Each time we hear local weather warnings, we expect weather deterioration that is usually characterized by strong winds, heavy rains, and accumulating precipitation. Apart from these obvious characteristics, there are some specific features that relate only to northeasters.
Northeasters are cyclonic storms that appear from September till April in the eastern part of America and Canada, bringing along downfalls blown by hurricane-force winds from the northeast. These storms form as cold winds around a low-pressure area and can grow from hundreds to thousands of miles in diameter fueled by the warm water of the Gulf Stream.
Although not all northeasters are severe, they can potentially turn into massive snowfalls or rains, combining high winds and oceanic storm surges.
While such weather conditions occur in the U.S. quite frequently, there are a few northeasters that went down in history as the worst of all time. Keep reading this article to know more about them.
Great Blizzard (1888)
The Americans that lived along the northeastern coast did not expect the occurring of the Great Blizzard in that early spring of 1888. The Great Blizzard was caused by cold air from the north united with warm air masses from the south. The freezing winds with heavy snow whipped around the East from March 11 till 14, 1888. Even New York’s famous East River froze, creating an ice bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn.
The storm’s conditions led to the historic closing of the New York metropolis, where passengers were trapped in rail-cars for several days. The heavy wind snapped elevated telegraph and telephone lines. More than four hundred Americans were killed in the result of the Great Blizzard.
These perilous days without electricity led to developing the subway and changing the standards of the city’s infrastructure: today, communication and electricity cables in most highly-populated cities across America are buried underground.
Storm of the Century (1950)
In November 1950, the Storm of the Century prowled across more than twenty states in the eastern part of the U.S. The storm broughtrecord low temperatures with it, which resulted in a massive flooding that covered the area from New Jersey northward. The hurricane force winds along with heavy snowfall caused death of more than three hundred people and left behind the damage of about $70 million.
For instance, in Ohio, the precipitation reached up to 33 inches, whereas in West Virginia, the snow covered the state with more than 62 inches of snow. In some states, local facilities were collapsing under the heavy snow, and the streets were cleaned with bulldozers.
Unfortunately, most people were not informed about the blizzard, as at that time, the forecasting methods were manual, and no one predicted how damaging the Storm of the Century would be. Eventually, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction was established, and the data collected from that Thanksgiving storm is still used nowadays.
Ash Wednesday Storm (1962)
Though many Americans heard severe weather warnings in early spring of 1962, no one could even imagine how destructive the Ash Wednesday storm would be. No other storm in the last half a century has caused more damage.
The eastern coastline was directly under the deluge, as Maryland’s Ocean City was under 4 feet of floodwater swept into massive waves by strong wind reaching 70 miles per hour. Moreover, such islands as Assateague and Chincoteague were entirely under the water with almost all homes destroyed and the famous pony population drowned.
At the same time, the eastern seaboard, including Virginia, was covered with 42 inches of snow brought by the Ash Wednesday storm.
The overall storm consequences resulted in 40 deaths and $200 million in losses.
The Perfect Storm (1991)
This northeaster was “perfect” not because of its fascinating nature, but because the meteorological conditions could not have been worse than during that Halloween weekend of 1991.
The Perfect Storm came to the East Coast with a widespread flooding, low temperatures, along with rain and snow. The rattling winds reached up to 78 miles per hour leading to surging waves. According to the official statistics, the Halloween storm killed thirteen people and destroyed hundreds of homes, causing overall damages estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Perfect Storm 1991 was even described in the namesake novel written by Sebastian Junger in 1997. The novel depicted the sinking of the Andrea Gail boat with its crew on board. In 2000, a film based upon the book was released, with John C. Reilly and George Clooney in the leading roles.
Storm of the Century (1993)
The 1993 Storm of the Century began with several snowflakes and ended as the second greatest natural disaster since 1950. The storm left record snowfalls, tornadoes, coastal flooding, and record-breaking low temperatures in its wake. Its consequences included the death of 300 people and up to $6 billion in damage.
Moreover, about 2.5 million Americans were without electricity because of the communication failures. For the first time in history, all the biggest airports on the eastern seacoast of the U.S. were closed simultaneously.
What is interesting, the Storm of the Century was caused by a rare union of three massive weather systems, which unexpectedly converged over the Gulf of Mexico and devastated states from Florida to Maine.
North American Blizzard (1996)
This northeaster started on Jan. 6, 1996 and caused the longest federal government shutdown in America. In just twenty-four hours, the blizzard brought 12 inches of snow just in Washington D.C. Commuting around the state became nearly impossible because of intense snowfalls and fitful winds. After that, President Bill Clinton claimed the federal government closure and D.C., along with nine other states, a disaster area.
Besides, the storm conditions were troubled by snow drifts created by winds blowing up to 60 miles an hour. One week later, a warm weather rainstorm dropped, which led to a widespread flooding because of the melting snow and additional downfall.
According to the statistical data, sixty people were killed by the North American Blizzard of 1996, and millions of dollars of damage were inflicted.
Hurricane Sandy (2012)
Hurricane Sandy appeared on the eastern coast of America in the early days of November and caused record-setting damages before leaving the area. In the result of the storm, more than a hundred people died, the nation’s financial markets were closed for the first time in more than a century.
Besides, most of the New York buildings lost power, the subways and commuter trains stopped, and a famous roller coaster got stranded in the sea.
The damages and losses reached $62 billion only in the U.S., along with $315 million in the Caribbean. It is not surprising, as according to NOAA’s storm scale, Hurricane Sandy 2012 was measured at 5.8 points out of 6.
Undoubtedly, Sandy was one of the worst storms that have occurred in the U.S. The convergence of tropical air masses and the cold weather front transformed the hurricane with warm air from the Atlantic into a hybrid superstorm with gale force winds and heavy precipitation.
