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1993 Storm of the Century
The Storm of the Century, also known as the ’93 Super storm, or the (Great) Blizzard of 1993, was a large cyclonic storm that occurred on March 12–13, 1993, on the EastCoast of North America. It is unique for its intensity, massive size and wide-reaching effect. At its height the storm stretched from Canada towards Central America, but its main impact was on theEastern United States and Cuba. The cyclone moved through the Gulf of Mexico, and then through the Eastern United States before moving into Canada. Areas as far south as central Alabama and Georgia received6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) of snow and areas such as Birmingham, Alabama, received up to 12 inches (30 cm) with isolated reports of 16 inches (41 cm). Even the Florida Panhandle reported up to 4inches (10 cm) with hurricane-force wind gusts and record low barometric pressures. Between Louisiana and Cuba, hurricane-force winds produced high storm surges across northwestern Florida, which alongwith scattered tornadoes killed dozens of people. Record cold temperatures were seen across portions of the South and East in the wake of this storm. In the United States, the storm was responsible forthe loss of electric power to over 10 million customers. It is purported to have been directly experienced by nearly 40 percent of the country's population at that time. A total of 310 people,including 10 from Cuba, perished during this storm.
The 1993 Storm of the Century marked a milestone in U.S. weather forecasting. By March 8 (and by some accounts even earlier), several operationalnumerical weather prediction models and medium-range forecasters at the US National Weather Service recognized the threat of a significant snowstorm. By March 12, many had reviewed the data and wereconvinced that a serious threat loomed overhead. This marked the first time that National Weather Service meteorologists were able to predict accurately a system's severity five days in advance. Official...