Hurricane Sandy - Looking Back One Year Later

[IsentropicLift]

I don't think the surge was as high as cat 3 would be for this area. The surge for a cat 3 for my area for example would be upwards of 15 feet (cat 4 would be over 20 feet!!), while Sandy's was about 8 feet. So I think the actual surge level was what a high-end cat 1 would be for this area. The storm tide added to the water level by a few feet because of it being near high tide, so the total water level was near 11 feet. The surge at Battery Park was about 9 feet I think, but because of the high tide the total water level was close to 14 feet. People confuse storm surge and storm tide a lot, and forget how incredibly vulnerable the tri-state area is to a surge, because of the funneling effect of Long Island and the Jersey shore.

The surge, especially in Monmouth and Ocean County was widespread Cat 2 with isolated Cat 3. I don't have the exact numbers anywhere but it's been pretty well agreed upon based on the level of damage and water levels.

[jm1220]

The surge, especially in Monmouth and Ocean County was widespread Cat 2 with isolated Cat 3. I don't have the exact numbers anywhere but it's been pretty well agreed upon based on the level of damage and water levels.

I think the surge levels in my area were comparable to the surge levels further south on the NJ coast, according to the maps I saw. Maybe the surge is "supposed" to be higher in my area because of my town's proximity to NY Harbor, not quite sure on that. I've heard some speculation from the USGS as they completed their surveys that there was cat 2 surge levels/damage in spots so perhaps it did make it that high here.

[MJO812]

We had gusts to maybe 65 mph or so, and much of Long Beach flooded but only for maybe an hour at high tide and at worst 1.5-3 feet in the lower lying places. A lot of basements flooded but not first floors like with Sandy. My street was underwater with Sandy from about 6:30PM until well after midnight, and at deepest was up to about the roofs of cars if not even a little higher. Cars were literally thrown around everywhere by the surge. Keep in mind the deepest I have ever seen water in my town was maybe a foot and a half deep, with Irene, and my street flooded halfway up the block only with that.

 

I have never seen my area get flooded. That was the 1st time that I have seen that happen. Cars around here were also thrown around everywhere. A lot of cars were flipped over by the time the water was gone from the street. My street was flooded from about 8pm- 2/3am. The water was gone from the street by the time I woke up at 4am. I was scheduled to work that morning at CVS but when I passed by the storm, I saw the devestation in the store. The store was severely damaged. CVS was closed for a month. For that month, I helped my friend with his plumbing business.

I will never forget that storm. I remember so many people were crying bust over this storm when the winds had not really picked up too much inland. However, when the stronger winds aloft were mixed down towards the evening, all hell broke loose. I have never heard winds like that in my life. That went from exciting to terrifying very quickly. I was fortunate and only lost power for about a day. Some people in my town lost it for a week and longer though. Then, to add insult to injury, the NYC area saw a SECS about 10 days later. 

 A lot of people were hard headed because of the panic with Irene in the area. People were calling a bust because the winds weren't strong at all during the day.

[MJO812]

Great video about Sandy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZfUMco0Mto

 

That Monday night sounded like the 4th of July with all the transformers blowing up. My house was the last house to lose power on the block. My mom came down to tell me that and then all of a sudden, my power went out and didn't come back on until that Friday. My mom and I decided to go over my aunt's house in Staten Island because I didn't have power or hot water. We stood over my aunt's house from Wednesday - Friday.

[Amped]

 

 

 

 

 

There's Sandy and the perfect storm in similar locations.

[Sn0waddict]

Got hit really hard here, no power for a week and numerous destroyed buildings along the coastline. The storm was all about the wind and surge, literally no rain to speak of. Insane storm, and only a few months later we got hit by the largest snowstorm I've ever been in

[Weathergun]

A year ago today (or night before), was when the GFS really finally show Sandy taking hook back into our area. (Except for one or two runs from 10/25) :

[jm1220]

A year ago today (or night before), was when the GFS really finally show Sandy taking hook back into our area. (Except for one or two runs from 10/25) :

That wind max was shown well from a couple of days out. We really got rocked here with the SE winds that evening, which unfortunately made the surge and wave damage that much worse.

[Weathergun]

That wind max was shown well from a couple of days out. We really got rocked here with the SE winds that evening, which unfortunately made the surge and wave damage that much worse.

 

That wind maxima was referred to as a sting jet on here. Which doesn't often around here.That along with a MAUL observed in the soundings, caused the hurricane force winds and major storm surge in our area.

 

[earthlight]

That wind maxima was referred to as a sting jet on here. Which doesn't often around here.That along with a MAUL observed in the soundings, caused the hurricane force winds and major storm surge in our area.

