March 2010 North American winter storm
Encyclopedia
The March 2010 North American winter storm was a powerful nor easter that impacted the Northeastern United States
and Eastern Canada
from March 12–16, 2010, resulting in at least nine deaths. The slow-moving storm produced over 10 inches (25.4 cm) of rain in New England, causing widespread flooding of urban and low-lying areas. Winds of up to 70 miles per hour (112.7 km/h) snapped trees and power lines, resulting in over 1 million homes and businesses left without electricity. The storm also caused extensive coastal flooding and beach erosion. The nor'easter
was the fifth major winter storm to impact the Mid-Atlantic
and New England
in the 2009-10 winter season.
to the Great Lakes
region on March 10 and 11. A secondary low pressure center developed near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina and drifted northward to a position south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts by March 14. The system contained abundant moisture feeds from the tropical Pacific Ocean
and Gulf of Mexico
. Unlike the previous three winter storms that affected the region in February, there was a lack of cold air with this system and precipitation with this storm fell primarily as rain.
Light to moderate rain spread north across the entire region through the day on Friday as the low pressure drifted north and slowly strengthened. With a strong fetch off the Atlantic Ocean, rainfall rates became heavy overnight Friday and through the evening of Saturday March 13th, resulting in small stream and eventually major river flooding. Meanwhile a high pressure system anchored in the Canadian Maritimes also strengthened and a very strong pressure gradient developed between these pressure systems overnight Friday. This resulted in strong, damaging easterly winds across much of the area through the day Saturday, especially along the New Jersey coast where minor to moderate coastal flooding also occurred. The strong winds and widespread heavy rains slackened off overnight Saturday as the surface low was stationary across the Delmarva region. Showers and even a few thunderstorms continued to rotate in off of the Atlantic through the day on Sunday March 14th and continued into Monday March 15th as the low slowly moved eastward and finally out to sea by Tuesday morning March 16th.
. Falling trees damaged or destroyed several homes in Connecticut, and the destruction was the worst experienced in Fairfield County since Hurricane Gloria
struck the state in 1985. At the height of the storm on March 14, more than 110,000 customers were without electricity. By March 16, Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P) reported that 40,000 customers remained in the dark. Governor M. Jodi Rell
criticized CL&P and promised an investigation after reports surfaced that the company delayed efforts to restore power to reduce employee overtime costs.
declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard to assist in the storm's aftermath. Flooding also shut down sections of commuter rail lines heading into and out of Boston, and caused sewage to overflow from treatment plants and into Boston Harbor
.
On Friday morning March 19th, nearly a week after the storm, 2,200 people in the state were still without power and many folks along the Passaic river in northeastern New Jersey were still dealing with major flooding. Thousands of businesses and residents in flood prone areas across the state received damage where major flooding occurred. Officials say more than 1,300 buildings in Morris County alone were damaged because of flooding along the Passaic, Ramapo and Pompton rivers. Preliminary estimates from flooding and wind damage in New Jersey alone are in the millions of dollars. Elsewhere in the area, flooding and wind damage was not as severe, but impacts from minor river flooding and downed trees and power lines were still felt in many areas.
flooded many towns in the state. Winds exceeded 50 mph at times and roadways were closed in Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
and Eastern Canada
Eastern Canada
Eastern Canada is generally considered to be the region of Canada east of Manitoba, consisting of the following provinces:* New Brunswick* Newfoundland and Labrador* Nova Scotia* Ontario* Prince Edward Island* Quebec...
from March 12–16, 2010, resulting in at least nine deaths. The slow-moving storm produced over 10 inches (25.4 cm) of rain in New England, causing widespread flooding of urban and low-lying areas. Winds of up to 70 miles per hour (112.7 km/h) snapped trees and power lines, resulting in over 1 million homes and businesses left without electricity. The storm also caused extensive coastal flooding and beach erosion. The nor'easter
Nor'easter
A nor'easter is a type of macro-scale storm along the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada, so named because the storm travels to the northeast from the south and the winds come from the northeast, especially in the coastal areas of the Northeastern United States and Atlantic Canada...
was the fifth major winter storm to impact the Mid-Atlantic
Mid-Atlantic States
The Mid-Atlantic states, also called middle Atlantic states or simply the mid Atlantic, form a region of the United States generally located between New England and the South...
and New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
in the 2009-10 winter season.
Synoptic conditions
The winter storm that would impact the Northeastern United States evolved when an area of low pressure moved northeastward from TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
region on March 10 and 11. A secondary low pressure center developed near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina and drifted northward to a position south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts by March 14. The system contained abundant moisture feeds from the tropical Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. Unlike the previous three winter storms that affected the region in February, there was a lack of cold air with this system and precipitation with this storm fell primarily as rain.
