A Storm To Always Remember
It was called the storm of the century.
It was also called the Blizzard of ’93.
Really, there are no good adjectives to describe the severity of that giant winter storm. Will we see another one like it in our lifetime? The mathematical odds are against it, but there is no weather law that says we will not. There was a situation years ago when South Baldwin County, near the Alabama coast, had two 100-year floods in a matter of weeks.
We lived in Huffman at the time of the storm and I had already retired from the NWS. We only lost power for a couple of hours. I made numerous measurements at our place on Winola Lane and the average depth was 17 inches, but we had drifts 3 or 4 feet deep. The next morning, my son and several other firemen came by to make sure we were okay. I went out on the front steps to greet them, immediately lost my footing and fell down the steps into a 3-foot snowdrift. As I was lying on my back, I was looking up at the rim of a crater that I had just caused. They rushed to dig me out, but I was okay. I noticed later in the spring that dandelions did not grow where I had hit the ground.
Be sure and scroll down and read some of the comments on the blog, especially the one from Acid Reign. It is a typical story. That is not his real name. Chuck Biddinger in Roebuck, also a frequent contributor, lost power. He finally ran a 300-foot extension cord to his neighbor’s house in back and asked if he could plug it in to power his furnace. He had never met his neighbor until that time. That was so typical. The whole storm story has thousands of instances of neighbors helping neighbors and strangers helping strangers. Let’s get down to the main part of the story.
I am holding in my caffeine-stained fingers, a series of surface and upper air weather maps of the event. They still look scary to review. At 3:00 a.m. on March 13, the intense low-pressure center had moved out of the NE Gulf of Mexico and was centered over Tallahassee. SE of the low, numerous tornadoes were being reported and massive flooding was taking place in the Great Bend area of NW Florida. The central pressure had dropped to 981 mb. Later, the storm would intensify to 967 mb over North Carolina and Virginia.
One of the most amazing features of this storm was the thundersnow. This created sight of greenish colored lightning and muffled thunder. During the heart of the storm, one raido or TV tower on Red Mountain was struck about 13 times. Most folks had never seen thundersnow before and it is indeed a rare event. As the intense low moved up the east coast on March 13 and 14, wind gusts as high as 144 mph occurred. This storm caused the worst aviation delays in world history up until 1993. At one time, all airports along the Eastern Seaboard were closed.
The storm produced enough snow that if all of it was melted would have covered New York State with 1 foot of water. It was unprecedented in American weather history. The storm left 4 feet of snow on Mt. Mitchell, North Carolina.
Back home in Alabama, this storm dumped 13 inches of snow at Birmingham Airport–a record that still stands. With clear weather on Sunday morning, March 14, the temperature dropped to 2 above at Birmingham Airport.
We heard reports after the storm that 15-foot snow drifts occurred over NE Alabama. Last night we got a confirmation of that from the small community of Grantley on County Road 55 in Northern Cleburne County. The gentleman there named Ben, who is a frequent contributor to our blog, said they had 38 inches average on the level with 17-foot drifts and now power for 19 days. Before we get into a lengthy list of Alabama snow depths, here are some interesting figures:
RECORDED WIND GUSTS
144 mph Mt. Washington, New Hampshire
110 mph Franklin County, Florida
109 mph Dry Tortugas, Florida
101 mph Flattop Mountain, North Carolina
RECORD SEA LEVEL PRESSURE
28.28 inches White Plains, New York (lots of hurricanes can’t match that)
28.43 inches Philadelphia
28.43 inches New York (JFK Airport)
28.45 inches Dover, Delaware
SNOW TOTALS
50 inches Mt. Mitchell, North Carolina
47 inches Grantsville, Maryland
44 inches Snowshoe, West Virginia
43 inches Syracuse, New York
RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES
12 below zero Burlington, Vermont
10 below zero Mt. LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains
2 above at Asheville, North Carolina and Birmingham
FATALITIES AND PROPERTY DAMAGE
When it was all said and done, 270 people were dead and the estimate for total property damage exceeded $3 billion.
ALABAMA SNOW TOTALS
These are all official amounts and the largest total was at Walnut Grove in NE Alabama. Walnut Grove is located on US-278, which is the main route between Gadsden and Cullman. It is near the Blount/Etowah County line in an area where the moisture-laden powerful east winds had to rise some beause of Straight Mountain and even more as the wind encountered Sand Mountain. This extra lift would have increased the snowfall.
