The January 1992 nor'easter was the second in a series of nor'easters in a 14-month period that produced strong winds, high tides, and flooding along the East Coast of the United States. It was a small, short-lived storm that was poorly forecast, intensifying rapidly on January 4 before striking the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The strongest quadrant of the storm moved over Delaware, and winds in the state reached . The nor'easter weakened as it moved westward, and it dissipated over Virginia before the energy reformed and redeveloped offshore.
In North Carolina, the storm flooded the main highway connecting the Outer Banks. The nor'easter struck shortly during a new moon, producing high tides that resulted in significant beach erosion along the Delmarva Peninsula. The highest wind gust was , reported in Chincoteague, Virginia. The cost of the lost beach near Ocean City, Maryland was estimated at over $10 million (1992 USD). In the city, the storm destroyed the tidal gauge, although the storm surge was estimated at . The strongest quadrant of the storm moved over Delaware; in the state, strong easterly winds produced significant tidal flooding, and 500 houses were damaged. A high tide of at Dewey Beach was the second highest tide on record in the entire state. Flooding also affected South Jersey in many areas that experienced flooding from the 1991 Perfect Storm in the previous October. Damage was estimated at $45 million (1992 USD). Strong winds reached as far north as New York, where a fallen tree seriously injured a person driving a car. Freezing rain associated with the storm caused a traffic fatality in New York, as well as several accidents in Maine.
Meteorological history
On January 2, a small low pressure area developed along the East Coast of the United States. Due to its small size, the storm was poorly forecast. A strong upper-level low moving through Georgia and South Carolina caused the low to move to the west, perpendicular to the Mid-Atlantic coast. As it did so, the combination of warm air from the south and strong upper-level winds caused the low to rapidly intensify. On January 4, a buoy reported a minimum barometric pressure of , and maximum sustained winds of about . The system developed tropical characteristics, including the development of an eye feature in the center of the storm. Between 0500 and 0700 UTC on January 4, the storm moved ashore along the Eastern Shore of Virginia, about 25 mi (40 km) south of Ocean City, Maryland. It quickly weakened while moving across the Delmarva Peninsula and it emerged into the Chesapeake Bay by 1000 UTC that day. Three hours later, the storm was stalled over northern Virginia. A secondary low pressure area developed within the overall system further out to sea later on January 4.
Impact
The nor'easter struck about two months after the destructive Perfect Storm, and preceded another damaging storm in December 1992. The storm produced strong winds and high surf during a new moon, which resulted in astronomically high tides. Such tides caused coastal flooding and damage to dune systems. Due to its small size, the storm's impact was highly localized and did not spread far to the north of the Delaware Bay.
High waves flooded North Carolina Highway 12 in the Outer Banks up to deep, closing a portion between Rodanthe and Oregon Inlet. Portions of Kitty Hawk and Pea Island were also flooded. Offshore, the storm washed 500 drums of arsenic overboard a freighter, which prompted a Coast Guard search for the toxic supplies. In Virginia, the storm produced a peak wind gust of 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).