Hurricane Sandy (2012)

Basin

North Atlantic

Dates

October 21, 2012 to October 31, 2012

Peak strength

Category 3, 100 kt (115 mph)

Lowest pressure

940 mb (27.76 inHg)

Landfall

Yes

Accumulated cyclone energy

13.7

Tropical-storm-force wind reached

530 nmi (982 km, 610 mi) from the center at its widest

Hurricane-force wind reached

180 nmi (333 km, 207 mi) from the center at its widest

Eyewall radius at its peak

10 nmi (19 km, 12 mi)

Overall size

525 nmi (972 km, 604 mi) to the outermost closed isobar

Peak gust in the best track

115 kt (132 mph)

Fastest the center moved

22 kt (25 mph)

Identifier

AL182012

Radar at KDIX as it neared land, Oct 29, 23:30 UTC

The sources count different things and are not added together.

Landfall points the US agencies flagged in the best track. The nearest town is named from the site’s gazetteer, not from the report.

NOAA’s Storm Events database, the record National Weather Service offices compile months after a storm, as compiled March 2026.

Deaths

133 (77 direct, 56 indirect)

Injuries

30

Property damage

$25 billion

Crop damage

$2.2 million

Events recorded

595 in 59 reports from 23 states and marine areas

State by state

What was recorded

293 high wind, 74 flood, 73 coastal flood, 47 strong wind, 42 tropical storm, 16 storm surge/tide, 11 marine high wind, 10 flash flood, 9 thunderstorm wind, 7 high surf, 6 marine tropical storm, 6 heavy rain, 1 debris flow.

The Weather Prediction Center attributes 4,283 rain gauge totals over the contiguous United States to this storm. The wettest reached 12.83 inches (326 mm).

WPC’s storm rainfall file, 1900 to 2020, compiled by David Roth.

The strongest winds National Weather Service offices recorded with this storm. An estimated figure is a forecaster’s judgment from the damage, not an instrument reading.

From the Storm Events narratives, unedited.

Hurricane Sandy produced tropical storm force wind gusts in the Upper Florida Keys as it moved north through the central and northwest Bahamas. Maximum sustained winds ranged from 25 to 40 mph from Ramrod Key through Key West, with peak gusts measured at 58 mph at Cudjoe Key and 45 mph at the Naval Air Station at Boca Chica. No wind damage was reported. As Hurricane Sandy continued to move north of the Bahamas, strong northwest winds across the eastern Gulf of Mexico pushed higher-than-normal tides into the nearshore waters along the Lower Keys, reaching up to 2.5 feet above mean sea level and causing flooding of secondary roads and low lying streets. The tides remained high due to normally higher full moon spring tide through the early part of the following week. Minor flood damage was reported.

Monroe/Lower Keys, Florida · Tropical Storm · Oct 25, 04:00 UTC

Hurricane Sandy produced tropical storm force wind gusts in the Upper Florida Keys as it moved north through the central and northwest Bahamas. Maximum sustained winds ranged from 25 to 32 mph from Key Largo through Upper Matecumbe Key, with peak gusts measured at 48 mph at Upper Matecumbe and 44 mph at Key Largo. Very minor wind damage occurred, from isolated power outages due to tree limbs contacting power lines. Approximately 700 customers were without power on October 25th. As Hurricane Sandy continued to move north of the Bahamas, strong northwest winds across the eastern Gulf of Mexico pushed higher-than-normal tides into Florida Bay, reaching up to 2.5 feet above mean sea level and causing flooding of secondary streets. The tides remained high due to normally higher full moon spring tide through the early part of the following week. No flood damage was reported.

Monroe/Upper Keys, Florida · Tropical Storm · Oct 25, 14:00 UTC

Maximum wind gusts around 70 mph on Outer Banks Dare County. A 3 to 5 foot surge occurred both ocean-side and sound-side. Highest sound-side Surge, 5 feet, occurred from Rodanthe to Hatteras. Large breaking waves on top of the surge resulted in moderate to major beach erosion and over-wash along the coast from Duck to Hatteras. A large section of Highway 12 north of Rodanthe was closed due to extensive Damage to the road, caused by wave action and ocean over-wash. Storm total rainfall from seven to eight inches only compounded the surge problems. Fourteen million dollars in damages occurred in the county mostly related to storm surge.

Eastern Dare, North Carolina · Tropical Storm · Oct 28, 11:00 UTC

Maximum wind gusts around 70 mph on Outer Banks Dare County. A 3 to 5 foot surge occurred both ocean-side and sound-side. Highest sound-side Surge, 5 feet, occurred from Rodanthe to Hatteras. Large breaking waves on top of the surge resulted in moderate to major beach erosion and over-wash along the coast from Duck to Hatteras. A large section of Highway 12 north of Rodanthe was closed due to extensive Damage to the road, caused by wave action and ocean over-wash. Storm total rainfall from seven to eight inches only compounded the surge problems. Thirteen million dollars in damages were estimated in the county related to storm surge.