We should point out that everybody did nto receive a record amount of snow. It tapered off to the NW and by the time you got to the Muscle Shoals/Florence area, the total was about 5 inches. Most of the real heavy snow occurred over the NE half of the state and some South Alabama communities got less than 5 inches. But everyone got a dose of high wind and Governor Guy Hunt declared a state of emergency.
I hope you will pardon this long list of Alabama snow totals, but I thought since it was such a historic storm, that you would like to know:
20 inches at Walnut Grove
17 Valley Head
16 Oneonta, Bessemer
13 Anniston, Talladega, Pinson, Birmingham Airport
12 Thomasville, Childersburg, Scottsboro
11 Sylacauga
10 Heflin, Clanton, Cullman
9 Thorsby
8 Ashland, Centreville, Moulton, Guntersville
7 Alexander City, Huntsville, Whatley
6 Camden, Evergreen, Jasper, Livingston, Andalusia, Haleyville, Highland Home
5 Auburn, Winfield, Muscle Shoals, Chatham
4 Montgomery, Union Springs, Vernon, Tuscaloosa, Demopolis, Frisco City, Greenville, Troy
3 Brewton, Hamilton, Bay Minette, Mobile Airport
2 Atmore and Robertsdale
Trace Coden, Fairhope
Remember, this does not count drifts and those drifts were humongous in some areas, especially by Alabama standards. The drifts were 5 and 6 feet deep in parts of Birmingham metro area.
STRANDED METEOROLOGISTS
Out at the National Weather Service at 11 West Oxmoor Road, some of the weather personnel were stranded for several days. In fact, the winter storm crew was still on duty working shift number 6. In a state forecast discussion issued at 9:15 on Sunday morning March 14, the forecaster said, “We are all growing weary. We eagerly await a fresh crew by this afternoon.” In a Saturday afternoon discussion, the forecaster said, “We may need a food drop soon since our building is surrounded by snow drifts around 2-feet deep.” As early as Saturday morning, they said, “If you have any bread, please send us some.” I am not sure who wrote those discussions, but my guess is Bill Herrmann who I worked many, many shifts with..
Dr. John A. Knox is the co-author of an excellent meteorology instruction book for college students. He is a Huffman native. However, he watched the blizzard unfold from the University of Wisconsin where he was an instructor. His parents were huddled in the cold in Roebuck Gardens and his mom’s 61st birthday was on March 12. I enjoyed studying his review of all the models that meteorlogists poured over leading up to the storm and, overall, it was an excellent forecast. John is now with the University of Georgia. He has always been a James Spann fan.
One final note: there are several links in the comment section of the blog showing actual video of TV coverage by James Spann and Kevin Collins. Mike Wiihelm, the 33/40 skywatcher for Vinemont, found those for us.
I realize this is an overdose of information, but thought you might like to know.
March 12th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Remember it well as I have posted before so I won’t bore everybody with my story, I knew what the thunder snow meant..basically a snow hurricane. I’d only heard of it but knew folks from up north who had described it. The lighting was indeed green and purple, winds were as intense as they would be when Opal came over a few years later.
I for one am glad we got to experience it but I’m also glad the forcast high for today is 70!!
Thanks Mr. Elliot..
March 12th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Hi J.B., thanks for the interesting post. I have a question, I will be traveling from Tuscaloosa to Mobile after 330 this Friday? What can I expect during my travel as far as bad weather is concerned, I know you cannot pin point exactly, but a general idea will be helpful as to when you think these supercell storms may form? Thanks in advance!
March 12th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
…..Thanks for all the compliments, folks! That story was a result of a great weather day, yesterday. Had a great, fun off day, and I was staying up too late, because I didn’t want it to end. Occasionally, I’ll get all sleep-deprived, and drop a comment-novel like that one. Sometimes the best stuff comes out of a tired brain!
March 12th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
I was in high school….I remember the weather going rapidly downhill…it seemed as if it was going downhill faster than anyone had expected. My mom’s birthday was on the 13th…right before she made me get off the roads that afternoon, I went and got her cake. We enjoyed it the next day with milk that was outside on our porch in the snow! That is where most of our refrigerated stuff stayed…
March 12th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
I was 10 years old at the time. Our driveway was on an incline, and yet, there was still snow up to the windows on my mom’s ’88 Toyota Corolla. We had four-foot snow drifts in our backyard. (I lived in Montgomery, by the way.) My now nearly 18-year-old brother stepped down into the drift and the snow was above his head. Our power was out at my grandmother’s house for about two or three days. That’s the most snow I’ve seen in my lifetime. I will have to find the Polaroids I took of the street with all the slush and snow and weighed down power lines and scan them. I doubt we’ll see anything like that again in our lifetime.
