Nemo, an historic nor'easter transformed into a massive winter storm, roared through New England Feb. 8-10, bringing with it record snow, measured in feet, not inches, along with hurricane-force wind gusts, and serious coastal flooding.
The snow was heaviest in coastal Connecticut, where snowfall rates of 6"/hour were recorded, and an astonishing 40" piled up in Hamden. An all-time snowfall record was set in Portland, ME, where 31.9" fell, and numerous cities in the Northeast recorded top-ten snowfall amounts, including Hartford, CT (second all-time with 22.3"); Worchester, MA (third all-time, with 28"); Providence, RI (eighth all-time, with 17"); Concord, NH (second all time, with 24"), and Boston, MA (sixth all-time, with 21.8.")
Winter Storm Nemo not only dumped feet of snow in some locations, but that snow mounted into drifts that left stranded motorists from Long Island to New England. Fifteen people were dead as a result of the storm.
Dr. Jeff Masters reported that the high winds from the storm drove a damaging storm surge into the coast of Eastern Massachusetts Friday night and Saturday morning. Hardest hit was the coast of Cape Cod Bay southeast of Boston, where major flooding forced residents of low-lying areas to evacuate. A storm surge in excess of four feet inundated roads, damaged coastal buildings, and caused severe beach erosion, unofficially becoming the fourth greatest storm surge measured in Boston since record keeping began in 1921.
The severe winter storm also brought with it record-breaking wind gusts, ranging from 63-83 mph throughout New England. There were also reports of trees and wires down from Long Island to New England. Mid-morning Saturday, just over 664,000 customers were without power, mainly in Massachusetts.
When fierce storms arise, whether in terms of natural disasters or difficult circumstances in life, they sometimes prove to be remarkable reminders to intercessors and those who watch and pray for the nation, to continue to persevere in prayer during these turbulent times, both in the natural realm as well as in the spiritual realm. We are reminded of the words of Jesus Christ: “Men ought always to pray and not to faint.”
Prayer requests have gone forth from The Presidential Prayer Team and other organizations to continue pray for the nation and all those areas impacted by Winter Storm Nemo and for those workers and public servants on the scene.
The accompanying list displays prayers in times of trouble and disaster offered from the Presbyterian Mission Agency.
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