Eastern Dare, North Carolina · Storm Surge/Tide · Oct 28, 11:00 UTC

Video evidence of a submerged road and a couple of surrounded homes on Oct 28th at http://lexleader.net/hurricane-sandys-1st-high-tide-st-george-island/. Will be inferring a moderate event between approximately 12:45 (or 1pm) through about 2:50 pm. The subsequent two high tides should have been accompanied by minor flooding. Times would be approximately 10:15 pm on the 28th through 6:45 am on the 29th, and again from about 9:50 am through 3:10 pm on the 29th. The high tide in the afternoon of Oct 30th was on the cusp between minor and moderate. LWTV2 gauge data suggests event times would be in the neighborhood of 11am through 6:25 pm, with the window 1:50-3:20 pm borderline moderate.

St. Mary'S, Maryland · Coastal Flood · Oct 28, 17:45 UTC

Low lying areas along the Hudson River experienced moderate coastal flooding as storm surge moved north along the river Monday Night as Sandy made landfall in Southern New Jersey. This coincided with widespread record coastal flooding occurring in Lower New York Harbor exceeding the FEMA 100 year base flood elevations. Peak storm tides surpassed all previously documented high water marks, including the October 31, 1991 and December 11, 1992 nor'easters and the recorded peaks from Hurricane Irene in 2011 and Hurricane Donna in 1960. Up to 2 to 5 feet of inundation occurred in low lying areas along the Hudson River causing moderate to locally major damage. Up and down the Hudson, boats pushed ashore and all manner of debris could be seen.

Northern Westchester, New York · Coastal Flood · Oct 29, 12:18 UTC

The heavy rain that fell across Sussex County not only caused poor drainage and creek flooding, but exacerbated the tidal flooding along the Delaware Bay. Three roadways were flooded in Selbyville. The culvert over the Bunting Branch is expected to be closed until 2013. Evacuations occurred along the Nanticoke and Broad Creeks. Forty roadways were closed because of either flooding or high winds. The Nanticoke Creek at Bridgeville was above its 8 foot flood stage from 203 a.m. EDT through 422 p.m. EDT on the 30th. It crested at 8.25 feet at 915 a.m. EDT on the 30th. Event precipitation totals included 10.20 inches in Georgetown, 9.55 inches in Milford and 9.49 inches in Indian River Acres.

Sussex, Delaware · Flood · Oct 29, 14:00 UTC

Heavy rain caused urban and poor drainage flooding and exacerbated the tidal flooding along the Delaware River in Gloucester County. The Raccoon Creek at Swedesboro just touched its 13.0 foot flood stage at 100 a.m. EDT on the 30th. Farther downstream, flooding occurred near and along the creek in Logan Township along U.S. Routes 130 and 322 and also on High Hill Road. Roadway flooding was also reported in Franklin Township, South Harrison Township and National Park. Event precipitation totals included 5.31 inches in Pitman, 5.23 inches in Franklin, 5.22 inches in Malaga, 4.90 inches in Washington Township, 4.41 inches in Monroe Township and 3.96 inches in Glassboro.

Gloucester, New Jersey · Flood · Oct 29, 16:00 UTC

There were many reports of flooding: Shreve Mill Road flooded near the Dulles Greenway, Berlin Turnpike and Allder School Rd, South Fork Catoctin Creek exceeded its flood level between 0630pm on the 29th and 1230 PM on the 30th, Beaverdam Creek was above flood level between 930 pm on the 29th and 10am on the 30th, the North Fork of Goose Creek was above flood level between about 1020pm on the 29th and 4am on the 30th, Broad Run exceeded its flood stage between 1015 and 1030 pm, the Monocacy River at Brdigeport exceeded flood stage from apprpox 11pm Monday to 5am Tuesday, Route 15 closed at Goose Creek, and Allder School Road is closed at the South Fork of the Catoctin Creek.

Loudoun, Virginia · Flood · Oct 29, 17:30 UTC

Trees and power lines were reported down in New Ashford due to high winds. A wind gust in Hancock was measured at 77 mph at an elevation at 1128 feet at 3:43 pm EST. A tree was down and on a car at Route 7 and Browdy Mountain Road in Lanesborough. Trees were reported down on Partridge and Oak Hill Roads in Pittsfield due to high winds. Pittsfield Municipal Airport reported a wind gust of 58 mph at 8:19 pm EST. A tree was reported down on a home on Knox Road in North Adams. Wires were reported down on Liberty Street in North Adams. Harriman and West Airport in North Adams reported a wind gust of 54 mph at 10:05 pm EST. Multiple trees and wires were reported down in Peru. A wind gust of 45 mph was reported at 3:50 pm EST in Peru and 2 miles west-southwest of Sheffield at an elevation of 1894 feet at 3:00 pm EST.

