Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
October 2013 North American storm complex
Blizzard and tornado outbreak From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
The October 2013 North American storm complex was a massive blizzard and tornado outbreak that affected the Northwest, Rockies, and much of the Midwest in early-October 2013. A total of 22 tornadoes were confirmed as the system moved eastward across the eastern half of the United States, including two that were rated EF4. The storm was unofficially named Winter Storm Atlas by The Weather Channel.[5]
Additionally, the system's tail end cold front absorbed the remnants of Tropical Storm Karen, later becoming a nor'easter off the East Coast of the United States and caused minor flooding in a few states, including Delaware, Georgia, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.[6]
Remove ads
Summary of events
Summarize
Perspective
On October 3, 2013, the National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for Rapid City and the Black Hills in advance of the storm urging people to delay or cancel travel plans.[7]
Heavy snowfall trapped over six dozen people inside of their automobiles and tornadoes injured 17 people in Iowa and Nebraska.[8][9] Rapid City, the second largest city in South Dakota, was engulfed in close to two feet of snow, which exceeds the amount of snow that the city has ever recorded during any whole month of October.[10] Furthermore, on October 4, 2013, the city received over 19 inches (48 cm) of snow, which exceeded the previous one day record in October by more than 6 inches (15 cm).[11] Over 20,000 people lost electricity in Black Hills, where more than a meter of watered down, dense snow had fallen. The storm system also included thunderstorms that brought iced precipitation, significant rain and over half a dozen tornadoes to Nebraska and Iowa.[9][12] Two of these tornadoes were violent enough to be rated EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. Over 200 miles (320 km) of Interstate 90 was shut down from South Dakota to Wyoming.[13]
The storm affected about 5,000 ranches in western South Dakota producing snow totals as high as 5 feet (1.5 m) and 70 mph (110 km/h) winds that scattered herds for miles and resulted in the deaths of many cattle due to exhaustion and hypothermia.[14] In a storm South Dakotans called the Cattleman's Blizzard, at least 14,000 cattle, 1300 sheep, 300 horses, and 40 bison were killed with South Dakota ranchers reporting losses of 20 to 50 percent of their herds.[15][16][17] Thousands of people were without power.[18] Three people died in a motor vehicle accident on US 20.[19]
The storm coincided with the United States federal government shutdown of 2013, which limited timely federal response to the disaster.[14]
Remove ads
Confirmed tornadoes
October 3 event
October 4 event
October 5 event
October 7 event
Remove ads
Related nor'easter (October 10–12)
Summarize
Perspective
Meteorological history
The cold front of the aforementioned system was also responsible for absorbing what was left of Tropical Storm Karen in the Gulf of Mexico, with the remnant trough of that cyclone being responsible for a nor'easter that developed off the East Coast of the United States. For the next few days, Karen's remnant made a counterclockwise loop over the coast of North Carolina,[45] reaching an extratropical peak of 1,005 millibars (29.7 inHg) on October 10,[46] before making another counterclockwise loop off the coast of the Delmarva Peninsula.[45][47] The nor'easter then turned southward on October 12, after completing its second loop. Afterward, the system drifted southwestward back towards Florida for the next few days, closing off a long, clockwise loop in its track. Karen's remnants eventually dissipated on October 15, just off the coast of Florida.[45]
Impacts
Pennsylvania
As a nor'easter, Karen caused significant flooding in Pennsylvania, with some places nearly getting a foot (0.3 meters) of rain. Harrisburg saw more than 10 in (250 mm) of rainfall,[48] setting the record for the wettest October for the city, with 11.27 in (286 mm) of rain recorded.[45][49] Flood warnings were issued for Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry, Franklin, and Lebanon Counties.[50] In Dauphin County, where Harrisburg is located, most areas received 5 to 10 inches (130 to 250 mm) of rain from the storm. Portions of the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center parking lot were inundated. Parts of Hershey, including Hersheypark, experienced flooding.[51] The animals at ZooAmerica in Hersheypark were evacuated to higher ground.[50] The zoo took additional precautions due to the flooding and closed the park, after an incident two years prior, when Tropical Storm Lee flooded the area, killing two bison.[52] Three people were displaced by flood waters on October 12 in Middletown.[50] Numerous roads were closed in Adams County, mainly in the northern and eastern portions of the county. Two homes collapsed in Oxford and Tyrone townships.[53] Numerous rural roadways were closed in Lancaster County, including Fruitville Pike near Pennsylvania Route 72. The Chickies Creek near Manheim, Pennsylvania overflowed its banks and flooded nearby roads. Minor river flooding also occurred in Lancaster from the Conestoga River.[54] A precautionary evacuation took place at a mobile home trailer park in Hellam Township, due to river flooding associated with Kreutz Creek. A portion of U.S. Route 30 was flooded in West Manchester Township.[55] In Camp Hill, moderate river flooding occurred on the Yellow Breeches Creek, with a crest of 11.4 feet (3.5 m).[56] In Howe Township, a part of Perry County, a rockslide closed U.S. Route 322 westbound.[57] One water rescue was performed for a stranded motorist in South Londonderry Township on Pennsylvania Route 241.[58] Flooding was reported due to poor drainage systems in Downingtown, where 3.59 in (91 mm) of rain fell.[59] Near Philadelphia, the Newtown Square Pennsylvania Railroad Museum rescheduled Newtown Square Railroad Day, originally set for October 12, to October 19.[60] Philadelphia International Airport reported 2.03 in (52 mm) of rainfall from the nor'easter.[61]