March 12th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Anyone older than about 20-21 should remember it. That forecast made James Spann’s career. He was talking about it Tuesday while nobody else even mentioned the possibility until Thursday. That was our anniversary weekend (Friday will be 27) and the weekend of the Home and Garden Show, which hasn’t been as good since. My husband was stuck at the Fire Department the whole weekend. That event also taught me a lot about Alabama Power and how they work strictly by the numbers. They look at what will get the most people back on and work that. If you live on a small circuit, you’re going to be last, like we were. Those were the days before I started back to work while my kids were little, and doing radio was just a wish. We all enjoyed the snow Friday night, with big snowball fights and snowmen, but it was just too much after that. I didn’t sleep well for 3 days because we had a fire going day and night. The snow began to melt by Sunday and was completely gone by Wednesday. My power didn’t come back on until Friday so refrigeration was then a big problem. We lost everything in 2 freezers that hadn’t been eaten or cooked. But Jim left us well prepared with lots of firewood. And there was plenty to be had afterwards too with all the trees down.
March 12th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Acid, your story wow it was awesome…I felt like I was right there with your family. Besides being worried about your family I would have loved going through that.
I was 12 living in FLA and we had more rain and flooding than I have ever seen…and hope to ever see.
Hope everyone has a Blessed day and keeps writing stories…I’m loving them:)
March 12th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
i remember it all to well….
March 12th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Wow, J.B., I had heard some of your stories before, but not the ones about you falling and the discussion by the NWS.
As Beth said, I hope you all keep the stories coming! They are truly riveting. Also, please take the time to send James your photos and video, if you have it. We are sitting on a goldmine of historical weather data, images, etc.
I intend to have part four of James’ and Kevin’s coverage up in a little while on my YouTube page.
http://www.youtube.com/user/mikewx2
March 12th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
I was three years old. My dad was snowed in with James on Red Mountain at the T.V station. The only thing I remember about that storm was the thundersnow.
March 12th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
years ago someone posted, on the old blog all of the NWS warning statements from the storm. it may have been JB, im not sure. could anyone re-post that info? it was very interesting to read since i was with out power from 6pm friday til 2pm monday. im sure a lot of other readers was without power as well and would like to see it.
March 12th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
I remember the storm rather well, even though I was only 10 at the time. We lived in Chalkville. I can remember hearing the thunder and waking up as just about any kid would, scared because of the storm. In the morning the neighborhood was a sight to see. Power was gone and we had about two to three feet piled around the house. Out of everyone in the neighborhood we were the only ones who had gas heat. So everybody flocked to our house to get warm and occasionaly cook some food on the gas stove. With all the paths dug through the snow to get to each others houses it looked like a maze.
March 12th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
I was right there…smack dab in the midst of the Walnut Grove snow…I lived right on the Etowah/Blount County line. I was a senior in High school and never expected such a snow in all my lifetime. I had to go to my grandmothers house, because the power went out and we had electric heat. We had eight people and 1 cat stay there for 2 weeks. My brother used his 4 wheel drive Jimmy to carry those stranded on hwy 278 to our local gas station. One guy was on his way to Gadsden for a wedding. It was awesome and horrible at the same time. I’ll never forget it.
March 12th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
James or J.B…..Can either of you speak to the differences in the forecasts 3-4 days out in the local media at that time? Was there a difference between the models, or was it more a lack of belief on what the models were showing. How much of a limb did you feel you may be out on? Thanks.
March 12th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
I have a printout of all of the Special Weather Statements that were issued by the National Weather Service in Birmingham beginning Wednesday, March 10th and continuing through Saturday, March 13th. Perhaps the most amazing one was issued at 2:07 a.m. Saturday the 13th when 13 counties in southeast Alabama were placed under a Heavy Snow Warning. This meant that every county in the state was under a Heavy Snow Warning which had to be a first!
I do not have a way to post them online, but if someone else does I will be glad to e-mail them in a .pdf format so that a link can be provided.
By the way, the youtube videos of James Spann’s coverage are phenomenal. A big thanks to Mike Wilhelm for posting video of what will probably be a once-in-a-lifetime weather event.
I was living in Rome, Georgia in the northwest part of the state and we ended up with 18 inches. I regret that I do not have any video or even a single personal photo of that event. However, I vividly remember the thunder and lightning between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. and what had to be 1″ to 2″ per hour snowfall rates. What an amazing storm! Maybe my children will be able to experience something like that in their lifetime!
