Twenty years ago the largest winter storm in living memory rolled through Alabama, bringing high winds, sleet, snow and freezing temperatures that literally paralyzed most of the state for anywhere from three to eight days.
Created by the meeting of a cyclonic storm that roared out of the Gulf of Mexico and an arctic high pressure system that swept across the Midwest and Great Plains, the Great Blizzard of 1993 claimed the lives of 310 people from Cuba through the Northeast. It also downed thousands of power lines, causing the loss of electricity for more than 10 million customers in 26 states and Canada.
“The heavy snow along with 40 to 55 mph wind caused widespread power outages and brought most travel in Alabama to a standstill, according to the U.S. National Weather Service in Birmingham.
The effects of the storm were felt statewide. Snowfall ranged from an inch or two along the Gulf Coast to as much as 16 inches in north Alabama.
“Every square inch of the state received some measurable snowfall,” said the NWS.
“Alabama felt a real whiplash effect, because the days before the storm were warm,” reported Alabama Climate Report. “On Thursday, March 11, temperatures across the state were balmy. Birmingham almost hit 75 degrees. The high in Gadsden was 80 degrees. Tuscaloosa was about 76 degrees, but the high in Mobile where the storm was edging toward shore was only 66 degrees.
“Then the bottom fell out.”
As the storm moved in, temperatures dropped and a phenomenon emphasized by meteorologists struck – “thundersnow.” Wind gusts blew the heavy snow into deep drifts in many places and for several ensuing days freezing temperatures kept the blanket of snow – unusually thick for the south – intact.
In the local area, nearly 4 inches of snow was recorded in Montgomery and as much as 6-7 inches in parts of Elmore County.
Many residents remember the event well.
“I remember the weather being so calm the day before I would have never expected that,” said Jessica Mann. “It shut us in our house for three days straight.”
“I remember at that time we lived in Central,” said Michelle Varden. “We had an old school bus and used it to go get kerosene because we didn’t have any other form of transportation that would move in all that snow.”
“We stopped at the Lake Hill Shop and Fill to get gas,” said Jeffrey Scroggins. “I had a friend who was nice enough to come and get me, and we went and got my daughter who had stayed overnight with her cousin.”
The Alabama Climate Report said that the storm may be remembered as the first major winter storm successfully forecast by computer weather models. Some warnings went out as much as five days in advance, while general warnings were issued at least two days before the storm hit.
