User:12george1/Effects of Hurricane Sandy in the interior of the United States

The effects of Hurricane Sandy in the interior of the United States, in October 2012, were unusually intense and included widespread damage across all or parts of nine states – Illinois Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Sandy, which transitioned an extratropical cyclone even before moving ashore in New Jersey on October 29, combined with an upper-level trough and later a cold front to produce heavy rainfall, snowfall, and strong winds in inland portions of the United States. Additionally, there were reports of storm surges in the Great Lakes region.

Throughout the region, the storm left about 1.64 million power outages, over half of which occurred in Pennsylvania. There were 18 deaths, with fifteen in Pennsylvania and three in West Virginia. More than $1.92 billion in damage was reported, including $450 million in Ohio and $1.25 billion in Pennsylvania.

Ohio
The remnants of Sandy interacted with a cold front and brought an average of 2 in of snowfall to eastern Ohio. Rain and strong winds combined to cause downed trees and power-lines in some ares. In the northern portions of the state, a cold front produced between 0.75 and 2 in of rain, raising streamflows. By October 30, moisture from the remnants of Sandy dropped an additional 2 to 3 in of precipitation. Thereafter, rainfall rates of 0.75 in per hour were observed, until the following morning. Locally heavy rainfall in the northeastern portions of the state resulted in flooding. Additionally, strong winds were observed throughout the area. Wind damages in Ashtabula, Crawford, Geauga, Lucas, Mahoning, Marion, Morrow, Portage, Richland, Seneca, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, and Wayne counties were limited to downed trees and power outages.

Numerous roads were closed due to flooding in Cuyahoga, Lake, and Medina counties from the persistent rain. In Lake County, the Grand River at Painesville rose above flood stage early on October 30 and eventually crested at about 13 ft. A highly-trafficked road was inundated and closed for two days. Some other low lying roads near the river flooded, but the only property inundation was near the mouth and was more lakeshore flooding than river flooding. However, a few basements were swamped due to failed pumps.

About 267,000 customers in Ohio lost electricity. An estimated $450 million in damage was reported throughout the state.

Pennsylvania
Sandy brought hurricane-force gusts throughout eastern and central Pennsylvania, causing severe damage and leading to the direct deaths of two people. The highest sustained wind speed observed was 51 mph at Philadelphia International Airport, while a peak gust of 80 mph was recorded in Allentown. Tropical storm-force winds gusts were also reported in Harrisburg, Lancaster, Scranton, State College, and Wilkes-Barre. In terms of rainfall, a peak total of 12.49 inches (317 millimeters) fell in Easton and regular totals in excess of 5.00 inches (127 millimeters) occurred in southern and western sections of the state.

The city of Philadelphia did not sustain catastrophic damage, but officials reported a significant number of downed trees and isolated flooding. Regional officials across central and eastern sections of the state noted that while damage was widespread, it was not overwhelming in scope. All major highways in the Philadelphia metro region (including Interstate 95, the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76), the Blue Route portion of Interstate 476, the Vine Street Expressway, Schuylkill Expressway, and U.S. Route 1) were closed ahead of Sandy’s arrival but later opened on October 30. Statewide, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reported that there were 425 road closures due to downed trees and power lines, flooding or washed-out bridges. Four bridges crossing the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey were temporarily closed due to high winds, including the Commodore Barry Bridge, the Walt Whitman Bridge, the Ben Franklin Bridge and the Betsy Ross Bridge.

In the state’s Lehigh Valley and Poconos regions, very windy conditions brought down trees and power lines onto personal and commercial properties in addition to vehicles. However, widespread substantial damage was not evident. Minor street flooding was reported as well. Western sections of Pennsylvania (including near Pittsburgh) endured periods of heavy, wet snow as Sandy crossed the region. Only minor storm-related damage occurred. As many as 4,000 insured vehicles were damaged, and infrastructure costs to public roads were listed minimally at USD6 million. More than 1.27 million power outages were reported across the state during the height of the event. Total economic losses in the state were estimated at USD1.25 billion

Elsewhere
Increasing moisture associated with the remnants of Sandy and a strong upslope wind resulted in heavy snowfall during a 4-day period in Tennessee. Higher elevations observed as much as 36 in of snow, while portions of the Tennessee Valley recorded 1 to 4 in of precipitation. At the height of the storm, 2,100 customers lost electricity. Damage in Tennessee reached $20 million.

The remnants of Sandy merged with a large mid-latitude cyclone over the Northeastern United States and produced heavy snowfall in Kentucky from October 28 to October 31. A weather spotter at 2400 ft on Pine Mountain in Letcher County observed 18 in of snow. Further, it is estimated that up to 2 ft of precipitation fell at and close to the summit of Black Mountain. Route 23 in Pound Gap and State Route 160 over Black Mountain were left nearly impassable. By October 30, areas in eastern Kentucky with an elevation less than 2000 ft experienced rainfall, generally ranging 2 to 4 in. However, due to ongoing dry conditions, no flooding problems were reported. Approximately 10,000 residents lost electricity. Overall, damage totaled approximately $20 million in Kentucky. In Indiana, the extreme northwestward portions of the state experienced strong winds, with a gust of 69 mph observed near Michigan City. Approximately 10,000 people were left without electricity. A number of trees were downed, with one blocking State Road 49 in Chesterton. Trees also fell onto roads in Indiana Dunes State Park. A 12-vehicle storage building in the park was de-roofed and a wall collapsed, damaging four vehicles. Along Lake Michigan, waves were estimated to have reached 8 to 12 ft in height, which pushed water up to some stairs that lead to the beach. Damage in Indiana was estimated at $30 million.

Similar effects occurred in Illinois. Near Chicago, a wind gust up to 58 mph was recorded, leaving about 1,150 electrical customers without power. Large waves along the shoreline of Lake Michigan flooded beach areas, a bike path, and a nearby park. Overall, damage in Illinois reached $10 million. In Michigan, the remnants of Sandy brought strong winds to the southeastern portions of the state, with gusts between 55 and 65 mph over the Thumb. Some locations observed winds of 70 mph. Numerous trees and power lines were downed. Additionally, there was minor beach erosion along the shoreline of Lake Huron. Similarly, gusty winds in western Michigan close to the shore of Lake Michigan, downing a number of trees in Mason, Oceana and Ottawa counties. In the Upper Peninsula, snowfall was reported at higher elevations in Alger and Marquette counties. Throughout the state, about 154,000 customers in the state lost electricity. Overall, damage in Michigan totaled $40 million. The remnants of Sandy and a high pressure area over the northern Great Plains created a surface pressure gradient over southern Wisconsin. Areas from Kenosha to Sheboygan experienced sustained winds between 25 and 30 mph, with gusts from 40 to 45 mph. Wave height in Kenosha County along the shoreline of Lake Michigan ranged from 8 to 10 ft, causing minor beach erosion.

At a buoy 45007, located about 43 mi east-southeast of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a wave height of 21.7 ft was observed on October 30. This was the second highest measurement on record for that location, behind only a peak wave height of 22.9 ft on September 30, 2011. However, data from this buoy began in 1981 and was only deployed seasonally from early spring to late fall. Thus, larger waves in this section of Lake Michigan may have gone unrecorded. On October 30, 2012, waves at buoy 45007 were 18 ft or higher for about ten consecutive hours, breaking the November 10-11, 1998 record by three hours. Later on October 30, there were three more hours of wave heights above 18 ft.