Tag Archives: storms

Sandy Wallops New York City

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Barreling through New York City late last night, post-tropical storm Sandy caused widespread damage and power outages.  Eighteen storm-related deaths – so far – have also been reported across the city’s five boroughs.

Powerful winds – with gusts reaching 79 mph – toppled countless trees and helped create a record storm surge of 13.88 feet in lower Manhattan.  As a result, streets flooded and the subway tunnels were inundated with water.  In addition, the encroaching seawater shorted out power substations, leaving a large part of southern Manhattan in the dark.

The city’s outer boroughs were also seriously battered in this storm.  Many homes and businesses in the low lying coastal areas of Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx were damaged or destroyed by unprecedented flooding.

The extensive damage from Sandy is still being assessed, but officials say this storm may be the worst in New York City’s history.

Preparing for Hurricane Sandy

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Hurricane Sandy, the 18th named storm of this Atlantic hurricane season, battered the Caribbean earlier this week.  Now, it is on course to make landfall along the northeastern coast of the United States within the next few days.

Forecasters, at this point, are uncertain of the exact track the storm will take, but expect it to be a long duration and high impact event. They anticipate that Sandy will bring high winds, heavy rain, coastal storm surges, and flooding to this country’s most densely populated region.  These weather hazards are, in turn, likely to cause widespread power outages.

To prepare, emergency officials suggests:

  • Monitor the news for the latest storm information and any evacuation orders
  • Prepare a storm emergency kit with:
    • Water
    • Non-perishable food
    • Flashlights
    • Battery-powered or hand-crank radio
    • First aid kit
    • Cash
    • Filled prescriptions
    • Extra batteries

For more details on storm preparedness, visit the websites of FEMA and the American Red Cross.

Weather History: Hurricane Gloria

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On this date back in 1985, Hurricane Gloria made its second landfall on the western end of Long Island, NY.  The storm’s strong winds and heavy rain pounded the area, including New York City.

Peaking as a category-4 hurricane in the tropical Atlantic, Gloria weakened to a category-1 storm as it moved northward.  Despite its downgraded status, this storm packed a serious punch.  Battering the eastern seaboard from North Carolina to the Canadian Maritimes, Gloria claimed the lives of eight people and caused $1.94 billion (2012 USD) worth of damage.

Recognizing this storm’s widespread and destructive impact, the WMO retired the name Gloria from the Atlantic Basin’s list of tropical storm names in 1986.

Image Credit: NOAA

NYC Tornado Watch

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A tornado watch is in effect for New York City today until 9 P.M. This means that isolated tornadoes could possibly develop as severe thunderstorms move through the area.

Tornadoes, historically, have been rare events in NYC.  In recent years, however, they have been happening more frequently.  Of the eleven twisters that have touched down in the city since 1950, seven have occurred in the past nine years.  In fact, two roared through the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens earlier this month. Many experts consider this increase in severe weather to be an indication of a changing climate.

Note: Tornado ratings moved from the Fujita Scale (F) to the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF) in 2007.  Chart Data: NWS

Two Tornadoes Touchdown in NYC

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Severe weather battered much of the northeastern United States this weekend.  Here in New York City, strong thunderstorms spawned two confirmed tornadoes.

The first twister touched down in Breezy Point, Queens.  With wind speeds of 70 mph, it was rated an EF-0 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.  Minutes later, a more powerful EF-1 storm tore through the neighborhood of Canarsie, Brooklyn.  Winds blowing at 110 mph ripped branches from trees and damaged numerous homes.  Luckily, no fatalities have been reported.

Tornadoes are rare in New York City, but they can form anywhere given the proper conditions.  This weekend, an intense cold front overtook the city’s existing warm, humid air mass, which created an atmosphere unstable enough to power these violent storms.

Hurricane Isaac

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Hurricane Isaac, the ninth named storm of this Atlantic Hurricane Season, made landfall in Louisiana late Wednesday.  Despite its humble category–one status, this storm severely battered the Gulf Coast for several days.

