The Storm of the Century spawned historic snows, destructive twisters
Dozens died as a result of the storm’s heavy snow, high winds, and destructive thunderstorms
The “Storm of the Century” ripped through eastern North America during the middle of March 1993, cementing its status as one of history’s most ferocious and widespread winter storms.
A blizzard dropped snow from the bayous of Louisiana to the rocky shores of Newfoundland. Intense winds and severe thunderstorms crashed over Florida with deadly tornadoes and a destructive storm surge.
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All the ingredients came together on Mar. 12, 1993, to spawn a perfect storm.
A centre of low pressure over the northern Gulf of Mexico rapidly intensified as it moved east toward Florida. Plenty of cold air to the north, along with warm and humid air to the south, set the stage for a dynamic mix of intense conditions.
The storm produced intense and historic snows
Heavy snows fell from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Intense bands of precipitation led to sharp snowfall gradients throughout the eastern U.S. Birmingham, Alabama, saw 33 cm of accumulation in its largest snowfall since records began in 1895. Atlanta finished the storm with just 11 cm of snow.
Extreme snowfall totals fell throughout the Appalachians. Mount Le Conte saw 152 cm of snow from the storm, which remains today the most snow ever recorded in the state of Tennessee. The storm left 127 cm of snow at the top of North Carolina’s Mount Mitchell.
Eastern Canada’s heaviest snow fell in Nova Scotia, where Halifax picked up 37 cm and Moncton recorded 32 cm of accumulation.
Dozens died from winds, storm surge, and thunderstorms
While the Storm of the Century is often remembered for the blizzard it produced, most of the damage and fatalities occurred on the warmer side of the system.
The low-pressure system’s rapid intensification whipped up damaging winds up and down the coastline.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, measured a 145 km/h gust at the peak of the storm. Sydney, N.S., and St. John’s, Nfld., each saw wind gusts in excess of 110 km/h as the system passed through the region.
Storm surge flooding along Florida’s Gulf Coast killed 13 people. Waters rose as high as 3.6 metres above ground level in some communities, inundating homes and businesses along the coast.
A powerful cold front crashed into a rich reserve of unstable air over the Florida Peninsula, unleashing a destructive line of thunderstorms. Damaging winds caused widespread power outages and structural damage. The line of storms produced 11 tornadoes, one of which killed three people.
Header image courtesy of NOAA/UW-Madison.