superstorm

American  

[soo-per-stawrm] / ˈsu pərˌstɔrm /

noun

1. a very severe and widespread storm characterized by record-setting meteorological events and large-scale destruction.

   The superstorm brought a 15-foot storm surge to the harbor.

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superstorm British  

/ ˈsuːpəˌstɔːm /

noun

1. an extremely powerful storm that causes widespread devastation

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Etymology

Origin of superstorm

1955–60; super (adj.) + storm

Example Sentences

During superstorm Sandy in 2012, a tree fell onto the house, but the structure remained intact.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

About an hour after the superstorm arrived, charged particles surged through Earth's upper atmosphere at high latitudes and flowed toward the polar cap.

From Science Daily • Nov. 23, 2025

The so-called “bomb cyclone” is a previously-rare superstorm that often occurs during winter after a rapid deepening in low pressure within a specific area.

From Salon • Nov. 20, 2024

The superstorm that Californians have long feared will very likely take shape one winter in the Pacific, near Hawaii.

From New York Times • Aug. 15, 2022

The coming superstorm — really, a rapid procession of what scientists call atmospheric rivers — will be the ultimate test of the dams, levees and bypasses California has built to impound nature’s might.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 13, 2022