FILE PHOTO: A roller coaster sits in the Atlantic Ocean after the Fun Town pier it sat on was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy on November 1, 2012 in Seaside Heights, New Jersey.(Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
As the forecast worsens for the Jersey Shore, with wind gusts up to 65 mph, coastal flooding and blizzard conditions, some residents are wondering whether this storm could rival the devastation of Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
AccuWeather meteorologists say the short answer is no.
“Hurricane Sandy was a different animal,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Scott Homan said, explaining that Sandy brought wind gusts up to 95 mph, persistent and prolonged easterly winds and a landfalling system that combined to produce catastrophic coastal flooding, major beach loss and widespread structural damage.
With this storm, the wind direction will be different and more variable.
“In this instance winds will be from the east for a time, then turn northeast and eventually northwest as the storm moves to the northeast toward New England,” Homan said.
Wind gusts could reach 60 mph along the coast, which is strong enough to cause beach erosion, pockets of coastal flooding and scattered power outages as heavy snow combines with gusty winds.
However, forecasters say this setup lacks the prolonged onshore wind and direct landfall component that made Sandy so destructive.
“But in recent history it seems many coastal storms no matter the strength bringing an easterly fetch causes flooding and beach erosion,” Homan said.
While impacts are expected to be significant, especially for travel and coastal communities, this blizzard is not forecast to produce the same level of storm surge and structural devastation seen during Sandy.
