Why was Hurricane Sandy especially destructive?

Answer 1

In terms of wind speed Hurricane Sandy was not particularly strong at landfall, with winds in the category 1 range. However, several factors combined to make it a very destructive storm. First of all, it impacted a very densely populated area with much development right along the coast. This meant that there was a lot of perperty to destroy. Second, the storm was abnormally large, which meant that its effects were pread out over a very large area with a damage path over 800 miles wide. The large size meant that the winds affected a very large area of ocean. This led to an unsually high storm surge for the storm surge, where the wind drives the ocean onto land. Sandy also happened to make landfall at high tide durring a full moon. During a full moon and new moon you get spring tides, with higher high tides and lower low tides. The high tide was added to the storm surge, creating a destructive storm tide. This may also have been enhanced by as much as a foot of sea level rise in the past century from climate change.