How Sandy went from 'boring' to killer superstorm

... as a whole, the fact that you had a blizzard associated with a major (tropical) event that set record surges in New York Harbor, that destroyed part of the New Jersey coast, that had record waves and surges in Lake Michigan," National Weather ...

http://www.newstimes.com/news/science/article/How-Sandy-went-from-boring-to-killer-superstorm-4930395.php