The nor'easter of March 5-7, 1962 was a temporary inconvenience in the Philadelphia and Wilmington areas, with winds gusting above 40 mph and about six inches of snow. But at the Jersey and Delaware shores, it was the most devastating noreaster on record.

The storm's sustained winds of 40 to 70 mph over the open ocean for nearly three days produced waves over 30 feet high. More than 4000 buildings were destroyed in New Jersey, and nearly every boardwalk was wiped away. On Long Beach Island alone, 600 homes were destroyed, seven people drowned, and five new ocean-to-bay inlets opened up, breaking the island into pieces.

Along coastal Delaware, more than 3000 homes and 100 businesses were damaged, and the highest water level on record was recorded at Lewes. This storm destroyed so much of the beach in New Jersey and Delaware that it led to the first large-scale beach replenishment program in the United States.

Images on this page courtesy of DNREC.