This week marked the 31st anniversary of what is widely recognized as the blizzard of the century for much of the eastern U.S. This monster storm spun up between March 12 and March 14, 1993, burying the eastern part of the country with heavy snow and hurricane-force winds. Here is a look back at this devastating storm.
Forecasters were able to provide ample warning about the storm in the days leading up to the event. The weather maker got its start in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday before it moved up the East Coast throughout the weekend. The mega storm ushered in significant snowfall for almost every state located to the east of the Mississippi River. The large impact zone made it stand apart from a typical nor'easter which generally targets a more condensed area of land.
What was also so unusual about this storm is that it dumped snow across the Deep South. Many communities in the Gulf Coast region recorded snowfall measured in inches. Over 18 inches of snow was recorded in an area northeast of Birmingham. It is rare for this part of the country to see measurable snowfall, especially this late in the season.