Reflecting on New York’s Historic Snowstorm of March 1993

From March 12 to 14, 1993, a massive storm hit areas where almost half of the U.S. population lived, including Upstate New York.

It’s hard to believe that 32 years have passed since the residents of Upstate New York were hit by what would be famously remembered as the Blizzard of the Century, an event that those of us alive at the time vividly remember to this day.

The Blizzard That Grounded Everything to a Halt

The Blizzard of the Century struck with unyielding force, unleashing over two feet of snow in Binghamton and engulfing the Southern Tier with more than 23 inches of snowfall. The storm, accompanied by fierce 45 mph gusts of wind, prompted widespread disruption, leading Governor Mario Cuomo to declare a state of emergency.

The Aftermath: Assessing the Full Impact of the Storm

Between March 12 and 14, 1993, the Blizzard of the Century caused about $5.5 billion in damage (equal to $11.5 billion today) in the United States.

A Historic Storm

The Storm of the Century was classified as Extreme, ranking as a Category 5 event on the Regional Snowfall Index for the Northeast, Southeast, and Ohio Valley regions. Covering an area larger than 550,000 square miles and affecting nearly 120 million people, this major snowstorm is still considered one of the most important weather events to ever hit these regions.

During the peak of the storm, snowfall rates of 2–3 inches per hour were recorded, blanketing regions from the Catskill Mountains to the central and southern Appalachians.

Notably, parts of the East Coast experienced wind-driven sleet, with central New Jersey reporting 2.5 inches of sleet atop 12 inches of snow, creating a unique "ice-cream sandwich" effect. Even portions of the Florida Panhandle found themselves under a layer of up to six inches of snow.

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While the blizzard in 1993 was significant, it does not hold the record for the most snowfall in Binghamton. That record was set in December 2020, when the city experienced a staggering two-day snowfall of 41 inches, surpassing the previous record of 35.3 inches set in March 2017.