Wednesday, Feb. 02, 2011

The Storm of the Century, March 1993

Unleashing its wrath on 26 states and affecting roughly half the population of the U.S., 1993's so-called Storm of the Century impacted a wider area than any in recorded history. While the storm's reach went as far north as Canada and as far south as Central America, the southern and eastern U.S. and Cuba received the brunt of the blizzard. In addition to 24 in. (60 cm) of snow, the weather system also brought with it heavy rains, high-speed winds and tornadoes, earning it another nickname: the White Hurricane. Emblematic of the storm's vast geographic reach, the highest wind gusts were recorded in New Hampshire (144 m.p.h., or 232 km/h, on Mount Washington), while the greatest snowfall was recorded in Tennessee (56 in., or 142 cm, on Mount LeConte). An estimated 15 tornadoes touched down in Florida. More than 300 people were killed in total.