Sandy Departing Area; Storm Recap

Sandy is leaving the area and the worst of the storm is over.  While the effects in the D.C. area are moderate, they are nowhere near the destruction in New York City.  There, gusts of up to 80 mph combined with a record storm surge lead to effects far greater than those seen in DC.  The subway flooded,  Lower Manhattan lost power, and FDR drive was inundated.

What was different here?  Mainly the storm surge.  Most of the damage in NYC was widespread flooding caused by the rising levels of the East River.  Manhattan is an island, DC isn't.  While the winds were stronger in NYC, the DC winds were only slightly overestimated, as widespread gusts were reported to reach or exceed 60 mph, including a 76 mph gust in Laytonsville, Montgomery County. The rains here were more significant than NYC, with 4-7 inches of rain being the norm throughout the area.  That said, the flooding from a 13 FOOT storm surge is much greater than that from 7 inches of rain.

So, where was all the destruction? Why wasn't this like the derecho? A combination of factors.  Firstly, the worst of the storm happened at around midnight, when most people were asleep. But, the main reason was actually because of the derecho. The summer storm already knocked down any loose limbs and weak trees, leaving few easy targets for Sandy.  In addition, the massive repairs after the derecho strengthened the power grid.  With this storm happening in late fall, there were fewer leaves on trees to pick up the gusts.  Just as a windmill with one small blade wouldn't spin as much, trees with fewer leaves will be less likely to fall due to wind.
While many in the DC area will view this storm as underperforming and forgettable, I'll chalk it up as a victory for PEPCO here, and in the Tri-State New York area, it will take time to heal from this disaster.