BLIZZARD OF 1993- HIGHLIGHTS by NCDC. (WITH INSERTION OF PORTSMOUTH WEATHER RECORDS) THE BIG ONE! A Summary compiled by NCDC On March 12-15, a storm now called "The Storm of the Century" struck the eastern seaboard. Following are some highlights of the information gathered about the storm thus far: 1) At least 243 deaths have been attributed to the storm to date, plus 48 missing at sea. This is over 3 times the combined death toll of 79 attributed to hurricanes Hugo and Andrew. 2) Thousands of people were isolated by record snowfalls, especially in the Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia mountains. Over 100 hikers were rescued from the North Carolina and Tennessee mountains. Curfews were enforced in many counties and cities as 'states of emergency' were declared. The National Guard was employed in many areas, especially in the North Carolina mountains. 3) For the first time, every major airport on the east coast was closed at one time or another by the storm. 4) Hundreds of roof collapses were reported due to the weight of the heavy wet snow. Over 3 million customers were without electrical power at one time due to fallen trees and high winds. 5) At least 18 homes fell into the sea on Long Island due to the pounding surf. About 200 homes along North Carolina's Outer Banks were damaged and may be uninhabitable. 6) Florida was struck by at least 27 tornadoes (at least 15 counties were struck), although the exact number is not known as of yet. 26 deaths in Florida were attributed either to the tornadoes or other severe weather. A 9-foot storm surge was reported in the Apalachicola area. Preliminary damage estimates are as high as $1 billion. Also, up to 6 inches of snow fell in the Florida panhandle. 7) 3 storm-related deaths were reported in Quebec and 1 in Ontario. 3 deaths occurred in Cuba (Havana was blacked out), and a tornado left 5000 people homeless in Reynosa, Mexico (near Texas border). 8) Highest recorded wind gusts included: 110 MPH in Franklin County, FL 110 MPH on Mount Washington, NH 101 MPH on Flattop Mountain, NC (by NCDC employee Grant Goodge--due to ice accumulation on anemometer, he estimated 105- 107 MPH) 98 MPH in South Timbalier, LA 92 MPH on South Marsh Island, LA 90 MPH in Myrtle Beach, SC 89 MPH in Fire Island, NY 83 MPH in Vero Beach, FL 81 MPH in Boston, MA 71 MPH at La Guardia Arpt, NY 70 MPH at Portsmouth, VA 66 MPH at Norfolk (International Airport), VA 9) Snowfall totals included: 50 inches on Mount Mitchell, NC (14-foot drifts) 44 inches in Snowshoe, WV 43 inches in Syracuse, NY 35 inches in Portland, ME 35 inches in Lincoln, NH 30 inches in Beckley, WV 29 inches in Page County, VA 27 inches in Albany, NY 25 inches in Pittsburgh, PA 24 inches in Mountain City, GA 20 inches in Chattanooga, TN 19 inches in Asheville, NC 17 inches near Birmingham, AL (6-foot drifts) 16 inches in Roanoke, VA 13 inches in Washington, DC 9 inches in Boston, MA 4 inches in Atlanta, GA 1 inch in Portsmouth and Norfolk, VA 10) Record low temperatures included (some records for March): -5 degrees in Elkins, WV -4 degrees in Waynesville, NC 1 degree in Pittsburgh, PA 2 degrees in Asheville, NC and Birmingham, AL 6 degrees in Knoxville, TN 8 degrees in Greensboro, NC 9 degrees in Beckley, WV 11 degrees in Chattanooga, TN and Philadelphia, PA 15 degrees in New York-JFK and Washington, DC 17 degrees in Montgomery, AL 18 degrees in Columbia, SC and Atlanta, GA 18 degrees in Portsmouth, VA; 23 degrees (tie) in Norfolk, VA 19 degrees in Augusta, GA 21 degrees in Mobile, AL 25 degrees in Savannah, GA and Pensacola, FL 31 degrees in Daytona Beach, FL 11) Record low sea-level pressures included: 28.38 inches in White Plains, NY 28.43 inches in Philadelphia, PA 28.43 inches at JFK Arpt, NY 28.45 inches in Dover, DE 28.51 inches in Boston, MA 28.52 inches in Portsmouth, VA 28.53 inches in Augusta, ME 28.54 inches in Norfolk, VA 28.54 inches in Washington, DC 28.61 inches in Raleigh-Durham, NC 28.64 inches in Columbia, SC 28.73 inches in Augusta, GA 28.74 inches in Greenville-Spartanburg, SC 28.89 inches in Asheville, NC 12) A spokesman for the National Weather Service's special studies branch said that the volume of water that fell as snow may be unprecedented. For example, the NWS office at the Asheville, NC airport reported a snow/water ratio of 4.2 to 1 from core samples of new snow. Numerous other core samples taken in a nearby area by an NCDC employee verified this 'very wet snow' with similar results. This equated to 4-5 inches of liquid equivalent precipitation (or even higher in some areas) from the storm. Areas north of Asheville which reported up to 4 feet of snow probably received 'dryer' snow with similar liquid equivalent amounts. Due to the weight of the heavy snow, damage to trees and some buildings was extensive. Polk County, NC reported 99% of its electrical customers without power at one point during the storm. 13) Overall damage figures are not yet available, but it appears that the total will exceed $1 billion. 14) Comparisons to the Blizzard of 1888 are now being made. A few facts from the '88 storm: 400 people killed 50 inches of snow in Saratoga Springs, NY 48 inches of snow in Albany, NY 22 inches of snow in New York City Snow drifts over the tops of houses from New York to New England 80 MPH wind gusts common Although the '88 storm was probably more severe in the Northeast and New England, it did not affect the entire eastern seaboard to the extent that the 1993 storm affected the area.