March 12th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
My 1993 snow story is:
I had 2 boys ages 2 and 2 months old, me and my aunt ran to store in irondale to get food and after standing in line to check out for about an hour we came out and it had already begun to snow. We pulled car up by the door, put kids and purses in car and began to load groceries in trunk. Went to get into car and my two year old had locked the doors with purses in car with keys in purses. I started to have a fit, i cried, i panic, till someone got there with keys to lets us in.
We all stayed at my aunts because she had gas and a fireplace, we lost power in irondale and the water pumping station quit so we lost water as well. We forgot to bring in the firewood so of course it was wet, we manage to keep fire going and brought firewood in until it dried out. We melted snow to bath with and then my son got really sick running high fever. No way to go anywhere, no way to call for resuce. We were lucky though, his fever broke after a couple of day. I remember stepping out door and snow coming up to my knees.
Thats my snow story. sorry if there are any typos i typed that really fast.
March 12th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Yea, yea, yea. My family and I lived in Buffalo, NY from January 1993 to Christmas 2000. My three daughters and I went ice skating in downtown Niagara Falls at lunch on Saturday before the storm hit. We were having a grand time skating on the outdoor rink with all the Christmas lights on and the snow coming down. We drove to our home about 12 miles away out in the country. You could see about 300′ ahead. I’ve see white out conditions where you couldn’t see past your windsheild. We got home and woke up on Sunday morning to over 2′ of snow with 5′ drifts.
Most churches had canceled Sunday services, but after shoveling our driveway (took three hours) we were able to go anywhere we wanted. Niagara County snow plows had our road cleared before we awoke. The week before the Big Storm we had an Alberta Clipper come through and give us 18″ of snow. For us the ‘Storm of 1993′ was nothing more than a typical winter storm.
Our ‘lake effect’ snow normally hit us harder than the regular storms. One Sunday we received 39.5″ of the beautiful white stuff in a six hour time frame. That’s a record!!
We normally received 80″ of snow on the north side of the metro. Down on the south side of the city (where the Bills play football), they receive over 150″ a year.
Happy Saint Patty’s Day
March 12th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
thanks phil!! my email is eric35228@hotmail.com
March 12th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
I live not that far from Grantley in the north Muscadine area called Rosewood and we were without power for about 2 weeks. We didn’t have county water at that time so it felt like we had been transported back to the 1800′s with no water or power. After a few days the National Guard brought water tankers to our community so we could fill containers with drinking water. There was well over one foot of snow everywhere. I remember trying to walk to an elderly neighbor’s house in hip boots that came above my waist. I stepped in drifts where the snow was so deep it went over into the boots above my waist. The snow stayed around in spots for weeks.
March 12th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
AS Rebecca said earlier it was the weekend of the Home & Garden Show. I was working the event and Friday around 3ish somebody said it was snowing and 5 minutes later that place had emptied like somebody had phoned in a bomb threat.
March 12th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Hi Phil…I could post them on my blog if you email them to me at mikewx2@yahoo.com
And thanks for the comment.
March 12th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
I remember it like yesterday. My husband had oupatient surgery for a hernia repair that morning @ Brookwood & was sent home without any antibiotics (per the doctor..none needed). I remember sitting in the waiting room seeing James on TV talking about the upcoming storm that evening thinking the boys would really enjoy the snow. I never dreamed it would be my worst nightmare. Three boys, (10, 6 & a toddler). We lost power around midnight & it didn’t return for 5 days. No heat…our fireplace sent it up the chimney. It would have been warmer to be on top of the house with our hands over the chimney. We lost all of our food in the freezer/refrigerater. I even tried putting some of it in a cooler on the back porch…it still ruined. We ended up staying with a friend in a tiny garage apartment down the street with a space heater & one bedroom meant for 1 person. I opened my front door to a total wall of snow. I couldn’t even open the storm door an inch. I had to wade hip deep off my back deck down about 18 steps to get on the ground & work my way up to the front of the house to dig out the front porch to get to the door. We couldn’t even get help to take my husband back to the hospital that weekend with a very high fever due to infection setting in (the community we lived in back then was very hilly & next to impossible to drive due to the ice.) Finally, on Tuesday afternoon, I finally got him to the hospital only to be admitted & put on IV antibiotics for 4-5 days..he was a very sick man & I still had to work, take care of 3 boys & be there too! Needless to say….it was one blizzard never to be forgotten for more reasons than the fact it was a historic occassion! The one fun thing I remember, my oldest son (borrowed) a couple of 4 sale signs from nearby homes for sale, & used them to slide down steep hills on. Now that was fun!
