National Weather Service Philadelphia, PA 600 PM EST Sat Mar 13 1993 City sky/wx temp dewpt rh wind pres remarks Pittsburgh hvy snow 18 17 96 n25g37 29.19s vsb1/16 wci -17 ------------------------------ Pittsburgh metropolitan area forecast National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 330 PM EST Sat Mar 13 1993 ..blizzard warning tonight through Sunday morning... tonight...high winds with heavy snow and considerable blowing and drifting snow. Additional accumulation 4 to 8 inches. Thunder is also possible. Low near 15. Wind north 30 MPH with gusts over 50 MPH. Wind chill down to 30 below. Sunday...still very windy with snow squalls and much blowing and drifting snow. Weekend snowstorm totals 16 to 20 inches with deep drifts. Temperature 10 to 15. Wind northwest 20 to 40 MPH. Sunday night...partly cloudy. Low 10 to 15. Monday...partly sunny. High near 30. ********************************************** Severe weather statement in effect for pit ********************************************** Blizzard update and short term weather summary/forecast National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 615 PM EST Sat Mar 13 1993 ..blizzard warning continues tonight and Sunday morning for the Pittsburgh and Wheeling areas...through Sunday elsewhere... ..radar summary... weather radar showed snow with scattered thunder over all of western and central Pennsylvania...eastern Ohio...northern West Virginia...and western Maryland. Some of this snow was falling at a rate of 2 to 3 inches an hour. Over the past hour...coverage remained widespread. Movement was toward the northwest at 25 MPH. ..snow totals thus far... south central mountains from State College south......1 to 2 feet the mountains north of State College..................8 to 14 inches southwest Pennsylvania...including Pittsburgh........12 to 20 inches Laurel Mountains.....................................12 to 20 inches western Pennsylvania north of Allegheny county........8 to 14 inches Erie lakeshore.........................................4 to 6 inches > ..snowfall to come... snow this evening will fall at rates of up to 3 inches an hour...but it shoud begin to taper beween 10 PM and 2 am. By 2 am...an additional 4 to 8 inches will fall west of the mountains and another 8 to 16 inches in the mountains. By Sunday afternoon...snowstorm totals will be 1 to 2 feet west of the mountains...which includes a total of 18 to 24 inches in the Pittsburgh area. The mountains will total 1.5 to 3 feet by Sunday afternoon. ..damaging winds...dangerous wind chills...massive snow drifts... northeast winds will continue tonight...with gusts of 30 to 60 MPH. This will cause power outages...make travel impossible...and drop wind chills to 30 below. Snow drifts several feet deep are forming. Major highways are snow covered. All Pennsylvania interstates are closed. ..Sunday... the blizzard conditions should end in the Pittsburgh and Wheeling areas Sunday morning...but continue over the rest of western Pennsylvania through Sunday afternoon. Winds will decrease Sunday morning...thus reducing the blowing snow. Actual temperatures will only be 10 to 15. > ..storm track... the center of this powerful blizzard will move northward from the Chesapeake bay...to Boston by Sunday morning...then to Maine by Sunday evening. ..a blizzard warning means you should stay indoors... the blizzard of 1993 continues across western and central Pennsylvania ..and the northern panhandle of West Virginia. This means life threatening conditions tonight as winds roar and temperatures drop. ..safety tips... dont venture outside unless you must. If you do not have a four wheel drive vehicle...dont drive. We cannot emphasize this enough. Police report that numerous cars are stuck and blocking the routes. If you become stranded...wait in your car and keep it ventilated. At home...be prepared for long power outages and high winds. Keep flashlights handy. Secure outdoor objects that are loose. Pet and farm animals should be brought indoors. Wind chills of 30 below are possible tonight. Dont kill yourself shoveling snow. The main killers in blizzards like this one are heart attacks... hypothermia...frostbite...and accidents. Be smart...dont be a statistic. > ..stayed tuned for further blizzard updates...skywarn observers please continue to report snow depths every 3 hours and winds over 40 MPH. Rehak Extended forecast... Tuesday...snow showers changing to rain showers. Lows in the teens highs mid 30s to lower 40s. Wednesday...snow showers. Lows in the 20s. Highs in the 30s. Thursday...fair and cold. Lows in the teens. Highs in the 30s. ------------------------------ Nwx1 national weather summary National Weather Service Kansas City MO 3 PM CST Sat Mar 13 1993 *** paralyzing storm pounding the eastern U.S. *** *** severe weather slams Florida and Georgia last night *** *** elsewhere across the country *** *** morning lows over the nation *** *** paralyzing storm pounding the eastern U.S. *** A paralyzing winter storm continues to pound the eastern U.S. This afternoon with blizzard conditions...heavy snow and hurricane force winds. Thunder and lightning was reported with the snow at many locations which has enhanced the rate of snowfall over the eastern U.S. Trees and power lines have fallen in response to the heavy snowfall and strong winds while blowing and drifting snow has closed many roads. The intense low pressure system...currently over southeast Virginia...will move northeast this afternoon and evening and is forecast over new England by the morning hours on Sunday. Blizzard warnings are in effect this afternoon through tonight for the eastern two thirds of Ohio. A winter weather advisory is in effect this afternoon and tonight for the western one third of Ohio. A blizzard warning is in effect this afternoon and tonight for much of eastern and southeast Kentucky. A winter storm warning is in effect this afternoon and tonight for east central and northeast Kentucky. Winter weather advisories are in effect this afternoon and tonight for north central Kentucky. Snow advisories are in effect this afternoon for south central Kentucky. Over southeastern Kentucky this morning...between 9 and 12 inches was reported over much of the area with 12 to 14 inches reported over some of the higher elevations. Up to 8 inches of snow was reported late this morning around flemingsburg...morehead... Irvine and frenchburg in eastern Kentucky. Lexington picked up 4 inches of new snow while 5 inches was measured at maysville in north central Kentucky. A blizzard warning is in effect this afternoon for the west central and northern portions of Georgia. A snow advisory is in effect this afternoon for parts of central Georgia. Over northern Georgia early this afternoon...four inches of snow was reported at Marietta while three inches of snow was observed at Atlanta. Two inches of snow was measured at Athens. Blizzard warnings are in effect this afternoon for the mountains...foothills...northwest and southern Piedmont of North Carolina. A winter weather advisory is in effect tonight for the northeast Piedmont of North Carolina. Snowfall reports over the northern foothills and northern mountains of North Carolina this morning ranged from over a foot of snow at alleghany county in the northern mountains to 4 to 6 inches in the northern foothills. A blizzard warning is in effect this afternoon and tonight for central and western Maryland and much of northern and western Virginia. Winter storm warnings are in effect this afternoon and tonight for all of Delaware...eastern Maryland and the southwestern Piedmont and northern tidewater of Virginia. A winter weather advisory is in effect this afternoon and evening for the central tidewater of Virginia. Heavy snow has fallen over portions of Maryland...Delaware and Virginia today with as much as 22 inches of snow reported. Some significant snowfall reports across Virginia include 15 to 22 inches across Craig county...20 inches over wythe county...17 inches in the northern half of Floyd county...15 inches in Patrick county with all roads closed...14 inches in Franklin county...13 inches at Roanoke and 12 to 14 inches at Pulaski. In Maryland this afternoon...12 inches was reported at owings mills and the Washington DC area while 11 inches of snow fell across Howard county. Ten inches was measured at rockville... parkton and severna park. Over Delaware...11 inches of new snow was reported at Wilmington this afternoon with 8 inches reported at Odessa. Four inches fell at dover. Blizzard warnings are in effect this afternoon through tonight for all of West Virginia. A wind chill advisory has been posted for tonight for much of West Virginia. As much as a foot and a half of snow has fallen across portions of West Virginia and southwest Virginia. Snowfall reports over southwest Virginia included 18 inches in lee and Scott counties...16 inches in Pulaski county...14 inches in Montgomery county and 13 inches across Grayson county. In West Virginia...13 inches of snow was reported this afternoon at Beckley and Huntington. Nine inches fell at Elkins and saint albans while 8 inches was reported at Charleston and parkersburg. A blizzard warning remains in effect this afternoon through Sunday for all of western and central Pennsylvania and much of eastern Pennsylvania. Winter storm warnings are in effect this afternoon through tonight for southeast Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. Heavy snow blanketed portions of western and central Pennsylvania this afternoon. Between 8 and 12 inches of new snow was reported over portions of southwest Pennsylvania with 6 to 12 inches reported over the south central mountains. Five