The historic Nor'easter which happened the weekend of October 29 and 30, 2011, was one for the record books. An unusual early Autumn storm delivered record-breaking October snow and massive power outages across Connecticut the last weekend of October eight years ago. By the time the storm pulled away, over a foot of snow fell across much of Northern Fairfield County, and four inches blanketed Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, making Saturday, October 29, 2011, the snowiest October day on record.
Many trees and tree branches came crashing down due to the weight of the heavy, wet snow, the leaves still on the trees, and the gusty winds. The snow totals were unbelievable for October. Danbury reported 17 inches of snow, while Ridgefield (15.5") and Shelton (12.8") received over a foot. Locally, Wilton (10.8"), New Canaan (6.0"), Norwalk (5.5"), and Bridgeport (4.0") also had record-breaking snow. Viewer Ralph Fato of Norwalk sent this photo of the Route 7 connector that Saturday afternoon.
The normal average monthly snowfall for October in southwestern Connecticut is just a trace. Prior to that weekend, the only measured snow in October fell on Sunday, October 4, 1987, when a half-inch coated the region. That's what made this Autumn snowstorm historic. Take a look at this photo of an ice- and snow-covered lake along Route 7 Sunday afternoon, October 30.
In the wake of the storm, skies cleared, the wind abated, and the temperature dropped like a rock. The mercury fell into the 20s inland and lower 30s along the shoreline, causing icy roads and cold homes for those without power. Take a look at these photos, including a picture of a downed tree and snow-covered Route 7 in Danbury. Was it really October?
Today marks the seventh anniversary of the arrival of Hurricane Sandy. It devastated much of the Eastern seaboard with powerful winds, record-low pressure, and historic tidal surges. The hurricane, which brought heavy rain and flooding across the mid-Atlantic region, made its heralded landfall near
Atlantic City, N.J., around 8 p.m. Monday evening, October 29, 2012. It arrived slightly earlier
than originally projected because it had picked up speed, moving
at about 28 mph.
Although our region was spared the heavy rainfall, winds increased throughout the day Monday, reaching a peak wind gust of 76 miles-an-hour at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford later that evening. The hurricane-force gusts resulted in massive power outages, downed trees and power lines, and three deaths in Connecticut.
Unfortunately, the storm came during a Full Moon, causing a storm surge of 10 feet at Bridgeport harbor late Monday night. Sandy's strength and angle of
approach combined to produce a record storm surge of water into New York City.
The surge level at Battery Park topped 13.88 feet at 9:24 p.m. Monday,
surpassing the 10.02 feet record water level set by Hurricane Donna in 1960.
The local shoreline communities, especially Fairfield and Milford, were hit hardest. Many homes, which had been hammered by Tropical Storm Irene just over a year earlier, were severely damaged or destroyed by Sandy.
Flooding prevented
some homeowners from even getting to their homes near the beach in Fairfield. People were
getting around by kayaks and canoes in the shoreline neighborhood, which was buzzing with
the sound of pumps taking water out of houses. At one point Tuesday, United Illuminating reported that 100% of its Fairfield customers were without power. Schools were closed the rest of the week, and Fairfield Ludlowe High School opened a shelter for displaced residents and pets. An Easton volunteer firefighter died while clearing debris in front of a fire truck Monday evening, October 29, on Judd Road. Lt. Russell Neary was struck by a falling limb. The body of a missing 34-year-old man, who was last seen swimming in the heavy surf after jumping from a pier Monday evening, was recovered in Milford. Also, a 90-year-old Mansfield woman was killed and two family members were seriously injured when a tree fell on them during the storm Monday.
More than 750,000 people were reported to have lost power across the region.
Cities including Washington and Boston closed their mass-transit systems.
Schools were closed, and shelters began to fill with hundreds of thousands of
people ordered to leave their homes and seek safety. Wall Street trading was disrupted, as were political campaigns throughout the
region just eight days before election day. Here is a view of the waves at Laurel Beach in Milford.
When hurricane hunter aircraft
measured its central pressure at 940 millibars -- 27.76 inches -- Monday
afternoon, it was the lowest barometric reading ever recorded for an Atlantic
storm to make landfall north of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The previous
record holder was the 1938 "Long Island Express" Hurricane, which dropped as low
as 946 millibars. Here is a time-lapsed loop of the surface pressure around Hurricane Sandy beginning October 26th.