 

 

I don't think it was actually a sting jet here, but more a product of warm seclusion and the moist absolutely unstable layer development. There is a great paper on phases of the sting jet and how it develops and matures. The sting jet is strongest and most mature during phase 3 of the Shapiro-Keyser model (attached below). Sandy's evolution did feature a pronounced sting jet...but by the time it reached our area the storm is almost a carbon copy of Phase 4. So although Sandy did have a sting jet, by the time it made landfall and those winds impacted us..it was just a really strong cold conveyor belt (which eventually catches up with the sting jet..there may be some argument that the fringes of the sting jet impacted parts of Long Island).

 

Here's the paper if you're interested

 

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/media/pdf/2/p/Sting_Jet_Flyer.PDF

[1900hurricane]

The NHC analyzed the lowest pressure with Sandy as 940 mb, but wasn't there a hurricane hunter report of 937.5 mb on the morning of the 29th? Anyone know why this ob was thrown out? It seemed to coincide with the best organization and it seemed completely believable to me.

[Weathergun]

The NHC analyzed the lowest pressure with Sandy as 940 mb, but wasn't there a hurricane hunter report of 937.5 mb on the morning of the 29th? Anyone know why this ob was thrown out? It seemed to coincide with the best organization and it seemed completely believable to me.

 

Sounds like extrap pressure from a HDOB ob. Those obs aren't always used. Often, in favor of the pressure reported by dropsondes.

 

[MJO812]

TWC is having coverage all day about Sandy.

[uncle W]

TWC is having coverage all day about Sandy.

the only thing worth looking at on twc is the local on the 8ths and the new girls they have on camera without the sound...

[Weathergun]

The 6z 4km NAM on this day a year ago forecasting 50kt+ 10m winds, into NY Harbor and LI shores. Turned out be good forecast, unfortunately:

 

[IsentropicLift]

As much damage as I saw first hand assisting in the relief efforts down in Seaside, and as much of an inconvenience it was being without power for nearly a week, I would still welcome another storm of this magnitude as an avid weather enthusiast. One would hope that when something like this does come back, people take the threats more seriously, and idiots like Bloomburg aren't the ones making the decisions.

 

I could not help myself but to remember that the Canadian Maritimes deal with these powerful extra-tropical storms on almost a yearly, if not multiple times per year basis.

 

It's also a wonder as to why some of our very powerful nor'easters have never come close to this level of damage, despite in some cases tracking on a NW trajectory towards the coastline.

[Allsnow]

Hands down the most devastating storm I have experienced. Just amazing damage, plus with the snowfall a week later made it seem like a

"dooms day movie".

I will never forget coming home at night during the peak of sandy and being to scared to walk from my truck to house, in feat of getting hit by something carried by the wind. Just unreal

[1900hurricane]

Sounds like extrap pressure from a HDOB ob. Those obs aren't always used. Often, in favor of the pressure reported by dropsondes.

 

Yeah, actually going back and looking showed it was an extrap, although it seemed a reasonable one to me. Still though, a dropsode released about 45 minutes earlier had 945 mb, so it looks like they about split the difference. First link below is from the extrap and the second is from the earlier dropsonde.

 

http://www.tropicalatlantic.com/recon/recon.cgi?basin=al&year=2012&product=URNT15&mission=23&agency=AF&storm=Sandy&ob=10-29-145600-57-937.5-55-55

 

http://www.tropicalatlantic.com/recon/recon.cgi?basin=al&year=2012&product=UZNT13&mission=23&agency=AF&storm=Sandy&ob=10-29-1416-30-945-19-

[forkyfork]

best presentation on sandy: 

 

https://ams.confex.com/ams/93Annual/flvgateway.cgi/id/23249?recordingid=23249

[pazzo83]

There are some crazy pics up on Gothamist today.  Just freaky..

[Weathergun]

Yeah, actually going back and looking showed it was an extrap, although it seemed a reasonable one to me. Still though, a dropsode released about 45 minutes earlier had 945 mb, so it looks like they about split the difference. First link below is from the extrap and the second is from the earlier dropsonde.

 

http://www.tropicalatlantic.com/recon/recon.cgi?basin=al&year=2012&product=URNT15&mission=23&agency=AF&storm=Sandy&ob=10-29-145600-57-937.5-55-55

 

http://www.tropicalatlantic.com/recon/recon.cgi?basin=al&year=2012&product=UZNT13&mission=23&agency=AF&storm=Sandy&ob=10-29-1416-30-945-19-

 

The 940mb pressure, was from another dropsonde, later in the afternoon, that reported a 941mb pressure and a 15kt surface wind. There should be very little wind in the eye. So you subtract 1mb for every 10kts of surface wind reported:

 

http://www.tropicalatlantic.com/recon/recon.cgi?basin=al&year=2012&product=UZNT13&mission=24&agency=AF&storm=Sandy&ob=10-29-1917-11-941-15-15

[jm1220]

There are some crazy pics up on Gothamist today.  Just freaky..

