"Storm of the Century"
11-14 March 1993

On March 12, 1993, a newly formed cyclone moved into a low level baroclinic zone already in place over the Gulf of Mexico and began to rapidly intensify. The deepening cyclone moved eastward, then turned northeast and made landfall on the Florida coast. Florida was struck with an estimated 15 tornadoes, and 44 deaths were attributed to the tornadoes or other severe weather. A 12 foot storm surge occurred in Taylor County, resulting in at least 7 deaths. Also, up to 6 inches of snow fell in the Florida panhandle, along the storm's path.

Early in the 13th, moderate to heavy snow was falling from Alabama to New York. This powerful cyclone set record low sea-level pressures all along the East Coast, such as 28.38" in White Plains, NY, and 28.54" in Washington, D.C. Also, due to the intense pressure gradient, very strong winds were recorded, such as 144 MPH on Mount Washington, NH and 90 MPH in Myrtle Beach, SC. The combination of snow and wind caused every major airport on the East Coast to be closed at one time or another; the first time this has ever happened due to a single storm. 70 record lows were set on the morning of the 14th, with an additional 75 the following morning.

The preliminary death toll for the U.S. was approximately 270, and 48 people were reported missing at sea. This is over 3 times the combined death toll of 79 attributed to hurricanes Hugo and Andrew.

Case Study 01