Debris covers the lower floor of Don Durando's house in Long Beach, N.Y. Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012, after sustaining flooding and other damage from Superstorm Sandy. Three days after Sandy slammed the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, New York and New Jersey struggled to get back on their feet, the U.S. death toll climbed to more than 80, and more than 4.6 million homes and businesses were still without power. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Superstorm Sandy not only caused destruction up and down the East Coast, it also created wind gusts as far west as Wisconsin and as far north as Canada.
The extent of Sandy's devastation is detailed in a report released Tuesday by the National Hurricane Center.
It describes Sandy's beginnings as a tropical wave off the coast of Africa on Oct. 11 that reached the Caribbean a week later. It temporarily weakened below hurricane strength while passing Cuba, then regained hurricane strength as it approached the U.S. on October 27.
The highest storm surge measured by tide gauges in New Jersey was 8½ feet over normal levels at Sandy Hook. The highest surge in New York was more than 12½ feet at Kings Point on the western edge of Long Island Sound.