1992 Nor'easter of 1992 - December 1992. Slow-moving storm batters northeast U.S. coast, New England hardest hit; $1.0-$2.0 (1.3-2.6) billion damage/costs; 19 deaths. 1992-Hurricane Iniki - September 1992. Category 4 hurricane hits HI island of Kauai; about $1.8 (2.4) billion damage/costs; 7 deaths. Hurricane Iniki was the most powerful hurricane to strike the U.S. state of Hawaii in recorded history. Forming on September 5, 1992, during the strong 1990–95 El Niño, Iniki was one of eleven Central Pacific tropical cyclones during that season. Total fatalities: 6 Highest wind speed: 140 mph Date: September 5, 1992 – September 13, 1992 Category: Category 4 Hurricane (SSHWS) Damage: $3.1 billion (1992 USD) Hurricane Iniki (/iːˈniːkiː/ ee-NEE-kee; Hawaiian: ʻiniki meaning "strong and piercing wind") was the most powerful hurricane to strike the U.S. state of Hawaii in recorded history.[1] Forming on September 5, 1992, during the strong 1990–95 El Niño, Iniki was one of eleven Central Pacific tropical cyclones during that season. It attained tropical storm status on September 8 and further intensified into a hurricane the next day. After turning north, Iniki struck the island of Kauaʻi on September 11 at peak intensity; it had winds of 145 miles per hour (233 km/h) and reached Category 4 on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale. It had recorded wind gusts of 225 as evidenced by an anemometer that was found blown into the forest during clean up. It was the first hurricane to hit the state since Hurricane Iwa in the 1982 season, and the first major hurricane since Hurricane Dot in 1959. Iniki dissipated on September 13 about halfway between Hawaii and Alaska. Iniki caused around $3.1 billion (1992 USD) of damage and six deaths. At the time, Iniki was among the costliest United States hurricanes, and it remains the costliest hurricane on record in the eastern Pacific. The storm struck just weeks after Hurricane Andrew, the costliest tropical cyclone ever at the time, struck Florida. The Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) failed to issue tropical cyclone warnings and watches 24 hours in advance. Despite the lack of early warning, only six deaths ensued. Damage was greatest on Kauaʻi, where the hurricane destroyed more than 1,400 houses and severely damaged more than 5,000. Though not directly in the path of the eye, Oʻahu experienced moderate damage from wind and storm surge. Hurricane Andrew - August 1992. Category 5 hurricane hits FL and LA, high winds damage or destroy over 125,000 homes; approximately $27.0 (35.6) billion damage/costs; 61 deaths. Hurricane Andrew Category 5 Hurricane Duration August 16 – August 28 Peak 175 mph (280 km/h) (1- intensity min) 922 mbar (hPa) A tropical wave moved off the coast of Africa on August 14, and organized into Tropical Depression Three on August 16 while located about halfway between the Windward Islands and the coast of Africa. It moved to the west-northwest, and strengthened into Tropical Storm Andrew on August 17. After reaching winds of 50 mph (85 km/h), strong southwesterly shear weakened the storm, and by August 20 it weakened to a minimal storm with a pressure of 1,015 mbar (30.0 inHg). It bypassed the Lesser Antilles completely, and turned to the west in response to a building high pressure system to the north. Upon turning to the west, a trough of low pressure positioned to the southwest of Andrew created an environment with little vertical shear and well-defined outflow. The storm quickly intensified due to its small size, and became a hurricane on August 22. Andrew rapidly intensified under ideal conditions for development,[12] and on August 23 the hurricane peaked with winds of 175 mph (280 km/h). It crossed the Bahamas at that intensity, weakened slightly, and re-intensified to a 165 mph (270 km/h) Category 5 hurricane before making landfall near Homestead, Florida. It weakened slightly over the state to a 135 mph (215 km/h) hurricane, but re-strengthened to a 145 mph (235 km/h) hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico. A strong mid-latitude trough turned Andrew northward, where it greatly weakened before hitting west of Morgan City, Louisiana on August 26 as a 115 mph (185 km/h) Category 3 hurricane. It turned northeastward, and dissipated over Tennessee on August 28.[37] In the Bahamas, Andrew brought high tides, hurricane-force winds,[38] and tornadoes,[39] which caused significant damage in the archipelago, especially on Cat Cays.[40] At least 800 houses were destroyed and left damage to the transport, communications, water, sanitation, agriculture, and fishing sectors.[41] Overall, Andrew caused four fatalities and $250 million in damage in the Bahamas. Throughout the southern portions of Florida, Andrew brought very high winds; a wind gust of 177 mph (282 km/h) was reported at a house in Perrine, Florida.