure (after the barometer), is the pressure within the atmosphere of Earth. The standard atmosphere (symbol: atm) is a unit of pressure defined as , which is equivalent to 1,013.2 ...

dropped from to over a 24 hour period. During this time, at 00:00

UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...

on October 27, the system also reached its peak strength with sustained winds of , while located about east-southeast of

Nantucket Nantucket () is an island in the state of Massachusetts in the United States, about south of the Cape Cod peninsula. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck Island, Tuckernuck and Muskeget Island, Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and Co ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

The nor'easter was making a counterclockwise loop while rapidly intensifying, and when completed, it gradually weakened while moving out to sea. Embedded within a trough as it began moving eastward late on October 27, the NHC rated the five-day probability of it becoming subtropical as low (less than 40%). Late on October 29, the system began acquiring subtropical characteristics, following a flare-up of convection in its northern region. Then, at 12:00 UTC on October 30, Subtropical Storm Wanda formed about south-southeast of

Cape Race Cape Race is a point of land located at the southeastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland, in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Its name is thought to come from the original Portuguese name for this cape, "Raso", mean ...

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

. That same day, Wanda's generally eastward movement came to an abrupt stop, and the sheer decreased, which provided an opportunity for it to gain strength. Consequently, it was able to reach its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum central pressure of at 12:00 UTC on October 31. Though Wanda moved over slightly warmer waters on November 1, it was weakened somewhat due to renewed shear and entrainment of dry air. Nonetheless, the system transitioned into a fully-tropical storm at 12:00 UTC that day, about west-southwest of the

. After turning east, then northeast early on November 2, the storm produced a large burst of convection. Several hours later, however, Wanda entrained more dry air, which degraded the convection. On the next day, now following a northerly track, Wanda generated another burst of convection. This brought the storm over cooler waters, where its sustained winds fluctuated between into November 4. Even so, Wanda was able to maintain some convection around its center during this time. Wanda turned southward on November 5, due to a narrow, strengthening ridge to the northwest. Late on November 6, Wanda began accelerating northeastward, as it began interacting with a larger extratropical cyclone approaching from the west over the northern Atlantic. The resulting wind shear stripped away Wanda's remaining convection, and it became a

by 12:00 UTC on November 7, while located about west-northwest of the Azores. Several hours later, the cyclone merged with an approaching frontal system and dissipated.

Preparations

Northeastern United States

More than 100 schools closed in

Cape Cod, Massachusetts Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The ...

in advance of the nor'easter. The Governors of

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

declared states of emergency, with the

National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...

issuing flash flood watches and

flash flood warning A flash flood warning ( SAME code: FFW) is a severe weather warning product of the National Weather Service that is issued by national weather forecasting agencies throughout the world to alert the public that a flash flood is imminent or occurri ...

s across the Northeastern United States.

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Mayor

Bill de Blasio Bill de Blasio (; born Warren Wilhelm Jr., May 8, 1961; later Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm) is an American politician who was the List of mayors of New York City, 109th mayor of New York City, mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021. A member of t ...

had storm drains cleared and sandbags deployed. Multiple school districts closed across New Jersey, in anticipation of the flooding.

Phil Murphy Philip Dunton Murphy (born August 16, 1957) is an American politician, diplomat, and financier serving as the 56th governor of New Jersey since 2018. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was elected governor i ...

, the Governor of New Jersey, declared a state of emergency for the storm early on October 25. As a precaution, schools were shuttered, and flash flood warnings were issued across the state.

Impact

According to Aon Benfield, damage from the nor'easter was estimated at over $200 million across the Northeastern United States. Additionally, two storm-related deaths were reported. At the height of the storm, over 600,000 customers lost power in the Northeastern United States.

New Jersey

New Jersey recorded a rainfall amount of by 15:00 UTC on October 27. Many places around the state experienced flash floods as a result of the rain, while the Saddle River overflowed its banks, generating six to seven feet (1.83 to 2.13 meters) of water near the basin. The southbound lanes of

New Jersey Route 17 Route 17 is a List of state highways in New Jersey, state highway in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, that provides a major route from the George Washington Bridge, Lincoln Tunnel and other northeast New Jersey points to the New York S ...

closed as a result. In Union Beach, more than a dozen water rescues were executed after vehicles were trapped by floodwaters. Trees were also felled by strong winds across the area, with one instance in Morris County killing a woman and wounding another. A tree also fell on a house, causing minor damage.