Measuring nearly 250 miles in size, Isaac was a massive storm.  It produced strong winds and high storm surge that caused power outages and significant property damage throughout the region. Moving slowly – at approximately 5 mph – Isaac also brought unrelenting heavy rain, which lead to widespread flooding. According to the NWS, rainfall totals for this storm, so far, range from 10 to 20 inches across the area. The communities of Plaquemines Parish, LA and Slidell, LA were particularly hard hit by rising water.  In Mississippi and Alabama, several hurricane-induced tornadoes have also been reported.

Downgraded to a tropical depression, the remnants of Isaac are now moving inland.  Forecasts predict this enormous system will bring drenching rainfall to the drought stricken regions of the mid-west and southern plains.   Unfortunately, however, this storm could bring too much rain too quickly to the parched land and possibly cause flash flooding in some areas.

Similar to last year’s Hurricane Irene, Hurricane Isaac demonstrates that even low-category hurricanes can pack a serious punch.

Hurricane Isaac, 2012

Image Credit: NOAA

Hurricane Irene: One Year Later

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One year ago today, Tropical Storm Irene made landfall in New York City and roared through the northeastern United States.

Originally a category-one hurricane, Irene was a massive storm that left a trail of destruction from North Carolina to Maine.  Locally, the storm dumped 6.87 inches of rain on NYC and caused widespread power outages.  Most of Irene’s impact, however, was felt further inland.  Drenching rains in the mountains of upstate New York and interior New England caused extensive and catastrophic flooding.  In the end, Irene claimed the lives of 58 people across 13 states and caused approximately $16 billion worth of damage.

Today, Hurricane Isaac, another category-one “i” storm, is bearing down on the Gulf Coast.  While every hurricane is unique, the enormous size of this current storm is reminiscent of Irene.

Hurricane Irene, 2011

Image Credit: NOAA

The Five-Second Rule for Lightning

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A severe thunderstorm is expected to roll through the New York City area later this evening.  As it approaches and lightning begins to illuminate the sky, you can estimate how far away the storm is with some simple math.

Since lightning travels at approximately the speed of light – 186,000 miles per second – you see it almost instantly.  Thunder, on the other hand, travels at the speed of sound – about one mile in five seconds – at the Earth’s surface. These different rates of travel allow you to estimate the distance between yourself and the lightning.   For example, if you count fifteen seconds between seeing lightning flash in the sky and hearing a clap of thunder, the lightning is about three miles away.

Remember, if you can hear thunder, lightning is close enough to possibly strike. So, as NOAA recommends, “When thunder roars, go indoors.”

Cloud to ground lightning strike.

Image Credit: NOAA

Tropical Storm Debby

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Tropical Storm Debby, the fourth storm of this Atlantic Hurricane Season, has been battering Florida for days.  Spawning more than two dozen tornadoes, Debby’s strong winds have caused power outages and significant property damage around the state.  The most serious problems, however, are being produced by this storm’s relentless precipitation.

Essentially stalled over the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday, Debby has unleashed torrential rain and high storm surges up and down the Florida peninsula, causing widespread flooding.  The northern and central parts of the state have been particularly hard hit. According to the NWS office in Jacksonville, rainfall totals for this storm, so far, range from 15 to 20 inches across northern Florida.

Stretching out 205 miles from its center, this massive and slow moving storm finally made landfall late this afternoon. It is forecast to travel across the state and move out into the Atlantic Ocean by the end of the day tomorrow.  Before leaving, however, Debby is expected to unload even more rain on the already saturated Sunshine State.

It is hard to believe that many parts of Florida were suffering under serious drought conditions only a few weeks ago.

The Saffir-Simpson Scale for Rating Hurricanes

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Hurricanes are one of nature’s most powerful storms. When formed in the Atlantic Ocean or North-Eastern Pacific, they are rated according to the Saffir-Simpson Scale.

Developed in the early 1970’s by Herbert Saffir, a civil engineer, and Dr. Robert Simpson of the National Hurricane Center, the scale classifies hurricanes into five categories based on the strength of their sustained winds.  Each category is considered an estimate of the potential damage that a storm will cause if it makes landfall.  As conditions change within a storm, its category is re-assessed.

The different categories, 1 through 5, represent increasing wind speeds and escalating degrees of damage.  Since its introduction, the NHC has modified the Saffir-Simpson Scale a number of times.   In fact, earlier this year they refined the wind speed range for categories three through five.  These changes are reflected in the chart below.

Chart Source: NOAA