Thirty-two years ago, a low-pressure system struck the west coast of Florida. It was early March, and the jet stream was displaced unusually south, allowing an outbreak of cold temperatures to take over the South. A low-pressure system developed over the Gulf, strengthening rapidly. The instability nearby produced over 10 inches of snow over parts of the Southeast, including 6 inches in Tallahassee, but this system produced more than snow. As it intensified, the system, although it didn't have tropical characteristics, behaved very much like a hurricane when it struck the Big Bend. There were wind gusts of at least 90 mph, torrential rains, tornadoes and sea level rise that created inundation.
The Doppler was recently introduced, like in the National Weather Service in Melbourne, which had installed its Doppler just over a year before and were able to test it with Hurricane Andrew hitting South Florida in August 1992, and then this "No Name Storm." During the 1990s, meteorological models existed, although not as sophisticated as today. The models showed a low-pressure system strengthening over the Gulf, intensifying quickly!
This model forecast allowed meteorologists to issue forecasts five days before and see the storm grow. The storm rapidly strengthened, becoming a potent storm that hit the Big Bend. Still, even while (and after) wrecking havoc in Florida, the system continued traveling along the East Coast, producing a major winter storm, bringing blizzard conditions for many. A large swath from Alabama through Maine was left with snow, damage by strong winds that left thousands without power and countless trees downed.
The storm hit the Big Bend late March 12, 1993. An extensive line of storms pushed through Florida. This line had extremely powerful storms that produced wind gusts of 110 mph in Franklin County and 109 mph in Dry Tortugas. According to the National Weather Service, over 59,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were within a squall line as it moved onshore. There were 11 tornadoes reported across Florida. An F2 tornado near Chiefland in Levy County left three people dead, and other fatalities were reported in Alachua and Lake counties. The storm surge was catastrophic, too! There were 12 feet of storm surge recorded in Taylor County, in which 13 people drowned. The storm's surge, winds, and tornadoes damaged or destroyed 18,000 homes. A total of 47 people died in Florida due to this storm.
According to the National Weather Service, the storm, also known as "The Storm of the Century," caused $2 billion in property damage in 22 eastern U.S. states, with Florida taking the brunt of the damage. In total, there were 318 deaths, and about 40 percent of the country's population was impacted.
