The Storm of the Century, also known as the ’93 Superstorm, No-Name Hurricane, the White Hurricane, or the (Great) Blizzard of 1993, was a large cyclonic storm that occurred on March 12–March 13, 1993, on the East Coast of North America. It is unique for its intensity, massive size and wide-reaching effect. At its height the storm stretched from Canada to Central America, but its main impact was on the Eastern United States and Cuba. Areas as far south as central Alabama and Georgia received 6 to 8 inches of snow and areas such as Birmingham, Alabama, received up to 12 inches with isolated reports of 16 inches. Even the Florida Panhandle reported up to 4 inches, with hurricane-force wind gusts and record low barometric pressures. Between Louisiana and Cuba, hurricane-force winds produced extreme storm surges in the Gulf of Mexico, which along with scattered tornadoes killed dozens of people. Temperatures accompanying the storm were unseasonably cold for late winter so close to spring: average daily maximum temperatures, in mid-March, are around 46°F in Boston, 51°F in Philadelphia, and 65°F in Atlanta. During the 1993 storm, these places were all near or below freezing, and parts of New England saw daily maximum temperatures as low as 14°F. Record low temperatures for March were recorded in much of the Southern U.S. 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 biggest winter storm to affect the state since 1899. Ice pellets mixed in with the rain as temperatures in Tampa hovered in the lower 40's after frontal passage. Some affected areas in the Appalachian region saw more than 3.5 feet of snow, and snowdrifts were as high as 35 feet. Responsible for 300 deaths and the loss of electric power to over 10 million, it is purported to have been directly experienced by over 130 million people in the United States, about half the country's population at that time. Every airport from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Atlanta, Georgia was closed for some time because of the storm. The volume of the storm's total snowfall was later computed to be 12.91 mi³, an amount which would weigh (depending on the variable density of snow) between 5.4 and 27 billion tons. [READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE]
wikisnaps.com is not affiliated with or endorsed by wikipedia. wikipedia and the wikipedia globe are registered trademarks of wikipedia.org. article content reproduced in compliance with wikepedia's copyright policy and gnu free documentation license