March is said to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb. Well, the coastal storm that developed in early March 1962 would make lions look like little kittens.

Though the storm did not have the wind speeds needed to qualify it as a hurricane, it was a nor’easter like no other in modern memory. It started out like many others – Long Beach Island has survived many – but this one was different. The confluence of weather fronts and astronomical tides is what made the March Storm of 1962 “Great.”