to eight inches of new snow was measured in the Laurel Mountains. Over the eastern sections of Pennsylvania this afternoon... between 7 and 12 inches was reported across the entire area. Blizzard warnings continue in effect for this afternoon for northern New Jersey and southeastern New York state. Ten inches of new snow fell at belle meade and ironia morris county in northern New Jersey. Eight inches was reported at north Arlington while 7 to 8 inches fell in Sussex county New Jersey. Over southeastern New York state...seven inches of snow was reported this afternoon at Cornwall while six inches of snow was reported at central park. Five inches fell at ossining...Yonkers and plainview. A blizzard warning remains in effect this afternoon and tonight for all of Massachusetts...Rhode Island and Connecticut. Heavy snow has spread across Massachusetts...Connecticut and Rhode Island this afternoon with snowflakes the size of fists reported at Bridgeport Connecticut. Tolls were not being collected on the Massachusetts turnpike with propane tankers and tandem trailers banned from the turnpike. Blizzard warnings are in effect this afternoon through Sunday for southwest Maine and all of New Hampshire and for tonight through Sunday for the rest of Maine. A blizzard warning is in effect this afternoon through Sunday for all of Vermont and all of New York state. Winter storm warnings are in effect this afternoon for the mountains...Piedmont and foothills of South Carolina. A winter weather advisory is in effect this afternoon for the midlands of South Carolina. A winter storm warning is in effect this afternoon and tonight for the Cumberland plateau and eastern portions of Tennessee. A winter weather advisory is in this afternoon for middle Tennessee. Over southeast Tennessee this morning...13 inches of snow was reported at Chattanooga with snow continuing to fall. One third of the Chattanooga area was reported without power due to the heavy snow. Heavy snow warnings have been issued for this afternoon for portions of extreme northwest Indiana. A winter weather advisory is in effect this afternoon through early tonight for southeast and east central Indiana. A heavy snow warning has been posted for this afternoon and tonight for extreme northeast Illinois. Four inches of new snow was common across the southeast half of cook county in northeast Illinois. A winter storm warning is in effect this afternoon through Sunday morning for Huron and sanilac counties in the thumb of the lower peninsula of Michigan. In addition to the heavy snow occurring along the atlantic coast states...snow was reported last night and this morning over parts of Mississippi and Alabama. In Mississippi this morning...6 inches of new snow was reported at Meridian. Other snowfall reports included 4 inches at Hattiesburg...3 inches at laurel...2 to 4 inches at Columbus and Brookhaven and 2 to 3 inches at Jackson. Snowfall reports from Alabama included 12 inches at Birmingham...8 inches at centreville...7 inches at Huntsville...4 inches at Montgomery and 2 to 3 inches at Mobile. Widespread power outages were reported over parts of Alabama as a result of the heavy snow. Coastal flood warnings are in effect this afternoon and tonight along much of the atlantic coast from Massachusetts to South Carolina. A coastal flood warning is in effect tonight for the coasts of Maine and New Hampshire. A flash flood watch is in effect this afternoon for the coastal plain...the sandhills and the northeast Piedmont of North Carolina. A lake shore warning is in effect for late this afternoon into Sunday for the southern shore of lake Ontario. A high wind warning is in effect this afternoon through Sunday for southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. High wind warnings are in effect this afternoon and tonight for all of Delaware...eastern Maryland and eastern Virginia. A high wind warning is in effect this afternoon and tonight for the coastal plain...the sandhills and the northeast Piedmont of North Carolina as well as all of South Carolina. High wind warnings are in effect this afternoon for southern Georgia...all of Alabama...Tennessee and much of Florida. Marine storm warnings are in effect this afternoon through Sunday for much of the atlantic coast from Maine to South Carolina. The high winds over the eastern U.S. Have caused widespread power outages over the southern and middle atlantic coast states as trees and power lines are downed. Strong winds over Florida this morning caused two deaths. A tree fell on a person in davie with one person in pompano killed when a building wall collapsed. Two barns collapsed in Frederick MD as winds gusted in excess of 60 MPH. Flat top mountain in North Carolina reported 86 MPH winds this afternoon with 73 MPH winds reported at the Potomac river bridge in Maryland. In Jacksonville FL