The October 2013 North American storm complex was a massive blizzard and tornado outbreak that affected the Northwest,Rockies,and much of the Midwest in early-October 2013. A total of 22 tornadoes were confirmed as the system moved eastward across the eastern half of the United States,including two that were rated EF4. The storm was unofficially named Winter Storm Atlas by The Weather Channel.[5]
On October 3,2013,the National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for Rapid City and the Black Hills in advance of the storm urging people to delay or cancel travel plans.[7]
Heavy snowfall trapped over six dozen people inside of their automobiles and tornadoes injured 17 people in Iowa and Nebraska.[8][9]Rapid City,the second largest city in South Dakota,was engulfed in close to two feet of snow,which exceeds the amount of snow that the city has ever recorded during any whole month of October.[10] Furthermore,on October 4,2013,the city received over 19 inches (48cm) of snow,which exceeded the previous one day record in October by more than 6 inches (15cm).[11] Over 20,000 people lost electricity in Black Hills,where more than a meter of watered down,dense snow had fallen. The storm system also included thunderstorms that brought iced precipitation,significant rain and over half a dozen tornadoes to Nebraska and Iowa.[9][12] Two of these tornadoes were violent enough to be rated EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. Over 200 miles (320km) of Interstate 90 was shut down from South Dakota to Wyoming.[13]
The storm affected about 5,000 ranches in western South Dakota producing snow totals as high as 5 feet (1.5m) and 70mph (110km/h) winds that scattered herds for miles and resulted in the deaths of many cattle due to exhaustion and hypothermia.[14] In a storm South Dakotans called the Cattleman's Blizzard,at least 14,000 cattle,1300 sheep,300 horses,and 40 bison were killed with South Dakota ranchers reporting losses of 20 to 50 percent of their herds.[15][16][17] Thousands of people were without power.[18] Three people died in a motor vehicle accident on US 20.[19]
Two homes lost large portions of their roofs, and others sustained lesser damage. Trees were downed, and three storage buildings were destroyed. Outbuildings were destroyed and vehicles were moved as well.[20]
A strong tornado touched down south-southeast of Royal and ended just to the east-northeast of town. Several farmsteads were damaged (with outbuildings being the primary structures impacted) and numerous trees and power lines were downed.[23]
See article on this tornado – A large multiple-vortex tornado, the first EF4 tornado in Nebraska since May 22, 2004, caused substantial damage along its path. Two farmsteads were struck southwest of Wayne, and many sheds and barns were either damaged or destroyed. Two homes in this area sustained EF3-strength damage as well. The tornado moved into the east side of Wayne, causing severe damage to a softball complex, damaging farm equipment at a dealership, and either damaging or completely destroying many large industrial metal buildings at an industrial park, some of which were either badly mangled or completely reduced to rubble. At this point, the tornado had reached its peak intensity, with widespread EF3 damage, and a few pockets of low-end EF4-strength damage were noted. It then directly hit the Wayne Municipal Airport, where two hangars were flattened, leading to the destruction of 15 planes, and the AWOS was shredded and scattered over unknown distances. The tornado then caused EF2 damage to another farmstead before crossing into Dixon County, where it narrowed, weakened, and eventually dissipated after causing roof, window, and siding damage to a few more houses, overturning a camper, and either heavily damaging or destroying a grain bin and numerous farm buildings, as well as farm equipment. Many trees were downed, and crops were flattened along the path. Fifteen people were injured by the tornado including John Dunning, Chief Information Officer of Wayne State College, who was critically injured, but has since recovered. He would have likely died had he stayed in his truck. This tornado caused $50.5 million, mainly in Wayne.[24][25][26] This became the first F4/EF4 tornado in October in the US since the Windsor Locks, Connecticut tornado of 1979, and the first tornado in Nebraska in October since 2001.[27]
This intense tornado touched down just inside Antelope County (to the south-southeast of Creighton) before moving north and into Knox County, where it dissipated 4 miles (6.4km) north of Creighton. It was initially weak with damage confined to irrigation systems, siding, and shingles. The tornado then strengthened and completely destroyed a building that housed antique Trackers (scattering rubble for the equivalent of three city blocks) before hitting the Creighton Municipal Airport, where several buildings were either heavily damaged or destroyed, including three hangars receiving roof, garage, and siding damage and a storage building losing its roof. The airport beacon was blown away as well. The tornado then took a track to the northwest, where a 10,000-bushel grain bin was completely destroyed, and five more irrigation systems where destroyed. Many trees were downed, and power poles snapped at their base as well.[28]
