text: christmas 1994 nor 'easter the christmas 1994 nor 'easter was an intense cyclone along the east coast of the united states and atlantic canada . it developed from an area of low pressure in the southeast gulf of mexico near the florida keys , and moved across the state of florida . as it entered the warm waters of the gulf stream in the atlantic ocean , it began to rapidly intensify , exhibiting traits of a tropical system , including the formation of an eye . it attained a pressure of 970 millibars on december 23 and 24 , and after moving northward , it came ashore near new york city on christmas eve . because of the uncertain nature of the storm , the national hurricane center ( nhc ) did not classify it as a tropical cyclone . heavy rain from the developing storm contributed to significant flooding in south carolina . much of the rest of the east coast was affected by high winds , coastal flooding , and beach erosion . new york state and new england bore the brunt of the storm ; damage was extensive on long island , and in connecticut , 130 , 000 households lost electric power during the storm . widespread damage and power outages also occurred throughout rhode island and massachusetts , where the storm generated 30 - foot ( 9 . 1 m ) waves along the coast . because of the warm weather pattern that contributed to the storm 's development , precipitation was limited to rain . two people were killed , and damage amounted to at least $ 21 million . meteorological history the storm originated in an upper - level low pressure system that moved southeastward from the central great plains into the deep south of the united states . after reaching the southeast gulf of mexico , the disturbance underwent cyclogenesis , and the resultant system moved through florida on december 22 in response to an approaching trough . national hurricane center forecaster jack beven noted that " as it moved out into the bahamas , it appeared to take on the characteristics of a tropical storm . " the uncertain nature of the storm prevented the nhc from issuing advisories on it , and forecasters lacked sufficient data to fully assess the cyclone for potential tropical characteristics . the same trough that pushed the storm across florida had moved to the north , allowing for high pressure to develop in the upper levels of the atmosphere . deemed a " hybrid storm " , the cyclone rapidly intensified in warm waters of up to 80 ° f ( 27 ° c ) from the gulf stream combined with a cold air mass over the united states . the system continued to rapidly intensify while moving within the gulf stream ; it developed central convection , an unusual trait for an extratropical cyclone , and at one point exhibited an eye . despite these indications of tropical characteristics , " there was no front associated with it and it had a warm core , but the radius of maximum winds was more than 150 nautical miles ( 170 mi ; 280 km ) , so under the standard nhc criteria it didn 't qualify as a tropical storm . " on december 23 and 24 , the nor 'easter intensified to attain a barometric pressure of 970 mb ( 29 inhg ) . an upper - level low pressure system that developed behind the storm began to intensify and grew to be larger in size than the original disturbance . in an interaction known as the fujiwhara effect , the broad circulation of the secondary low swung the primary nor 'easter northwestward towards southern new york and new england . the original low passed along the south shore of long island , and made landfall near new york city on december 24 . subsequently , it moved over southeastern new york state . on december 25 , the system began to rapidly weaken as it moved towards nova scotia , before the pair of low pressure systems moved out to sea in tandem in the early hours of december 26 . effects southeast united states in south carolina , flooding associated with the cyclone was considered to be the worst since 1943 . over 5 inches ( 130 mm ) of rainfall was reported , while winds brought down trees and ripped awnings . in addition , the coast suffered the effects of beach erosion . thousands of electric customers in the state lost power . as a result of the heavy rainfall , several dams became overwhelmed by rising waters . extensive flooding of roads and highways was reported , many of which were closed as a result . up to 3 feet ( 0 . 91 m ) of water flooded some homes in the region . approximately 300 people in florence county were forced to evacuate because of the flooding , and at least 200 homes were damaged . two deaths were reported in the state . one woman was killed when her vehicle hydroplaned and struck a tree , and another person drowned after her car was struck by another vehicle . total damage in south carolina amounted to at least $ 4 million . strong winds occurred along the north carolina coast . diamond shoals reported sustained winds of 45 miles per hour ( 72 km / h ) , and offshore , winds gusted to 65 miles per hour ( 105 km / h ) . on wrightsville beach , rough surf eroded an 8 - foot ( 2 . 4 m ) ledge into the beach . on carolina beach , dunes were breached and some roads , including portions of north carolina highway 12 , were closed . mid - atlantic as the primary storm entered new england , the secondary low produced minor coastal flooding in the tidewater region of virginia on december 23 . winds of 35 to 45 miles per hour ( 56 to 72 km / h ) and tides to 1 to 3 feet ( 0 . 