"Freaky" definitely describes the atmosphere around my town the day the storm hit. I knew that when a good chunk of town was flooded at LOW tide that afternoon with the main surge still hundreds of miles away and winds were still from an offshore direction, that we were in very serious trouble. The wind but very little rain, whitecaps on the streets, people either panicking or going about town like everything was fine, it was surreal. The craziest thing was that some bars stayed open the day of the storm, and people were at those bars as the surge started coming in. Some people from what I was told swam to a staircase or high spot as the water came in, and some people barely escaped drowning in their cars or first floors/basements. I'll say it again, it's a miracle that there wasn't a substantial death toll in my town. My greatest fear that night, even more than my house which I knew was in the process of being destroyed, was the number of people I knew in very vulnerable places in town who stayed and I thought would be killed. As bad as the death toll was in the Tri-state area, I was afraid of it being much, much higher, like at Katrina level. Many of these areas that flooded bad are very densely populated, and people were lulled into a false sense of security after Irene.

[Cyg]

Up here in north Jersey, we probably had max ~70mph gusts. A neighbor's tree fell and destroyed their deck, coming within a few feet of our house, but other than that it was a lot of small to medium branches laying around IMBY. Seemed like every street had at least one tree down with wires tangled around them in some cases. At our summer house in Brick (pretty much across the bay from Mantaloking), the water rose to about 3 feet around the house. Luckily, it was raised up more than 3 feet and had no damage save for the insulation and heating ducts that had to be replaced under the house. In contrast, the people across the street had around $200,000 in damages as their house basically sat on the ground and was flooded badly. It was like a war zone down there with junk the streets, boats laying on their side or in piles of other boats, cars in the bay, burned down houses, etc. We stayed down there for nearly a week after the storm, cleaning up and helping neighbors. I remember, for the first few nights, they had a police checkpoint to make sure you lived in the area and weren't a looter.

[Allsnow]

Winds from 75-95 mph is just crazy for our area. 

[Superstorm93]

I was in awe of this system of this system for weeks after it happened. Still cannot believe it's been one year. 

 

Unfortunately I lost all of my Sandy images that I saved, but here's the minimum pressure I recorded up in River Vale, NJ before things got really hairy. Winds must have easily gusted to 80 mph at times while I was standing outside in the middle of it all, just trying to take it in. I have never been scared before during a weather event, but with all the trees around me while taking video outside and the occasional 60-80 mph gusts that you could hear coming a full thirty seconds before they actually blew through, I was definitely scared for a few hours.

 

Some of the tree damage around my neighborhood was pretty impressive with the tops of tress completely sheared off and thrown into houses, cars, and the streets.  

 

Definitely going to be a story for the grandkids one day. 

 

[jm1220]

Up here in north Jersey, we probably had max ~70mph gusts. A neighbor's tree fell and destroyed their deck, coming within a few feet of our house, but other than that it was a lot of small to medium branches laying around IMBY. Seemed like every street had at least one tree down with wires tangled around them in some cases. At our summer house in Brick (pretty much across the bay from Mantaloking), the water rose to about 3 feet around the house. Luckily, it was raised up more than 3 feet and had no damage save for the insulation and heating ducts that had to be replaced under the house. In contrast, the people across the street had around $200,000 in damages as their house basically sat on the ground and was flooded badly. It was like a war zone down there with junk the streets, boats laying on their side or in piles of other boats, cars in the bay, burned down houses, etc. We stayed down there for nearly a week after the storm, cleaning up and helping neighbors. I remember, for the first few nights, they had a police checkpoint to make sure you lived in the area and weren't a looter.

We had the same here in Long Beach (checkpoints). There were curfews for about a month to stop looters, and the city's police/fire trucks and cars were largely wiped out, so police from outside the region were on patrol. The line to get in/out was a couple of miles long at times. We had no usable water for about 2 weeks and most of town had no power for a month or more. Sand choked off parts of town closest to the ocean, bottom floors of apartment buildings and homes were completely ravaged. Boats lay around all over the place close to where marinas were, cars sat in place for weeks because the saltwater killed the batteries, or they were tossed by the surge. Of course, there was also a ton of tree damage and other associated wind damage-a piece of a roof from an apartment building was blown off. There was also a fire that burned about a dozen homes (luckily was able to be contained), and many car fires from saltwater shorting out the computer/batteries. Around my area and then west/south is where the major, total-scale devastation began.

[Cyg]

I found some photos taken by my sister and her husband who were down in Brick during the storm. These were taken on the morning of the 30th:

 

 

 

 

 

[Stormlover74]

Now is about the time all hell was breaking loose with the crazy 70-80 mph wind gusts. I think my power went out right around 8pm or maybe a little earlier and didn't come back on until Thursday afternoon Nov. 8th

[MJO812]

This was the time last year that I lost my power and my street was about to get flooded

[uncle W]

I was lucky with no property damage and one day without power...The leaves on the trees were ripped to shreads and blown everywhere...The worst part was no gasoline and people went weeks without power and gas...