Sandy Post-Storm Recap

As far as impacts here locally, Hurricane (or "Superstorm") Sandy did not severely impact Western Massachusetts and power outages here were less than initially feared. That was great news! Gusts of 40-50 mph were commonly felt throughout the region but wind damage were fortunately minimal. Flooding was a non-issue here as well as rainfall totals were unimpressive for the most part. In fact, in my opinion, Irene from last year was a more powerful storm here because Irene caused several rivers to reach flood stage. Part of the reason why we escaped the worst was the fact that only the outer fringes of Sandy impacted Western Massachusetts while Irene directly made a run at us.

On the other hand, coastal areas weren't so lucky and sustained major damage from storm surge, wind, and flooding. The worst hit was along the southern coast of Connecticut, Long Island, the New York City area, and New Jersey. Pictures I have seen on Twitter showed incredible flooding and infrastructure damage. Parts of the Atlantic City boardwalk in New Jersey even washed away! It's been almost a week since Sandy made landfall but there are still millions out there without power and are suffering in the cold in the wake of Sandy. To make things worse, a nor'easter could impact devastated areas middle of the week which is not good! The last thing they need is another powerful storm. My thoughts and prayers go out to those impacted by Sandy and I wish them a fast and full recovery. Superstorm Sandy broke many records along the way and will go down as one of the most destructive hurricanes ever causing an estimated $50 billion dollars of damage.

Here are figures from Superstorm Sandy:

Totals across the country

The Stats Are In: Superstorm Sandy Totals: http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/sandy-statistics-rain-wind-snow/876665

Totals across Western Massachusetts

HIGHEST WIND GUSTS:
Pittsfield: 58 mph
North Adams: 54 mph
Chicopee: 51 mph
Westfield: 51 mph
Orange: 43 mph

From NWS Albany:

...MASSACHUSETTS...

...BERKSHIRE COUNTY...
1 NE HANCOCK                               443 PM OCT 29      77 MPH
3 SSE OTIS (1450 FT)(APRSWXNET)            423 PM OCT 29      61 MPH
PITTSFIELD MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (ASOS)        919 PM OCT 29      58 MPH
HARRIMAN-AND-WEST AIRPORT (ASOS)          1105 PM OCT 29      54 MPH
2 NNW SHEFFIELD (662 FT)(MESOWEST)         330 PM OCT 29      46 MPH
2 WSW EAST WINDSOR (1894 FT)(APRSWXNET)    400 PM OCT 29      45 MPH
PERU                                       450 PM OCT 29      45 MPH

HIGHEST SUSTAINED WIND SPEED:
Pittsfield: 35 mph
Chicopee: 33 mph
North Adams: 32 mph
Westfield: 32 mph
Orange: 30 mph

RAINFALL TOTALS:
Orange: 1.36"
Pittsfield: 1.23"
North Adams: 0.69"
Chicopee: 0.62"
Westfield: 0.30"

From NWS Albany:

MASSACHUSETTS

...BERKSHIRE COUNTY...
   SAVOY                 1.60  1200 PM 10/30  WEATHERNET6
   LANESBOROUGH          1.00   638 AM 10/30  WEATHERNET6
   CLARKSBURG            0.84   627 AM 10/30  WEATHERNET6
   PITTSFIELD            0.70   659 AM 10/30  WEATHERNET6

LOWEST SEA LEVEL BAROMETRIC PRESSURE:
Pittsfield: 28.97" Hg (981 mb)
Chicopee: 29.04" Hg (983 mb)
Westfield: 29.05" Hg (984 mb)
North Adams: 29.06" Hg (984 mb)
Orange: 29.18" Hg (988 mb)