March 1–3, 2018 nor'easter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The March 1–3, 2018 nor'easter caused major impacts as well as significant coastal flooding in the Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. It originated as the northernmost low of a stationary front over the Midwest on March 1, which moved eastward into the Northeast later that night. A new low pressure system rapidly formed off the coast on March 2 as it slowly meandered near the coastline. It peaked later that day and brought hurricane-force winds to coastal New England before gradually moving out to sea by March 3. Producing over 2 feet (24 in) of snow in some areas, it was one of the most significant March snowstorms in many areas, particularly in Upstate New York. In other areas, it challenged storm surge records set by other significant storms, such as Hurricane Sandy. It was unofficially named Winter Storm Riley by The Weather Channel.[4]
Type | Extratropical cyclone Nor'easter Winter storm Bomb cyclone Blizzard |
---|---|
Formed | March 1, 2018 (2018-03-01) |
Dissipated | March 5, 2018 (2018-03-05) |
Highest winds |
|
Highest gust | 156 km/h (97 mph) in Wellfleet, Massachusetts[1][2] |
Lowest pressure | 974 mb (28.76 inHg) |
Maximum snowfall or ice accretion | 39.3 in (100 cm) of snow in Cobleskill, New York |
Maximum rainfall | 5.74 in (146 mm) in Fenwick, Connecticut |
Fatalities | 9 total |
Damage | $2.25 billion (2018 USD)[3] |
Power outages | ≥ 1.9 million |
Areas affected | Northeastern United States, Canada |
Part of the 2017–18 North American winter |
Although the most severe damage was caused by flooding as well as snow, unusually high tides and storm surges along the coast, wind and downed trees caused massive inland power outages,[5][6][7] with the number of outages as high as 1.9 million at one point.[8] By March 4, least 9 people were known to have been killed as a result of the storm, with 5 of them being killed by falling trees or branches.[8] Recovery efforts were later hampered as a second nor'easter began to impact the area just a few days after the first one struck.