March 12-15 1993 Superstorm, "Storm of the Century"

[Elizabeth Andrews]

This single storm system began over the Gulf of Mexico on 12 March 1993, and was unique for its intensity, massive size, and wide-reaching effects. This system stretched from Canada to Honduras, rated 'Category 5 - Extreme' on its respective scale, only one of two in recent history.

This storm combined the effects of an extratropical cyclone, Nor'easter, blizzard, tornado outbreak, derecho and ice storm. The lowest recorded pressure inside the storm was 960 mb, making it roughly as intense as most low-category hurricanes. The lowest recorded temperature was -12 degrees Fahrenheit. During the tornado outbreak associated with this storm, 11 confirmed tornadoes touched down during a 2 and-a-half hour long outbreak. The strongest confirmed tornado was rated an EF-2.

The highest amount of snow/ice accumulation during this storm totaled 69 inches, recorded in Mt. LeConte, Tennessee. As a whole, the damages from this 'superstorm' totaled more than $2 billion US. 318 fatalities occurred during the duration of this storm, which finally dissipated over the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 March 1993.

I posted this since there is a bit of personal family history involved in this weather event. My parents and paternal aunt and uncle worked in emergency communications along the interstates in West Virginia during this storm, providing communications and also transportation for doctors and nurses during shift changes as no other vehicles were permitted on the roads apart from emergency services and the military.

 

[Adam Reagan]

This was my first and only blizzard I experienced in my lifetime. My hometown in Tennessee set some records during this event. Highest snowfall accumulation (approximately 20") and lowest wind chill reading (-24°F).

I was 9 years old when this event took place. I remember school getting dismissed early that Friday before the full brunt of the storm struck and not returning to school for almost a week afterwards because that's how long it took for all the snow to melt. Some businesses in Crossville suffered damaged as a result of roofs collapsing under the weight of the snow.

 

[Elizabeth Andrews]

This was my first and only blizzard I experienced in my lifetime. My hometown in Tennessee set some records during this event. Highest snowfall accumulation (approximately 20") and lowest wind chill reading (-24°F).

I was 9 years old when this event took place. I remember school getting dismissed early that Friday before the full brunt of the storm struck and not returning to school for almost a week afterwards because that's how long it took for all the snow to melt. Some businesses in Crossville suffered damaged as a result of roofs collapsing under the weight of the snow.

This ended up being one of two events that my parents and I would constantly talk about when discussing emergency communications, SkyWarn, and weather in general, even though it happened just over four years before I was even born. The running inside joke is that something like this has always 'been in my blood' to some degree, when it comes to the weather.

 

[Peter B. Creedon]

I was four when it happened. We lived out on Nantucket Island. From what I can recall, they parked semi-trailers in front of the grocery store to protect the windows from blowing out. ACK (Nantucket) *officially* reported two inches, but there could've been more, as the airport is on a broad, sandy plain with little tree cover. This storm, as well as one we had last October were the only times I remember the wind shrieking and not moaning.