30 to 0 . 91 m ) above normal were reported . in sandbridge , virginia beach , virginia , a beachfront home collapsed into the sea . several roads throughout the region suffered minor flooding . strong winds resulting from the tight pressure gradient between the nor 'easter and an area of high pressure located over the united states brought down a few utility poles , which sparked a brush fire on december 24 . the fire , quickly spread by the wind , burned a field . the winds brought down several trees . damage was light in maryland . some sand dunes and wooden structures were damaged , and above - normal tides occurred . in new jersey , high winds caused power outages and knocked down trees and power lines . minor coastal flooding of streets and houses was reported . otherwise , damage in the state was minor . the storm brought heavy rainfall and high winds to new york state and new york city on december 23 and 24 . gusts of 60 to 80 miles per hour ( 97 to 129 km / h ) downed hundreds of trees and many power lines on long island . several homes , in addition to many cars , sustained damage . roughly 112 , 000 long island lighting company customers experienced power outages at some point during the storm . as the cyclone progressed northward into new york state , high winds occurred in the hudson valley region . throughout columbia , ulster and rensselaer counties , trees , tree limbs , and power lines were downed by the winds . at stephentown , a gust of 58 miles per hour ( 93 km / h ) was reported . ulster county suffered substantial impacts , with large trees being uprooted and striking homes . across eastern new york state , 25 , 000 households lost power as a result of the nor 'easter . on the north fork of long island , in southold , a seaside home partially collapsed into the water . new england in connecticut , the storm was described as being more significant than anticipated . gale - force wind gusts , reaching 70 miles per hour ( 110 km / h ) , blew across the state from the northeast and later from the east . trees , tree limbs , and power lines were downed , causing damage to property and vehicles . the high winds caused widespread power outages , affecting up to 130 , 000 electric customers . as a result , electric companies sought help from as far as pennsylvania and maine to restore electricity . bruno , a spokesman for northeast utilities , reported that " we 've had outages in virtually every community . " in new haven , the nor 'easter ripped three barges from their moorings . one of the barges traveled across the long island sound and ran aground near port jefferson , new york . a man in milford was killed indirectly when a tree that was partially downed by the storm fell on him during an attempt to remove it from a relative 's yard . northeast utilities , which reported the majority of the power outages , estimated storm damage in the state to be about $ 6 – $ 8 million ( 1994 usd ; $ 8 . 8 – $ 11 . 8 million 2008 usd ) . effects were less severe in new hampshire and vermont . in southern new hampshire , a line of thunderstorms produced torrential rainfall , causing flooding on parts of new hampshire route 13 . flash flooding of several tributaries feeding into the river was reported . in maine , the storm brought high winds and heavy rain . along the coast of southern maine and new hampshire , beach erosion was reported . additionally , minor flooding was reported across the region , as a result of heavy surface runoff and small ice jams . in rhode island , the power outages were the worst since hurricane bob of the 1991 atlantic hurricane season . throughout the state , approximately 40 , 000 customers were without electric power . as with massachusetts , downed trees and property damage were widespread . there were many reports of roof shingles being blown off roofs and of damage to gutters . in warwick , several small boats were damaged after being knocked into other boats . the highest reported wind gust in the state was 74 miles per hour ( 119 km / h ) at , rhode island . statewide damage totaled about $ 5 million . massachusetts , particularly cape cod and nantucket , bore the brunt of the nor 'easter . reportedly , wind gusts approached 100 miles per hour ( 160 km / h ) on cape cod and , offshore , waves reached 30 feet ( 9 . 1 m ) . at walpole , wind gusts peaked at 88 miles per hour ( 142 km / h ) , while on nantucket gusts of 84 miles per hour ( 135 km / h ) were reported . the winds left 30 , 000 electric customers without power during the storm , primarily in the eastern part of the state . power was out for some as long as 48 hours . property damage was widespread and many trees , signs , and billboards were blown down . a large tent used by the new england patriots was ripped and blown off its foundation . the winds also spread a deadly house fire in north attleboro . although not directly related to the storm , it caused seven fatalities . because tides were low , little coastal flooding occurred . outside the prudential tower center in boston , the storm toppled a 50 - foot ( 15 m ) christmas tree . rainfall of 2 to 3 . 5 inches ( 51 to 89 mm ) was recorded throughout the eastern part of the state , contributing to heavy runoff that washed away a 400 - foot ( 120 m ) section of a highway . total damage in massachusetts was estimated at about $ 5 million .