this morning...80,000 people were without electricity as strong winds...as high as 76 MPH...knocked trees and power lines down. Three Mobile homes were overturned with one split in half at Swainsboro GA this morning as a result of the strong winds. Myrtle Beach SC reported a wind gust to 90 MPH which caused damage to the surfside pier with severe beach erosion noted as well. At Kennedy airport in New York City this afternoon...sustained winds of 63 MPH with gusts to 77 MPH were reported. Snowfall covered a large portions of the eastern U.S. This afternoon. Heavy snow was reported over much of the northern and middle atlantic coast states...parts of the southern atlantic coast states and the Ohio Valley. Sleet was falling over parts of Virginia...Maryland...Delaware...Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Rain was reported over the eastern carolinas...eastern Virginia...parts of Delaware and southern New Jersey. *** severe weather slams Florida and Georgia last night *** Killer tornadoes raced across Florida last night as a strong cold front moved across Florida. Strong winds also accompanied the severe thunderstorms over Florida and Georgia. At least 27 tornadoes were reported across Florida last night and early this morning. A tornado at chiefland killed three people while another tornado at Gainesville killed one person and injured four. Strong thunderstorm winds damaged buildings and knocked trees and power lines down across much of the Florida peninsula. Many of the wind gusts measured between 60 and 92 MPH. The strong winds at Miami destroyed a Mobile home which killed one person and injured two others. Quarter sized hail fell at Barlow FL with dime sized hail reported at Tampa FL and Seminole FL. Across southern Georgia...trees and power lines were reported down in areas around Savannah. *** elsewhere across the country *** A freeze warning is in effect for tonight across much of southern Texas. A wind chill advisory is in effect this afternoon and tonight for all of Alabama and the northern portions of Florida. Gale warnings are in effect this afternoon and tonight for the western gulf coast while marine storm warnings are in effect for portions of the eastern gluf coast region. Marine storm warnings are in effect this afternoon for lake Erie while gale warnings are in effect this afternoon for lake Huron. *** morning lows over the nation *** Below freezing temperatures were reported this morning as far south as the gulf coast region. Other areas reporting morning lows below the freezing mark included parts of the northern and central plateau...northern Arizona...the entire rocky mountain region...the northern and central plains...Oklahoma...much of Texas...the upper and middle Mississippi valley...Arkansas... northern Louisiana...the northern portions of the southern atlantic coast states...the Ohio Valley...the Great Lakes and much of the middle and northern atlantic coast states. Readings fell into the single digits and teens over the eastern portions of Nevada and Idaho...much of the rocky mountain region...the northern and central plains...the western portions of Texas and Oklahoma...the upper and middle Mississippi valley...the Great Lakes...parts of the upper Ohio Valley and the northern atlantic coast states. Morning lows dropped below zero across western Wyoming...extreme southeast Idaho...parts of Colorado...the dakotas...much of Minnesota...northern Iowa...northern Wisconsin...northeast New York state and portions of Vermont...New Hampshire and Maine. The low temperature for the nation this morning was 22 degrees below zero at park Rapids MN. Temperatures in the 40s and 50s were found over much of the pacific coast...southern Arizona...the extreme southern tip of Texas...central and southern Florida and the eastern sections of Georgia...South Carolina and North Carolina. Morning lows in the 60s were confined to parts of southern California and the central and southern sections of Florida. The cold weather across much of the country this morning resulted in several record low temperatures to be reported. City record old record/year Albuquerque NM 16 19/1932 Burlington IA 8 tied 8/1975 Columbia MO 10 11/1912 Des Moines IA 2 tied 2/1975 devils Lake ND b 15 b 13/1951 International Falls MN b 17 b 16/1976 Kansas City MO 10 tied 10/1975 Lamoni IA 3 4/1975 mason City IA b 7 tied b 7/1960 Midland TX 14 tied 14/1932 Ottumwa IA 4 6/1975 *** this date in weather history *** On this date in 1989...residents of the southern U.S. Viewed a once in a lifetime display of the "northern lights". Unseasonably warm weather continued in the southwestern U.S. The record high of 88 at Tucson AZ was their seventh in a row. In southwest Texas...the temperature at Sanderson soared from 46 degrees at 8 am to 90 degrees at 11 am. Eric Evenson National Severe Storms Forecast Center