Light to moderate rain spread north across the entire region through the day on Friday as the low pressure drifted north and slowly strengthened. With a strong fetch off the Atlantic Ocean, rainfall rates became heavy overnight Friday and through the evening of Saturday March 13th, resulting in small stream and eventually major river flooding. Meanwhile a high pressure system anchored in the Canadian Maritimes also strengthened and a very strong pressure gradient developed between these pressure systems overnight Friday. This resulted in strong, damaging easterly winds across much of the area through the day Saturday, especially along the New Jersey coast where minor to moderate coastal flooding also occurred. The strong winds and widespread heavy rains slackened off overnight Saturday as the surface low was stationary across the Delmarva region. Showers and even a few thunderstorms continued to rotate in off of the Atlantic through the day on Sunday March 14th and continued into Monday March 15th as the low slowly moved eastward and finally out to sea by Tuesday morning March 16th.
Connecticut
Winds of up to 70 miles per hour (112.7 km/h) toppled trees and snapped power lines, with the heaviest damage reported in Fairfield CountyFairfield County, Connecticut
Fairfield County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The county population is 916,829 according to the 2010 Census. There are currently 1,465 people per square mile in the county. It is the most populous county in the State of Connecticut and contains...
. Falling trees damaged or destroyed several homes in Connecticut, and the destruction was the worst experienced in Fairfield County since Hurricane Gloria
Hurricane Gloria
Hurricane Gloria was a powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane that formed during the 1985 Atlantic hurricane season and prowled the Atlantic Ocean from September 16 to September 28. Gloria reached Category 4 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale near the Bahamas, but weakened significantly...
struck the state in 1985. At the height of the storm on March 14, more than 110,000 customers were without electricity. By March 16, Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P) reported that 40,000 customers remained in the dark. Governor M. Jodi Rell
M. Jodi Rell
Mary Jodi Rell is a Republican politician and was the 87th Governor of the U.S. state of Connecticut from 2004 until 2011. She was the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut under Governor John G. Rowland, who resigned during a corruption investigation. Rell is Connecticut's second female Governor,...
criticized CL&P and promised an investigation after reports surfaced that the company delayed efforts to restore power to reduce employee overtime costs.
Massachusetts
Up to 10 inches (25.4 cm) of rain combined with rapidly melting snow from earlier storms caused widespread urban flooding and forced rivers out of their banks across the state. Governor Deval PatrickDeval Patrick
Deval Laurdine Patrick is the 71st and current Governor of Massachusetts. A member of the Democratic Party, Patrick served as an Assistant United States Attorney General under President Bill Clinton...
declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard to assist in the storm's aftermath. Flooding also shut down sections of commuter rail lines heading into and out of Boston, and caused sewage to overflow from treatment plants and into Boston Harbor
Boston Harbor
Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeast.-History:...
.
New Jersey
New Jersey was particularly hard hit with flooding and wind damage and a state of emergency was declared as a result. The strong winds which frequently gusted 50-60 mph in most areas and up to 70 mph in spots wreaked the most havoc statewide, toppling numerous trees onto roads, cars, houses, and power lines causing widespread power outages. In Middlesex County, a large tree fell on a vehicle injuring two people. Wind and rain forced the closure of parts of the New Jersey Turnpike, a near complete shutdown of the NJ-Transit system, and toppled a high rise crane in Atlantic City, NJ causing dangerous debris to drop to the ground. PSE&G reported about 459,000 customers lost power during the height of the storm on Saturday March 13th, making it the worst storm in the utility's history.On Friday morning March 19th, nearly a week after the storm, 2,200 people in the state were still without power and many folks along the Passaic river in northeastern New Jersey were still dealing with major flooding. Thousands of businesses and residents in flood prone areas across the state received damage where major flooding occurred. Officials say more than 1,300 buildings in Morris County alone were damaged because of flooding along the Passaic, Ramapo and Pompton rivers. Preliminary estimates from flooding and wind damage in New Jersey alone are in the millions of dollars. Elsewhere in the area, flooding and wind damage was not as severe, but impacts from minor river flooding and downed trees and power lines were still felt in many areas.
New York
The New York Metro area experienced intense conditions during the height of the storm which dropped on average 3-6" of rain along with wind gusts over 75 mph. The hardest hit location in the metro area was Brooklyn, NY which experienced over 6" of rain and wind gusts up to 85 mph. Long Island got hammered with hurricane force wind gusts of 75-85Mph and heavy bands of rain. Many power outages were reported.Pennsylvania
In southeastern Pennsylvania, PECO said that 135,000 customers lost power in the Philadelphia region, with Bucks County bearing the brunt. All of these customers had their power restored by Tuesday March 16th.Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island received very heavy rain from the storm, and the Pawtuxet RiverPawtuxet River
The Pawtuxet River is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows and drains a watershed of . There are four dams along the river's length.-Course:...
flooded many towns in the state. Winds exceeded 50 mph at times and roadways were closed in Rhode Island and Connecticut.
See also
- North American blizzard of 2009North American blizzard of 2009The North American blizzard of 2009 was a Category 2 nor'easter that formed over the Gulf of Mexico in December 2009 and became a major snowstorm for the East Coast of the United States and Canadian Atlantic provinces...
- February 5–6, 2010 North American blizzard
- February 9–10, 2010 North American blizzard
- February 25–27, 2010 North American blizzard