A superstorm in 1993 brought hurricane conditions while at the same time delivering a massive whiteout, as well as a derecho, tornadoes, hundreds of deaths, tens of thousands of damaged homes, and millions without power.
The insane superstorm of 1993: Storm of the Century
Mid-March is not when you typically expect whiteout conditions. But that’s what happened in the 1993 storm of the century, AKA the 93 Superstorm, The No Name Storm, or the Great Blizzard of ’93/1993.
Between March 12-14, 1993, a massive cyclonic storm formed over the Gulf of Mexico. The gargantuan storm stretched from Canada to Honduras. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), it was so large that it affected nearly half of the U.S. population the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Its largest impact was on the Deep South and up the East Coast. However, a day earlier, on March 11, it swept over Texas with damaging winds and hail.
Astounding weather conditions
The storm will be remembered for producing one of the most intense mid-latitude cyclones ever observed over the eastern United States. It also produced tremendous snowfall totals from Alabama through Maine, high winds, extreme coastal flooding, incredibly low barometric pressures, and unseasonably cold air that followed behind the storm.
In terms of its impact, it “ranks among the deadliest and most costly weather events of the twentieth century” and “more significant than most landfalling hurricanes or tornado outbreaks,” according to the NWS.
Some of the most noteworthy weather conditions as reported by the Weather Channel:
-Up to 6 inches of snow in the Florida Panhandle
-Up to 14-foot snowdrifts in Virginia
-Thousands isolated by heavy snow in the Southeast
-A 12-foot storm surge in Taylor County, Florida
-A derecho raced across Florida and Cuba with a 109 mph wind gust in the Dry Tortugas and a 100 mph gust in Havana, Cuba.
According to the NOAA and NWS:
-Damaging straight-line winds and 11 confirmed tornadoes were reported across Florida
-Overall, the storm ranked as Extreme, or a Category 5, on the Regional Snowfall Index
-Snowfall rates of 2–3 inches per hour
-56 inches at Mount LeConte, Tennessee
-50 inches at Mount Mitchell, North Carolina, with 14-foot drifts
-44 inches at Snowshoe, West Virginia
-43 inches at Syracuse, New York
-36 inches at Latrobe, Pennsylvania, with 10-foot drifts
Devastation, damage and death
When a storm of this magnitude strikes, damage, devastation, and death usually follow in its wake, and the storm was no exception. According to some of the statistics reported by the Weather Channel:
-270 killed in 13 states from Florida to Maine
-$10.8 billion estimated damage (2021 dollars)
-20,000 homes damaged in Florida
-3 million customers lost power
-All major East Coast airports closed
According to the National Weather Service (NWS) and NOAA:
-The U.S. Coast Guard rescued over 100 people from ships in distress during the storm.
-The Coast Guard rescued more than 160 people at sea in the Atlantic and in the Gulf of Mexico, where at least one freighter sank.
-48 people were reported missing at sea.
