January 1992 nor'easter

The nor'easter struck about two months after the destructive Perfect Storm, and preceded another damaging storm in December 1992.^[5] The storm produced strong winds and high surf during a new moon, which resulted in astronomically high tides.^[2] Such tides caused coastal flooding and damage to dune systems.^[6] Due to its small size, the storm's impact was highly localized and did not spread far to the north of the Delaware Bay.^[4]

High waves flooded North Carolina Highway 12 in the Outer Banks up to 2 ft (0.61 m) deep, closing a 10 mi (16 km) portion between Rodanthe and Oregon Inlet. Portions of Kitty Hawk and Pea Island were also flooded.^[7] Offshore, the storm washed 500 drums of arsenic overboard a freighter, which prompted a Coast Guard search for the toxic supplies.^[8] In Virginia, the storm produced a peak wind gust of 89 mph (143 km/h) at Chincoteague. Along the eastern shore, high surf destroyed one house and damaged 110 camping trailers. Flooding and high winds damaged the Wallops Flight Facility. High winds downed trees and power lines, leaving 4,000 people without power. Property damage was estimated at $2.2 million (1992 USD).^[9]

In Maryland, the storm struck just before high tide.^[2] A station on Assateague Island reported wind gusts of over 55 mph (89 km/h) during the storm's closest approach.^[1] On the island, the storm killed 11 Assateague Ponies and 20 deer.^[8] The cost to repair damages at Assateague Island National Seashore was estimated at $2.5 million (1992 USD).^[9] High winds in eastern Maryland left 32,000 people without power.^[9] The storm surge at Ocean City was estimated at 6.6 ft (2 m), which washed over the city's dune system in several locations.^[10] However, high waves destroyed the pier that the tidal gauge was on in the city. The combined effects of the nor'easter and the Perfect Storm from the previous October caused significant beach erosion along the Maryland coastline. In Ocean City, some streets lost a significant volume of sand while others gained sand.^[1] The cost of the lost beach was estimated between $10–30 million (1992 USD).^[11] Low-lying sections and coastal hotels in Ocean City were flooded.^[7][9] West of the city, the storm damaged several summer homes,^[7] washing four houses off their foundations.^[9] Damage in Ocean City was estimated around $700,000 (1992 USD), much of which to a public golf course.^[8]

The stronger northeast quadrant moved directly over Delaware for one tidal cycle, producing strong east-northeasterly wind gusts that peaked at 83 mph (134 km/h) at a station along the Indian River.^[2][9] The highest tides and flooding along the Delaware coastline were between Bowers and Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, where high waves built momentum from the Atlantic Ocean through the Delaware Bay.^[2] In Bowers, the tide reached 8.76 ft (2.67 m) along the Murderkill River; the reading was only 2 in (51 mm) less than the record set during the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962. The high tides flooded marsh vegetation in the town. In Lewes, the highest tide was 7.40 ft (2.26 m), which was the second highest on record; only the 1962 storm was higher, which produced a tide of 8.05 ft (2.45 m). The storm caused significant flooding in Dewey Beach,^[5] where a high tide of 9.02 ft (2.75 m) marked the second-highest tide in Delaware history.^[12] The saltwater contaminated the town's water supply.^[13] The ocean washed over dunes in several locations along Delaware Bay, including in Fowler Beach where flooding reached 20 ft (6.1 m) inland. Near Mispillion Light, the high tides damaged the marina and several nearby buildings.^[2] The high tides flooded marshes and low-lying areas throughout the state, which briefly closed portions of state highways 54, 26, and 1.^[2] High tides destroyed 11 blocks of the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach and half of the promenade at Bethany Beach.^[6][13] At nearby South Bethany, high waves destroyed three houses.^[7] Along the coast, the storm destroyed 15 houses and damaged 500 others, amounting to over $5 million (1992 USD) in property damage.^[9] In addition to the strong winds and high tides, the nor'easter produced light rainfall that did not cause any flooding. The highest total in the state was 1.06 in (27 mm) in Georgetown.^[2] Due to the damage, Kent and Sussex counties were declared federal disaster areas on February 6; this allocated federal funding for repairing storm damage.^[14] Then-governor Michael Castle activated the state's National Guard to assist clearing highways and prevent civilian access to damaged areas.^[7] Due to storm damage, access to Dewey Beach and Rehoboth Beach were restricted to residents.^[13]

Further northeast, the nor'easter produced wind gusts of 60 mph (97 km/h),^[6] along with high tides; Steel Pier in Atlantic City reported a peak tide of about 8 ft (2.4 m).^[3] The ocean flooded under the boardwalk onto adjacent streets,^[7] and to the west of the city, flooding closed portions of the White Horse Pike.^[15] In Cape May Point, the storm breached dunes that withstood the Perfect Storm, which flooded half of the borough. High tides also caused flooding in nearby Cape May, leaving behind 3 ft (0.91 m) of sand in some locations. There was significant dune damage in Strathmere and Harvey Cedars.^[3] The storm damaged the boardwalk in Ocean City, and other coastal towns had damage to bulkheads and sea walls.^[9] About 3,000 people were left without power in Somers Point.^[15] The storm affected 4,000 houses, of which 76 had severe damage. Overall damage in the state was estimated at $45 million (1992 USD), of which around 30% was public parks and buildings.^[9] However, damage was less than that from the Perfect Storm in the previous October.^[6] About 80 people evacuated to emergency shelters in South Jersey, and 95 residents of a nursing home in Atlantic City evacuated inland.^[7][13] Due to the storm damage, then-governor Jim Florio declared a state of emergency in Cape May, Atlantic, Ocean, and Monmouth counties. Due to the successive impacts of nor'easters in October and January, the state government provided money to restore beaches.^[3]

Further north, LaGuardia Airport outside New York City reported a wind gust of 48 mph (77 km/h).^[15] Strong winds on Long Island knocked a tree onto a car, seriously injuring the driver.^[7] Freezing rain from the storm caused traffic accidents, killing one person in White Creek.^[9] In Oyster Bay, the winds pushed an oil barge into a small boat, causing heavy damage to the smaller vessel.^[7] Moisture spread as far north as Maine, where the storm dropped freezing rain; this caused several car accidents that resulted in 11 injuries.^[9]

• 1991 Perfect Storm
• December 1992 nor'easter
• 1993 Storm of the Century