Massachusetts

Over 500,000 customers lost electricity in Massachusetts, due to the nor'easter. A peak wind gust of was recorded in

Truro Truro (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is Cornwall's county town, s ...

, along with in

Duxbury Duxbury (alternative older spelling: "Duxborough") is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb located on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore approximately to the southeast of Boston, the population was 16,090 ...

, and in Wellfleet.

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, lying just south of Cape Cod. It is known for being a popular, affluent summer colony, and includes the smaller peninsula Chappaquiddick Isla ...

reported a wind gust to and Scituate reported a gust of . Unofficial wind gusts of 110 mph in Wellfleet and 107 mph in

Provincetown Provincetown () is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, in the United States. A small coastal resort town with a year-round population of 3,664 as of the 2020 United States census, Pr ...

were recorded at exposed coastal locations. The system also brought heavy rainfall to the state, causing flooding. Its subsequent wind gusts felled trees, blocking several roadways and causing the widespread power outage. Small boats were also washed ashore by the storm, and the nor'easter brought strong seas to the state. Some homes were also damaged as trees fell on them. A plane was damaged at the

New Bedford Regional Airport New Bedford Regional Airport is a Part 139 Commercial-Service Airport, municipally-owned and available for public use. The airport is located northwest of the city center belonging to the City of New Bedford, a city in Bristol County, Massachu ...

after being blown off the runway. In Hingham, a large tree brought down wires. Brockton also received over 300 calls for help, along with its mayor declaring a state of emergency starting on October 27. Shelters were also opened to accommodate potential evacuees. Ferry services were affected, with very restricted operations permitted.

New York

In New York State, the body of a missing kayaker was found, after he tried to cross Long Island Sound ahead of the nor'easter. A

flash flood emergency A flash flood warning ( SAME code: FFW) is a severe weather warning product of the National Weather Service that is issued by national weather forecasting agencies throughout the world to alert the public that a flash flood is imminent or occurri ...

was issued for the

Finger Lakes The Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located directly south of Lake Ontario in an area called the ''Finger Lakes region'' in New York (state), New York, in the United States. This region straddles th ...

region of New York.

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

, Otsego, and

Sullivan Sullivan may refer to: People Characters * Chloe Sullivan, from the television series ''Smallville'' * Colin Sullivan, a character in the film ''The Departed'', played by Matt Damon * Harry Sullivan (''Doctor Who''), from the British science f ...

counties experienced flooding. Peak winds of and were recorded in New York State and Connecticut, respectively. The storm dropped a maximum total of of rain in Baiting Hollow, New York. Other daily rainfall records were set in

Islip, New York Islip ( ) is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New York (state), New York, United States, on the South Shore (Long Island), South Shore of Long Island. The population was 339,938 at th ...

at ,

JFK Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is t ...

at , and

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...

at . Portions of the

Bronx River Parkway The Bronx River Parkway (sometimes abbreviated as the Bronx Parkway) is a limited-access Parkways in New York, parkway in downstate New York in the United States. It is named for the nearby Bronx River, which it parallels. The southern terminus ...

closed due to the flooding, and the

Staten Island Railway The Staten Island Railway (SIR) is a rapid transit, railroad line in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Staten Island. It is owned by the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority (SIRTOA), a subsidiary of the Metropol ...

was suspended for 3 hours between Huguenot and Tottenville.Rain Leaks Into Rockefeller Center Station, Riders Call On MTA To Invest In Subway Station Upgrades
CBS News, October 26, 2021

Elsewhere

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

, the storm cut the power to 92,000 customers. In

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

, over 25,000 customers experienced power outages.

References

External links

*The NHC'
Advisory Archive on Tropical Storm Wanda
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wanda 2021 meteorology Wanda (2021)

Wanda Wanda is a female given name of Poland, Polish origin. It probably derives from the tribal name of the Wends.Campbell, Mike"Meaning, Origin, and History of the Name Wanda" ''Behind the Name.'' Retrieved August 12, 2010. The name has long been popu ...

Tropical cyclones in 2021 Nor'easters Subtropical storms Hurricanes in the United States 2021 natural disasters in the United States Hurricanes in New Jersey Hurricanes in New York (state) Hurricanes in Rhode Island Hurricanes in Massachusetts 2021 disasters in Canada