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| Nor'easter (2013–14 United States winter) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Nor'easter (2013–14 United States winter) |
| Stormtype | Nor'easter |
| Date formed | December 2013–February 2014 |
| Areas affected | Northeastern United States; Mid-Atlantic; New England; Great Lakes |
Nor'easter (2013–14 United States winter) was a series of powerful extratropical cyclones and coastal storms that affected the Northeastern United States, New England, and the Mid-Atlantic States during the winter of 2013–2014. The storms produced heavy snowfall, coastal flooding, and damaging winds that impacted urban centers such as New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia, as well as rural areas across the Great Lakes region. The sequence included multiple notable events that intersected with ongoing weather patterns tied to the Arctic Oscillation, the North Atlantic Oscillation, and sea surface temperature anomalies in the Atlantic Ocean.
A persistent upper-level trough over the eastern United States interacted with progressive shortwaves originating near the Rocky Mountains and disturbances emerging from the Gulf of Mexico. Cyclogenesis occurred off the East Coast of the United States where baroclinic zones near the Gulf Stream favored intensification, producing classic coastal lows that tracked north-northeastward. Several systems underwent rapid deepening consistent with bombogenesis criteria, similar in mechanism to storms cited in historical records such as the Great Blizzard of 1978 and the 1993 Storm of the Century. The series coincided with a negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation and a positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation, which steered cold air masses from Canada into the Northeastern United States and supported heavy snowfall across Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts. Interaction between coastal cyclones and inland mesoscale bands produced high accumulations in metropolitan corridors including New York City, Hartford, and Providence.
State governments and municipal agencies from New York to Maine issued winter storm warnings, coastal flood advisories, and emergency declarations. Governors of New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts coordinated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service to mobilize resources. Transit authorities such as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority implemented planned suspensions, while ports including the Port of New York and New Jersey and Port of Boston adjusted operations. Major airports—John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Logan International Airport, and Philadelphia International Airport—issued advisories and postponed schedules. Utilities including Consolidated Edison and National Grid staged crews for outage response. Universities like Harvard University, Yale University, and Columbia University announced closures or remote instruction. National organizations such as the American Red Cross and regional agencies like the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency prepared shelters.
Northeast: New York City and the Hudson Valley experienced heavy snowfall, whiteout conditions, and coastal flooding along the Long Island Sound and Jamaica Bay. New England: Boston and suburbs in Suffolk County suffered significant snow totals, transportation disruptions, and power outages. Mid-Atlantic: Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Wilmington, Delaware reported accumulation and wind damage. New Jersey: coastal communities on the Jersey Shore endured erosion and inundation. New England rural areas in Vermont and Maine faced isolation, while the Burlington, Vermont area and Portland, Maine saw impacts on municipal services. Great Lakes: lake-effect enhancements influenced snowbelt counties near Buffalo, New York and Rochester, New York, with localized flooding along the Erie Canal and shoreline setbacks on Lake Ontario. Fishing and maritime industries based in New Bedford, Massachusetts and Gloucester, Massachusetts were disrupted.
Road networks including Interstate 95 in Maine, I-84, and I-87 experienced closures and pileups. Rail corridors managed by Amtrak and regional carriers such as NJ Transit and MBTA Commuter Rail faced cancellations and reroutes. Major bridges—the George Washington Bridge, Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, and Tappan Zee Bridge—saw traffic restrictions due to high winds and drifting snow. Airport operations at LaGuardia Airport and Logan International Airport were significantly reduced, affecting carriers like Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines, and JetBlue Airways. Energy infrastructure managed by PSE&G (Public Service Enterprise Group) and Consolidated Edison reported outages; power restoration involved contractors from Iowa and Ohio. Coastal protection structures in New Jersey and Rhode Island were stressed, with seawalls and dunes damaged in towns like Seaside Heights, New Jersey and Narragansett, Rhode Island.
The storms imposed direct economic losses on sectors including retail in Times Square, hospitality around Logan Airport, and fisheries operating from ports such as New Bedford Harbor. Insurance claims rose for structural damage in communities like Cape Cod and Long Island. Municipal snow removal costs burdened budgets in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Burlington, Vermont, and Hartford, Connecticut. Environmental impacts included coastal erosion at Fire Island, saltwater intrusion into estuaries like the Delaware Bay, and habitat stress for species monitored by agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Shipping delays affected supply chains linked to Port Newark and Port of Baltimore, influencing distributors including Sysco and retailers with distribution centers in the Meadows–Newark–Elizabeth, NJ–NY area.
Recovery involved federal, state, and local coordination among the Federal Emergency Management Agency, state emergency management agencies, and nongovernmental organizations like the American Red Cross and Salvation Army. Public works departments in Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia prioritized clearing critical arteries and restoring transit. Utility restorations required mutual aid from companies such as FirstEnergy and Dominion Energy. Legislative offices in Albany, New York and Boston, Massachusetts reviewed emergency preparedness funding, and universities including MIT and University of Pennsylvania assessed campus resilience. Insurance firms headquartered in New York City adjusted claims handling, while economic stimulus measures at municipal levels aided small businesses along corridors such as Newbury Street and Faneuil Hall.
Several synoptic aspects of the winter series were analyzed by the National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and academic researchers at institutions like Columbia University's Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory and University of Massachusetts Amherst to evaluate trends. Snowfall records in counties across Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York were compared to historic storms including the Blizzard of 1996 and February 2013 North American blizzard. The season contributed to discussions in climatology circles at conferences organized by the American Meteorological Society and findings were published by centers such as the National Centers for Environmental Information. Analyses linked the frequency of coastal cyclogenesis to hemispheric circulation patterns like the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and examined implications for infrastructure resilience in municipalities including Providence, Rhode Island and Hartford, Connecticut.
Category:2013 in the United States Category:2014 in the United States Category:Nor'easters