This long-tracked, strong tornado began southwest of Macy before moving through the town. Six homes in the town were either heavily damaged or destroyed, while twelve more homes and one business sustained minor damage. Numerous vehicles, a center pivot irrigation system, and several buildings at farmsteads were damaged as well. The tornado crossed the Missouri River into Iowa west-northwest of Whiting and continued north-northeastward to the west of Sloan, where it spawned the EF1 satellite tornado listed below. Two buildings were destroyed southeast of Salix and open-air buildings were severely damaged at a dairy farm east of Salix. Other homes and buildings were either severely damaged or destroyed between Salix and Bronson before the tornado lifted just east of Bronson. Many trees and four power poles were downed, and corn crops were flattened along the path. Two people were injured, both in Thurston County.[29]
A tornado touched down in Dakota County, causing no damage before crossing the Missouri River into South Dakota. It then damaged homes, overturned an irrigation system, and downed many trees in a subdivision west of McCook Lake before dissipating. One of the homes had a collapsed chimney, carport, porch roof, and walls of a garage, and at least four other houses had roof, siding, and/or gutter damage.[32]
This tornado touched down south of Jefferson just after the previous tornado lifted, damaging a feedlot before crossing I-29. The roof and gutters of a house and the walls and roof of at least two storage equipment buildings were severely damaged, a road sign was damaged, several grain bins were either blown over or crushed, trees and power poles were downed, and corn crops were flattened. One of the grain bins was wrapped around a house, causing damage to the roof, siding, and gutters of the house. The tornado tracked in total for 3 miles (4.8km) in South Dakota before crossing the Big Sioux River into Plymouth County, Iowa and lifting 5 miles (8.0km) northeast of Jefferson after causing no damage.[33]
This very large, violent tornado tracked northeast through rural Woodbury and Cherokee counties, moving west and north of Climbing Hill, southeast of Moville and Pierson, and northwest of Correctionville before dissipating west of Washta. Numerous houses were either heavily damaged or destroyed, with some losing their entire roofs, having collapse of walls, and being shifted off of their foundations. Many sheds, outbuildings, barns, silos, pieces of farm equipment, and garages were destroyed, and a car was thrown 30 feet (9.1m). Farm equipment was tossed about 400 yards (370m) at a farmstead south of Pierson, including a large grain cart that put gouges in a road and had its axle and wheels broken off, and many trees and power lines were downed along the path.[34]
This tornado touched down 5 miles (8.0km) south-southwest of Alta and ended just outside the south side of town. A few farmsteads were damaged, with a drive-thru garage and several outbuildings suffering significant damage at one farmstead, farm equipment being damaged, a school suffering roof and air conditioning damage, and a baseball complex sustaining considerable damage, including to bleachers.[40]
Numerous trees were snapped along this tornado's path, including one the fell on and destroyed a vehicle and damaged the roof of a house. Other homes had shingle damage, and a section of metal was peeled off of the roof of a farmhouse. Corn crops were downed, a farm building was damaged, and a boat was moved as well.[42]
The cold front of the aforementioned system was also responsible for absorbing what was left of Tropical Storm Karen in the Gulf of Mexico, with the remnant trough of that cyclone being responsible for a nor'easter that developed off the East Coast of the United States. For the next few days, Karen's remnant made a counterclockwise loop over the coast of North Carolina,[45] reaching an extratropical peak of 1,005 millibars (29.7inHg) on October 10,[46] before making another counterclockwise loop off the coast of the Delmarva Peninsula.[45][47] The nor'easter then turned southward on October 12, after completing its second loop. Afterward, the system drifted southwestward back towards Florida for the next few days, closing off a long, clockwise loop in its track. Karen's remnants eventually dissipated on October 15, just off the coast of Florida.[45]
Impacts
Total rainfall from Tropical Storm Karen and its remnants
After the storm, the American Red Cross opened a shelter for people affected by flooding in Mechanicsburg.[62] Workers cleared debris from a drain that caused the ramp from Hersheypark Drive to U.S. Route 322 westbound to flood.[63] Residents of Germantown, a suburb of Philadelphia, were furious with the Philadelphia Water Department, due to sewers flooding from heavy rainfall. The residents claimed that the city had promised to fix the sewer problem since 2011, but no work had been done. A spokeswoman from the Water Department explained that the sewers were more than 100 years old and that "that sort of high intensity rain storm overwhelm our sewer system." The city directed residents to the Basement Protection Program, which would help alleviate some of the flooding problems.[64]
New Jersey and Delaware
The nor'easter generated high wind gusts, heavy rain, and coastal flooding in New Jersey. In Ocean County, minor flooding associated with high tides was reported on Long Beach Boulevard in Beach Haven, along with Long Beach Island. Seaside Park and Lacey Township also experienced minor tidal flooding.[65] At Harvey Cedars, wind gusts of at least 30mph (48km/h) were recorded for a record 79 consecutive hours, beginning at 3:00a.m. EDT on October 9 and ending at 10:00a.m. EDT on October 12.[66] In Atlantic County, the Black Horse Pike was down to just one lane on October 8 because of coastal flooding. Some side streets in Atlantic City were flooded with water up to one foot (0.30m) in height. In Stone Harbor, where the Army Corps of Engineers finished a major beach restoration project a few months prior to the storm, heavy wave action carved out cliffs along the beach.