Our story starts in April 1991 with the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines. This volcanic eruption, the second most explosive of the 20th century behind only the 1912 eruption of Novarupta in Alaska, laid the conditions for a volcanic winter. The eruption of Pinatubo raised temperatures in the stratosphere by several degrees, creating a stratosphere cloud in the atmosphere which persisted for three years. This event helped sew the seeds for the events of March 12-15, 1993.

Mt. Pinatubo eruption of June 12, 1991

Fast forward to early-March 1993. Meteorologists as early as March 8 began noticing an unusual pattern begin to seep into their forecast models. A blast of arctic air was projected to make its way into the eastern United States from the Canadian Rockies while a mass of low pressure, situated on a stationary front, was forecasted to make its way onto land via the Gulf of Mexico. These two masses were then projected to collide and merge, which in turn would produce a winter storm of unparalleled magnitude in the southeastern United States. This would mark the first time in meteorological history that forecasters would make public predictions about a winter storm five days in advance of the arrival date of the weather system.

Even though I was just a couple months shy of my sixth birthday, I remember quite vividly the build-up to that day of days. My grandmother was quite sure that the meteorologists were making a big hullabaloo out of nothing and that the storm would be a big nothing burger due to past experiences with winter weather events in the Deep South.

However, the 1993 Storm of the Century was anything but a nothing burger as it was likely the most powerful storm to ever impact the Deep South. Record low pressures were recorded in Florida as the system made its way on shore in the late afternoon hours of Friday, March 12, 1993. Storm surges and severe weather impacted the state as 11 confirmed tornadoes touched down that evening on the peninsula as upwards of four inches of snow was dropped in the panhandle. In Birmingham, Alabama, a record 13 inches of snow was dumped throughout the evening of March 12 and into the late morning hours of March 13. As the system continued to move off to the northeast, it continued to dump record amounts of snow as it moved. 56 inches was recorded on Mt. Le Conte in Tennessee. 50 inches fell on Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina with snow drifts reported as being as high as a dozen feet in places.

Satellite Infrared Imagery - March 13, 1993

By the time the storm had finished doing its work on March 15, it had killed 318 people across the eastern United States and done $5.5 billion (1993 USD) in damage. Upwards of 10 million people were without power, many for multiple days, and the entirety of the Deep South was at a standstill under the weight of record snow fall.

When I woke up that next morning, I remember our power being out, the roads being completely iced over, and a foot of snow on the ground. Dad had to call a co-worker who had put chains on his tires to come get us to take us over to my grandparents' house who (miraculously) still had power. That was probably the first and only time in my childhood where I was able to make a full-sized snow man.

Highlights of the '93 Blizzard from Birminghama, AL

Aftermath - Anniston, AL (March 13, 1993)