In this satellite NOAA photo, Hurricane Sandy swirls off the Mid-Atlantic coastline in October 2012. / AP
2013 storm names
The World Meteorological Organization has retired use of the name Sandy for tropical storms and hurricanes after 2012’s monstrous storm of the same name brought devastation and havoc to the Northeast United States and islands in the Caribbean.
When Sandy passed a few hundred miles off the coast of Brevard County in late October, it brought high winds and seas that eroded the county’s beaches, prompting a $29.3 million beach restoration project. But Sandy continued north to make landfall in the Northeast, bringing with it a storm surge up to 12˝ feet in New York, killing more than 70 people and causing an estimated $50 billion in damage, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Sandy will be replaced by Sara beginning in 2018, the next time this rotating list of names will be used. Sandy is the 77th name to be retired from the Atlantic list. Storm names are booted from future use when they bring death or costly destruction that may make future use of the name insensitive.