[12] High winds caused catastrophic damage in Florida, especially in Miami-Dade County, where approximately 117,000 houses were either severely damaged or destroyed.[42] In the Everglades, 70,000 acres (280 km2) of trees were knocked down and about 182 million fish were killed.[43] Rainfall in Florida was moderate, peaking at 13.98 inches (355 mm) in western Miami-Dade County.[44] Significant damage to oil platforms was reported, with one company losing 13 platforms, had 104 structures damaged, and five drilling wells blown off course. In Louisiana, Andrew produced hurricane-force winds along its path,[12] damaging 23,000 homes and destroying 985 homes and 1,951 mobile homes.[45] An F3 tornado in St. John the Baptist Parish damaged or destroyed 163 structures.[46] 17 fatalities were reported in Louisiana, six of which were drowning victims offshore.[12] Elsewhere, the storm spawned at least 28 tornadoes, especially in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi.[12][47] Overall, Andrew caused 65 fatalities and $27.3 billion (1992 USD) in damage,[12][48] making it the seventh-costliest hurricane in U.S. history, behind Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hurricane Ike in 2008, Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria in 2017.[49] December 1992 nor'easter Category 2 "Significant" (RSI: 4.88) An Infrared (IR) image of the nor'easter on December 12, 1992 Type Nor'easter Blizzard Winter storm Formed December 10, 1992 Dissipated After December 12, 1992 Lowest 985 mbar[1] pressure Highest gust 80 mph at Cape May, New Jersey Maximum ~4 ft (1.2 m) in The Berkshires in snowfall or ice western Massachusetts accretion Damage $1–2 billion (1992 USD) Areas affected Mid-Atlantic states, New England December 1992 nor'easter The December 1992 nor'easter produced record high tides and snowfall across the northeastern United States. It developed as a low pressure area on December 10 over Virginia, and for two days it remained over the Mid-Atlantic states before moving offshore. In Maryland, the snowfall unofficially reached 48 in (1,200 mm); if verified, the total would have been the highest in the state's history. About 120,000 people were left without power in the state due to high winds. Along the Maryland coast, the storm was less severe than the Perfect Storm in the previous year, although the strongest portion of the storm remained over New Jersey for several days. In the state, winds reached 80 mph (130 km/h) in Cape May, and tides peaked at 10.4 ft (3.2 m) in Perth Amboy. The combination of high tides and 25 ft (7.6 m) waves caused the most significant flooding in the state since the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962. Several highways and portions of the New York City Subway and Port Authority Trans-Hudson systems were closed due to the storm. Throughout New Jersey, the nor'easter damaged about 3,200 homes and caused an estimated $750 million in damage (1992 USD). The nor'easter increased tides across the northeastern United States for several days due to its slow movement. In New York City, tides reached 8.04 ft (2.45 m) at Battery Park, which flooded Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive. Along Long Island, the nor'easter destroyed over 130 homes and left 454,000 people without power. In New England, 230,684 people lost power during the storm. Five houses were destroyed in Massachusetts, and flooding reached 5 ft (1.5 m) deep in Boston. Further inland, the storm produced significant snowfall, estimated at around 4 ft (1.2 m) in The Berkshires. The high snow totals closed schools for a week in western Massachusetts. Overall, the storm caused between $1–2 billion in damage (1992 USD) and 19 deaths, of which four were directly related to the storm. In March of the following year, the Storm of the Century caused worse damage across a larger region of the eastern United States. Meteorological history A storm complex moved eastward from the Texas coast into Georgia on December 9.[1] On December 9, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a coastal flood watch in anticipation of the developing storm.[3] On December 10, an upper- level trough was located along the East Coast of the United States. At around 1200 UTC that day, cyclogenesis – the development of an low pressure area – occurred over southeastern Virginia. The cyclone moved quickly northward through the Chesapeake Bay until reaching a position just west of Chestertown, Maryland on December 11. By that time, the system had intensified to a pressure of 985 mbar (29.1 inHg), while the parent trough extended from Maryland through the New York metropolitan area to around Cape Cod.