After the storm, the American Red Cross opened a shelter for people affected by flooding in Mechanicsburg.[62] Workers cleared debris from a drain that caused the ramp from Hersheypark Drive to U.S. Route 322 westbound to flood.[63] Residents of Germantown, a suburb of Philadelphia, were furious with the Philadelphia Water Department, due to sewers flooding from heavy rainfall. The residents claimed that the city had promised to fix the sewer problem since 2011, but no work had been done. A spokeswoman from the Water Department explained that the sewers were more than 100 years old and that "that sort of high intensity rain storm overwhelm our sewer system." The city directed residents to the Basement Protection Program, which would help alleviate some of the flooding problems.[64]
New Jersey and Delaware
The nor'easter generated high wind gusts, heavy rain, and coastal flooding in New Jersey. In Ocean County, minor flooding associated with high tides was reported on Long Beach Boulevard in Beach Haven, along with Long Beach Island. Seaside Park and Lacey Township also experienced minor tidal flooding.[65] At Harvey Cedars, wind gusts of at least 30 mph (48 km/h) were recorded for a record 79 consecutive hours, beginning at 3:00 a.m. EDT on October 9 and ending at 10:00 a.m. EDT on October 12.[66] In Atlantic County, the Black Horse Pike was down to just one lane on October 8 because of coastal flooding. Some side streets in Atlantic City were flooded with water up to one foot (0.30 m) in height. In Stone Harbor, where the Army Corps of Engineers finished a major beach restoration project a few months prior to the storm, heavy wave action carved out cliffs along the beach.[67] Some of the severest coastal flooding happened in Cape May County, where the National Weather Service issued a Coastal Flood Warning, citing property damage.[68] Tidal flooding inundated roads in Strathmere. Several streets and parking lots off of New Jersey Route 47 were submerged by 2 to 3 feet (0.61 to 0.91 m) of floodwaters in Wildwood.[69] In Ocean City, in Cape May County, a foot (0.3 m) of floodwaters entered garages along 10th Street.[68] Cape May County also recorded the highest rainfall amounts in the state, with 3.74 in (95 mm) in Middle Township and 3.54 in (90 mm) in Cape May.[66] Sea Isle City's Italian Festival and Columbus Day Parade on October 12 were postponed to October 26. Nearby, the West Cape May Christmas Parade Fundraiser and the Avalon Seafood Festival were postponed. The Lima Bean Festival was delayed until October 13.[60] The Cape May Wine Festival was delayed one day to October 13.[70] Total damage in New Jersey was minimal, estimated at $5,000 (2013 USD).[65][69]
In neighboring Delaware, similar coastal flooding and strong wind gusts affected coastal parts of all three counties. The Delaware State University cancelled some outdoor activities scheduled for the October 11 and 12. In Sussex County, Long Neck, and the surrounding areas experienced tidal flooding. Roadway tidal flooding occurred in and around Angola and Oak Orchard. Strong waves pushed water over bulkheads.[71] In Milton, minor tidal flooding closed Prime Hook Road for several days. The Delaware Department of Transportation helped residents living along the road reach or exit their homes.[72] The high tides reached the support pilings of homes at Primehook Beach. Delaware Route 16 was also flooded, and the Delaware Department of Transportation recommended evacuation. In Kent County, minor tidal flooding affected Bowers Beach, where a dune breach occurred. A parking lot was also flooded. Scattered street flooding and street closings occurred along Delaware Bay, between Dover and Milford. Delaware State University cancelled some outdoor activities scheduled for October 11 and 12. In New Castle County, the strong winds caused wave action to lap over a sea wall in Bay View Beach, south of Port Penn. While minor tidal flooding occurred during the daytime high tide cycles from October 9 through 13, in Kent and Sussex Counties, the highest tides occurred during the daytime high tide cycle on October 10. The high tide at Lewes reached 6.77 feet (2.06 m) above mean lower low water levels. Minor tidal flooding started at 6.0 feet (1.8 m) above mean lower low water levels. This also coincided with the strongest winds affecting the area, as most of the peak wind gusts occurred during the first half of the day on October 10. Peak gusts were all located in Sussex County: 50 mph (80 km/h) at Dewey Beach, 49 mph (79 km/h) in Lewes, and 39 mph (63 km/h) in Indian River. The strong winds blew sand into the left lane of northbound Delaware Route 1, near the Indian River Inlet Bridge.[73] The runoff from the heavy rain that fell caused minor flooding along the Red Clay Creek Basin on October 11. The creek at Stanton was above 15 ft (4.6 m) flood stage on that day. Poor drainage led to flooding in Newark and Middletown. A peak rainfall amount of 2.9 in (74 mm) was recorded in Blackbird, with 1.98 in (50 mm) recorded in Newark and 1.5 in (38 mm) recorded at the New Castle Airport.[74]
Remove ads
See also
- List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
- Weather of 2013
- List of wettest tropical cyclones in the United States
- November 2009 nor'easter – also absorbed the remnants of a tropical cyclone in the Gulf of Mexico before later developing into a nor'easter
Notes
- All dates are based on the local time zone where the tornado touched down; however, all times are in Coordinated Universal Time for consistency.
References
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads