Christmas 1994 nor’easter

Christmas 1994 nor'easter

The Christmas 1994 nor’easter was an intense cyclone along the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada. It developed from an area of low pressure in the southeast Gulf of Mexico near the Florida Keys, and moved across the state of Florida. As it entered the warm waters of the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean, it began to rapidly intensify, exhibiting traits of a tropical system. It attained a pressure of 970 millibars on December 23 and 24, and after moving northward, it came ashore near New York City on Christmas Eve. Two people were killed, and damage amounted to at least USD 21 million.

About Christmas 1994 nor’easter in brief

Summary Christmas 1994 nor'easterThe Christmas 1994 nor’easter was an intense cyclone along the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada. It developed from an area of low pressure in the southeast Gulf of Mexico near the Florida Keys, and moved across the state of Florida. As it entered the warm waters of the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean, it began to rapidly intensify, exhibiting traits of a tropical system, including the formation of an eye. It attained a pressure of 970 millibars on December 23 and 24, and after moving northward, it came ashore near New York City on Christmas Eve. Because of the uncertain nature of the storm, the National Hurricane Center did not classify it as a tropical cyclone. Two people were killed, and damage amounted to at least USD 21 million in the U.S. and Canada. In South Carolina, flooding associated with the cyclone was considered to be the worst since 1943, while winds brought down trees and ripped awnings. As the storm entered New England, the primary roads were closed, including some portions of North Carolina Beach, where dunes were breached and surf eroded an 8-foot ledge into the beach.

In Connecticut, 130,000 households lost electric power during the storm. Widespread damage and power outages also occurred throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts, where the storm generated 30-foot waves along the coast. As a result of the heavy rainfall, several dams became overwhelmed by rising waters. Up to 3 feet of water flooded some homes and at least 200 homes were damaged in the region. Two deaths were reported when a woman drowned when her vehicle hydroplaned and struck a tree, and another person was killed when her car was struck by another vehicle. The storm began to weaken as it moved towards Nova Scotia, before the pair of lowpressure systems moved out to sea in tandem in the early hours of December 26. It was later absorbed by a low pressure system that developed behind the storm and moved out into the open Atlantic Ocean. In the early morning of December 27, the storm was downgraded to a low-pressure system.