The January 1913 Atlantic coast storm was a strong
extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...
that affected the eastern coast of the United States on January 3, 1913. It resulted in heavy damage due to the high winds and produced record low pressure readings.
The lowest confirmed
barometric pressure
Atmospheric pressure, also known as air pressure or barometric pressure (after the barometer), is the pressure within the atmosphere of Earth. The standard atmosphere (symbol: atm) is a unit of pressure defined as , which is equivalent to 1,013.2 ...
reading, , for a non-tropical system in the
continental United States (CONUS) was recorded during this storm at
Canton, New York
Canton is an incorporated Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 11,638 at the time of the 2020 census. The town contains two Administrative divisions of New York#Villa ...
.
This broke the record low of this type set by the
January 1886 Blizzard. The lowest pressure reading of this type was later equalled on March 7, 1932, at
Block Island, Rhode Island
Block Island is an island of the Outer Lands coastal archipelago in New England, located approximately south of mainland Rhode Island and east of Long Island's Montauk Point. The island is coterminous with the town of New Shoreham, Rhode Isl ...
.
[ The next lowest record, , was during the ]October 2010 North American storm complex
October is the tenth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. The eighth month in the old calendar of Romulus , October retained its name (from Latin and Greek ''ôctō'' meaning "eight") after January ...
on October 26, 2010, at Bigfork, Minnesota
Bigfork is a city in Itasca County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 400 at the 2020 census. Scenic State Park is nearby.
Minnesota State Highway 38 serves as a main route in the community. State Highways 1 and 6 are nearby.
...
.[
]
Meteorological history
The storm formed suddenly on the night of January 2–3 and developed into a severe storm with destructive gales and record low pressures on January 3 over eastern Pennsylvania and Virginia.[
Weather Bureau forecaster Scarr reported in '']The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' that the storm produced a record low pressure of and wind speeds of in New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. He also said "the storm had been caused by several small depressions ... combining and forming a cyclone."[
Philadelphia recorded its lowest pressure, , for the month of January.
]
Wind and related damage
The schooner ''Future'', heading toward Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, was heavily damaged by the storm. The captain and three crewmen were lost overboard. The rest were not rescued until January 6 by the ''Asuncion de Larrinaga'', but three of them did not survive.
The ''Lillian'', one of several open coal barges being towed by the tug ''Eli B. Conine'' in the North River, sunk near Battery Park
The Battery, formerly known as Battery Park, is a public park located at the southern tip of Manhattan#Manhattan Island, Manhattan Island in New York City facing New York Harbor. The park is bounded by Battery Place on the north, with Bowling ...
in Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
.[
]Newport News
Newport News () is an independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the fifth-most populous city in Virginia and 140th-most populous city i ...
and Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...
were without communications as the telephone and telegraph lines were down. There were reports of water in the James River
The James River is a river in Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowli ...
resembling a tidal wave.
It blew over the steeple of the historic Readington Reformed Church
The Readington Reformed Church is a historic church located at 124 Readington Road, Readington Village, an unincorporated community located within Readington Township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. It was known in colonial times as the Dutch ...
in New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
.
References
1913 Atlantic coast
Atlantic coast
Atlantic coast
1913 Atlantic coast