The Blizzard of 1993- A Look Back
By: Dave Skutnik
Updated: March 13, 2013
It was the original super storm. A storm which others are still stacked up against - and most pale in comparison. The blizzard of '93.
An onslaught of snow and wind the Keystone State hadn't seen in decades.
"I don't ever remember or even conceiving a forecast for a foot of snow in Philadelphia, two feet of snow in Pittsburgh and as much in between. A storm that wide with that much snow affecting the entire state is just unprecedented." Said Paul Knight, PA State Climatologist
The storm gathered strength from the merging of three jet streams over the Gulf of Mexico. It peaked near the Chesapeake Bay as strong as a category 2 or 3 hurricane. Records from this storm stood until falling last year during Hurricane Sandy.
"If we're just talking intensity of cyclones, sandy was more intense but when speaking about volume of precipitation and snow, the '93 storm stands alone."
Dubbed by some as a snow-i-cane, it brought heavy snow whipped by winds of 45 to 65 miles per hour. This caused snow drifts of 10 to 15 feet or higher. The storm hit on a Saturday and moved out by Sunday, but the great dig out would take days longer.
Snow amounts ranged from just shy of 2 feet to 3 and a half feet. Yes 2 yard sticks needed to measure this one!
"Everything ground to a halt, all traffic was stopped. And of course then it took anywhere from 1 to 3 days to dig out from the storm."
Governor Casey ordered all state highways shut during and after the storm. Schools were closed for a week and in some cases more.
It's a storm many will never forget - mostly because we haven't seen anything like it since - and might not ever see again.
An onslaught of snow and wind the Keystone State hadn't seen in decades.
"I don't ever remember or even conceiving a forecast for a foot of snow in Philadelphia, two feet of snow in Pittsburgh and as much in between. A storm that wide with that much snow affecting the entire state is just unprecedented." Said Paul Knight, PA State Climatologist
The storm gathered strength from the merging of three jet streams over the Gulf of Mexico. It peaked near the Chesapeake Bay as strong as a category 2 or 3 hurricane. Records from this storm stood until falling last year during Hurricane Sandy.
"If we're just talking intensity of cyclones, sandy was more intense but when speaking about volume of precipitation and snow, the '93 storm stands alone."
Dubbed by some as a snow-i-cane, it brought heavy snow whipped by winds of 45 to 65 miles per hour. This caused snow drifts of 10 to 15 feet or higher. The storm hit on a Saturday and moved out by Sunday, but the great dig out would take days longer.
Snow amounts ranged from just shy of 2 feet to 3 and a half feet. Yes 2 yard sticks needed to measure this one!
"Everything ground to a halt, all traffic was stopped. And of course then it took anywhere from 1 to 3 days to dig out from the storm."
Governor Casey ordered all state highways shut during and after the storm. Schools were closed for a week and in some cases more.
It's a storm many will never forget - mostly because we haven't seen anything like it since - and might not ever see again.
