One year passes since Bomb Cyclone brought historic high tide, severe flooding to Boston area

BOSTON (WHDH) - One year has gone by since a nasty nor’easter, referred to as a #BombCyclone on social media, brought historic flooding to the Boston area.

An icy storm surge caused by a combination of winter weather and an astronomical high tide turned city streets into moving rivers on Jan. 4, 2018.

Emergency responders standing in water that reached up to their knees could be seen rescuing drivers from their cars by Boston’s Seaport District.

At State Street Provisions at the corner of Atlantic Avenue, customers were inside when suddenly water came rushing down the street. Staff and emergency crews helped people escape through windows.

“We had our guest in there and the first priority was how can we get everyone out safely and some people had to go out the other side of the window,” said Jenny Soldatos, private events coordinator at State Street Provisions.

Since then, both the city of Boston and the state have taken steps to fight rising sea levels and climate change.

The city’s shoreline is a major focus for the mayor, and the governor has signed an environmental bond bill that set aside billions to go toward protecting cities and towns.

“It’s obvious we need to adapt to the changes in our climate and make sure we have the proper infrastructure built up to be more resilient,” Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said.

The state also handed out grants to communities so they can shore up dams, seawalls, and protect underground water and sewer infrastructure.

“We’re releasing another $8 million this month to more communities to develop the first phase to develop the level of planning needed, and then we’ll work with them on building and construction,” Polito said.

A number of buildings in the area received a great amount of water damage, including the Aquarium T station which ended up closing due to the flooding.

Boston Fire Commissioner Joseph Finn told 7News at the time that he had never seen flooding like this in the city.

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen the water come this high up in this downtown area,” he said.

The historic high tide level reached 15.16 feet, beating the original record of 15.1 set on Feb. 7, 1978.

The powerful storm was deemed a Bomb Cyclone, which comes from the word “bombogenesis” — a term coined by the late MIT meteorologist Fred Sanders in the 1980s.

“Bombogenesis” is used to describe rapid intensification of a low-pressure system. Cyclone comes from the cyclonic, or counterclockwise, wind flow of a low-pressure system.

A year after this nasty nor’easter, Boston has traded in the heavy precipitation and high tides for a dry and mild day with plenty of sunshine.

Temperatures are expected to reach into the low to mid-40s, with clouds building ahead of our next system early Saturday morning.

Click here for the latest weather updates.

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