Northern Berkshire, Massachusetts · High Wind · Oct 29, 18:28 UTC

Heavy rain caused urban and poor drainage flooding and exacerbated the tidal flooding along the Delaware River and near the Atlantic coast in Burlington County. In Mount Laurel Township, Union Mill Road was closed because Parkers Creek flooded. The North Branch of the Rancocas Creek at Pemberton was above its 2.5 foot flood stage from 430 p.m. EDT on the 30th through 6 p.m. EDT on the 31st It crested at 2.58 feet at 130 a.m. EDT on the 31st. Event precipitation totals included 4.10 inches in Medford, 3.51 inches in Chatsworth, 3.15 inches in Medford Lakes, 2.92 inches in Mount Laurel, 2.82 inches in Morrestown and 2.42 inches in Westampton.

Burlington, New Jersey · Flood · Oct 29, 19:00 UTC

High winds developed during the afternoon hours on Monday 29th and lasted into early morning hours on Tuesday the 30th from Hurricane Sandy. The high winds knocked downed numerous trees and power lines over the higher terrain areas of the county. Hardest hit areas were Hazelton, Back Mountain, Bear Creek and Penobscot Mountain where a gust was measured at 67 mph. Two schools, one in Hazelton and the other in Salem Township sustained roof damage. Peak sustained winds were estimated between 30 and 40 mph with peak wind gusts measure at 67 mph. The lower elevations including the Wilkes-Barre area had weaker winds and less impact from this storm. During the height of the storm late in the evening, there were an estimated 28,000 customers without power again, mainly over the higher terrain. It took a few days for power to be fully restored across the county.

Luzerne, Pennsylvania · High Wind · Oct 29, 21:00 UTC

High winds developed during the early evening hours on Monday 29th and lasted into early morning hours on Tuesday the 30th from Hurricane Sandy. The high winds knocked downed numerous trees and power lines over the higher terrain areas of the county. A roof was blown off a home in Jermyn. Peak sustained winds were estimated between 30 and 40 mph with peak wind gusts estimated at 70 mph. The lower elevations including much of the Scranton area had weaker winds and less impact from this storm. During the height of the storm late in the evening, there were an estimated 15,000 customers without power, mainly over the higher terrain. It took a few days for power to be fully restored across the county.

Lackawanna, Pennsylvania · High Wind · Oct 29, 23:00 UTC

The Cuyahoga River at Independence experienced two crests during this event, both above major flood stage of 18.5 feet. The heaviest rain occurred during the evening of the 29th and again on the morning of the 31st. The rainfall rates were generally 0.1 to 0.2��� per hour, but during the heavier bands from Sandy rainfall rates jumped to almost 0.75��� per hour. The crest forecast called for a stage of 21 feet and the observed was 20.8 feet, 2.3 feet above major flood stage. The river was receding Tuesday but a band of heavy rain moved in Tuesday Night and Wednesday morning resulting in a second rise on the river. The second crest was 19.1 feet reached around noon Wednesday. Many roads in Valley View flooded. One vehicle was reported to have driven into the water and the driver had to be rescued. An estimated 20 homes had 3 to 4 feet of water, some as much as 6-7 feet, in their basements.

Cuyahoga, Ohio · Flood · Oct 30, 11:00 UTC

• Tropical Storm AlbertoNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm50 kt · 995 mb
• Tropical Storm BerylNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm60 kt · 992 mb
• Hurricane ChrisNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 175 kt · 974 mb
• Tropical Storm DebbyNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm55 kt · 990 mb
• Hurricane ErnestoNorth Atlantic · 2012 · 12 deathsCat 285 kt · 973 mb
• Tropical Storm FlorenceNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm50 kt · 1002 mb
• Tropical Storm HeleneNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm40 kt · 1004 mb
• Hurricane GordonNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 295 kt · 965 mb
• Hurricane IsaacNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 170 kt · 965 mb
• Tropical Storm JoyceNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm35 kt · 1006 mb
• Hurricane LeslieNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 170 kt · 968 mb
• Hurricane KirkNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 290 kt · 970 mb
• Hurricane MichaelNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 3100 kt · 964 mb
• Hurricane NadineNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 180 kt · 978 mb
• Tropical Storm OscarNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm45 kt · 994 mb
• Tropical Storm PattyNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm40 kt · 1005 mb
• Hurricane RafaelNorth Atlantic · 2012Cat 180 kt · 966 mb
• Tropical Storm TonyNorth Atlantic · 2012Tropical Storm45 kt · 1000 mb

A best track is the record a warning agency settles on after the storm, not what it said at the time: position, maximum sustained wind and central pressure every six hours, revised against every observation that came in later. Category is the Saffir-Simpson scale, which runs from Category 1 at 64 kt to Category 5 at 137 kt and reads wind only, so it says nothing about surge or rain. Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the square of the wind through the storm's life, so it counts strength and duration together.

Storm history from NOAA NCEI’s International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS), which merges the official best track of every warning agency. Live storms, cones, watches and warnings from the National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Archived radar from NOAA’s Level II archive.

• Tropical cyclone report, National Hurricane Center
• Every advisory and discussion NHC issued while it was live
• Best track as KMZ, National Hurricane Center
• Wikipedia article: Hurricane Sandy