1993 Storm of The Century - Blizzard and Snowstorm Impact

Blizzard and Snowstorm Impact

This storm complex was massive, affecting at least 26 U.S. states and much of eastern Canada. Bringing cold air along with heavy precipitation and hurricane force winds, it caused a blizzard over much of the area it affected, including thundersnow from Texas to Pennsylvania and widespread whiteout conditions. Snow fell as far south and east as Jacksonville, Florida, and areas of the Florida Panhandle got several inches of snow, making it the most significant winter storm to affect the state since 1899. Ice pellets (sleet) mixed in with the rain as temperatures in Tampa, in west-central Florida, hovered not far above freezing after the front passed. The storm severely impacted both ground and air travel. Airports were closed all along the Eastern seaboard, and flights were cancelled or, if already underway, diverted, stranding many passengers. Every airport from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Atlanta, Georgia was closed for some time because of the storm. Highway travel was closed or restricted all across the affected region, even in states generally well-prepared for snow events.

Some affected areas in the Appalachian region saw more than 3.5 feet (1.1 m) of snow, and snowdrifts were as high as 35 feet (11 m). The volume of the storm's total snowfall was later computed to be 12.91 cubic miles (53.8 km3), an amount which would weigh (depending on the variable density of snow) between 5.4 and 27 billion tonnes.

In the South, where public works facilities (in most areas) generally have no reason to be prepared for snow removal, the storm is vividly remembered because it resulted in a complete shutdown of that region for three days. Cities that usually receive little snowfall, such as Chattanooga, Tennessee, received anywhere from 2 to 4 feet (0.61 to 1.2 m) of snow, causing some municipalities to adopt at least an emergency winter-weather plan for the future where one might not have existed before. Birmingham, Alabama, which normally receives 1 inch (2.5 cm) in a year, received 13 inches (33 cm), shattering the records for most snow in a single storm, a single month, and even a single season. The psychological impact in the Southern states, where average high temperatures in March tend to run into the 60s Fahrenheit (the upper teens Celsius), was magnified by the fact that it struck a week before spring. Syracuse, New York, which is accustomed to heavy snowfall due to yearly lake-effect snow storms, received a record 43 inches (110 cm) from the storm, while snowfall totaled over 12 inches (30 cm) in New York City and 2 feet (0.61 m) of snow fell in Hartford, Connecticut and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The weight of record snows collapsed many factory roofs in the South, and snowdrifts on the windward sides of buildings caused a few decks with substandard anchors to fall from homes. Though the storm was forecast to strike the snow-prone Appalachian Mountains, hundreds of people were nonetheless rescued from the Appalachians, many caught completely off guard on the Appalachian Trail, or visiting cabins and lodges in remote locales. Drifts up to 14 feet (4.3 m) were observed at Mount Mitchell. Snowfall totals of between 2 and 3 feet (0.61 and 0.91 m) were widespread across northwestern North Carolina. Boone, North Carolina—in a high-elevation area accustomed to heavy snowfalls—was nonetheless caught off guard by 36"+ of snow and 24 hours of temperatures below 0 °F (−18 °C) along with storm winds which (according to NCDC storm summaries) gusted as high as 110 miles per hour (180 km/h). Electricity was not restored to many isolated rural areas for a week or more, with power cuts occurring all over the east. Nearly 60,000 lightning strikes were recorded as the storm swept over the country for a total of seventy-two hours, and many may remember their local news organizations touting the term "thundersnow." As one of the most powerful storms in recent history, the storm has been described as the "Storm of the Century" by many of the areas affected.

Across the Northeastern states and eastern Canadian provinces, the storm put down an average of 15 inches (38 cm) of snow, which, though most certainly heavy, is not exceptional by most local standards, but still somewhat unusual for mid-March, especially in the southernmost parts of the region such as the Baltimore-Washington area. In southeastern Ontario and southwestern Quebec, where less severe winter blizzards are relatively common, snowfalls of more than 15 inches (38 cm) in Montreal and Ottawa were nevertheless far above average and came second only to record amounts set during the deadly Eastern Canadian Blizzard of March 1971, an exceptionally brutal Nor'easter still locally referred to in Quebec and parts of New York State as the "Storm of the Century". The lowest temperature recorded during the storm was below 10 Fahrenheit.