[67] Some of the severest coastal flooding happened in Cape May County, where the National Weather Service issued a Coastal Flood Warning, citing property damage.[68] Tidal flooding inundated roads in Strathmere. Several streets and parking lots off of New Jersey Route 47 were submerged by 2 to 3 feet (0.61 to 0.91m) of floodwaters in Wildwood.[69] In Ocean City, in Cape May County, a foot (0.3m) of floodwaters entered garages along 10th Street.[68] Cape May County also recorded the highest rainfall amounts in the state, with 3.74in (95mm) in Middle Township and 3.54in (90mm) in Cape May.[66]Sea Isle City's Italian Festival and Columbus Day Parade on October 12 were postponed to October 26. Nearby, the West Cape May Christmas Parade Fundraiser and the Avalon Seafood Festival were postponed. The Lima Bean Festival was delayed until October 13.[60] The Cape May Wine Festival was delayed one day to October13.[70] Total damage in New Jersey was minimal, estimated at $5,000(2013USD).[65][69]
In neighboring Delaware, similar coastal flooding and strong wind gusts affected coastal parts of all three counties. The Delaware State University cancelled some outdoor activities scheduled for the October 11 and 12. In Sussex County, Long Neck, and the surrounding areas experienced tidal flooding. Roadway tidal flooding occurred in and around Angola and Oak Orchard. Strong waves pushed water over bulkheads.[71] In Milton, minor tidal flooding closed Prime Hook Road for several days. The Delaware Department of Transportation helped residents living along the road reach or exit their homes.[72] The high tides reached the support pilings of homes at Primehook Beach. Delaware Route 16 was also flooded, and the Delaware Department of Transportation recommended evacuation. In Kent County, minor tidal flooding affected Bowers Beach, where a dune breach occurred. A parking lot was also flooded. Scattered street flooding and street closings occurred along Delaware Bay, between Dover and Milford. Delaware State University cancelled some outdoor activities scheduled for October 11 and 12. In New Castle County, the strong winds caused wave action to lap over a sea wall in Bay View Beach, south of Port Penn. While minor tidal flooding occurred during the daytime high tide cycles from October 9 through 13, in Kent and Sussex Counties, the highest tides occurred during the daytime high tide cycle on October 10. The high tide at Lewes reached 6.77 feet (2.06m) above mean lower low water levels. Minor tidal flooding started at 6.0 feet (1.8m) above mean lower low water levels. This also coincided with the strongest winds affecting the area, as most of the peak wind gusts occurred during the first half of the day on October 10. Peak gusts were all located in Sussex County: 50mph (80km/h) at Dewey Beach, 49mph (79km/h) in Lewes, and 39mph (63km/h) in Indian River. The strong winds blew sand into the left lane of northbound Delaware Route 1, near the Indian River Inlet Bridge.[73] The runoff from the heavy rain that fell caused minor flooding along the Red Clay Creek Basin on October 11. The creek at Stanton was above 15ft (4.6m)flood stage on that day. Poor drainage led to flooding in Newark and Middletown. A peak rainfall amount of 2.9in (74mm) was recorded in Blackbird, with 1.98in (50mm) recorded in Newark and 1.5in (38mm) recorded at the New Castle Airport.[74]
↑ Nebraska Event Report: EF2 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014. Nebraska Event Report: EF2 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
↑ Nebraska Event Report: EF0 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
↑ Nebraska Event Report: EF0 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
↑ Nebraska Event Report: EF2 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
↑ Nebraska Event Report: EF4 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
↑ Nebraska Event Report: EF2 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
↑ Nebraska Event Report: EF3 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
↑ Nebraska Event Report: EF2 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014. Iowa Event Report: EF2 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014. Iowa Event Report: EF2 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
↑ Nebraska Event Report: EF0 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
↑ Iowa Event Report: EF1 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
↑ Nebraska Event Report: EF0 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014. South Dakota Event Report: EF1 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
↑ South Dakota Event Report: EF1 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014. Iowa Event Report: EF0 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
↑ Iowa Event Report: EF4 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014. Iowa Event Report: EF1 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
↑ Iowa Event Report: EF1 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
↑ Iowa Event Report: EF0 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
↑ Iowa Event Report: EF0 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
↑ Iowa Event Report: EF0 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
↑ Iowa Event Report: EF0 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
↑ Iowa Event Report: EF1 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
↑ Iowa Event Report: EF0 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
↑ Wisconsin Event Report: EF0 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
↑ Tennessee Event Report: EF0 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
↑ New Jersey Event Report: EF1 Tornado. National Climatic Data Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
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