March 12th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
My story is this:
I was just barely 21 at the time, living at home in ALabaster with my father, working and due to get married the following month.
My mother, who totally FREAKED when the weather was to get bad had been warning me all week that we were in for a huge snowstorm. I kinda believed her, warned my father who, divorced from my mother REALLY didn’t heed the warnings because she had a really bad habit of over reacting. So Friday came, my then fiance and I were both off work so we went to pick my sister up, who lived with my mother, to come and get snowed in with us. It was rather warm that day, too warm to snow. We went to Blockbuster and rented a couple of movies then to the vet because my bird injured her wing pretty badly. Soon after we arrived back at Dad’s he came home and he and my sister battled FoodMax (now Brunos in Alabaster)We stayed home and watched James on TV, wondering when we were going to get our snow! They came back with only 2 boxes of crackers – this was how badly my father doubted the forecast. He filled the kerosene can for the heater. It started snowing soon after they came home, they were gone for at least an hour. The snow fell lightly at first so we attempted to walk around the block.But,then the wind started howling, the houses and trees around us popped and cracked. The powerlines above us sparked and the freakish green lightning and thunder happened. Not to mention, the blowing snow felt like ice pellets stabbing into our faces. We got home, still had power and popped a Video into the VCR. We lost power at 10:10 pm, in the middle of Wayne’s World. My sister and father went to the second floor to sleep while I crashed on sofa and my fiance on the floor. It was cold when we woke up. My sister, confused, walked outside to the road, forgetting where a 3/12 foot ditch was below, fell straight thru it. It was pretty funny!! My father had hung blankets on the doorway and we all (me, sis, fiance, father, 2 birds and a guinea pig) huddled in the small den in the back of the house. Food went outside. All of us neighbors cleaned our freezers and grilled out, ate together. One house had gas hot water so it became the “bath house” For 2 weeks. BTW, I still live on the same street (different house) and have the same wonderful neighbors. And now when my 14 year old son tells us it isn’t going to snow, my FATHER says “I said that once, and we got 14 inches the next day!!”
March 12th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Great story Stephanie! My Dad also said “no accumulation”. I would have easily won that bet, had it been made….
March 12th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Thanks Mike! I am just loving seeing everyones stories, and watching your video this AM made me think about it all day!!
March 12th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
I remember it well! My sister and I were in Columbus (GA) when we got word of “possible” snow and decided to cut the weekend short. When we arrived in Tuskegee, I decided to keep on to Pelham since there didn’t seem to be any major problem on that Saturday morning so far.
Driving to and through Montgomery was fine and I didn’t notice anything strange until halfway between Montgomery and Alabaster…cars pulled over…icy patches…but most of all, no other cars. I wasn’t sure how long I had been driving without seeing anyone else but I cautiously pushed on.
It wasn’t until I arrived home that I found out how tremendous the storm was in this area. Furthermore, I found out that I-65 was actually closed which explained why I had it all to myself! Even though the scenery was beautiful once I was home, was I ever thankful for safe passage in light of my ignorance!!
March 12th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
…..See, Stephanie? Life writes itself. Great post, at least as good as mine!
March 12th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Those videos of the original coverage are INCREDIBLE Mike.
and I’d also like to see the NWS statements again. I had seen them a few years back but the NWS page where they used to be is gone now.
As for me, I was only 4 when the blizzard hit so my memory is fuzzy but I do remember amazing snow drifts feet high in the yard and hiking to a neighbor’s house.
March 12th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Excellent recap, we all need to remember this storm and I still remember how accurately you guys predicted it so far in advance…maybe not the level of intensity but you did adjust to that as it developed. I was in Montgomery about 2pm and it was 56 and by the time I got back to bhm about 5 it was rain changing to snow. I left the office on 280 about 6 and made a stop at the ABC store in MT. Brook and hunkered down and watched the snowthunder and green lightening until the power went off about 10pm. Next morning it was difficult to get out the door because of the drifts, I measured 17 inches on my back deck.
March 12th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
I lived in the northern suburbs of DC (Montgomery Co., MD) at that time, in a townhouse. That area usually gets a lot of ice accumulation and not much snow. It was snowing a lot when i came home Fri night. I worked in a physics lab and we did experiments late every day. The next morning it had snowed 24 inches or so overnight but we had drifts due to high wind. Couldn’t get my small yard fence gate open, so i climbed over it to go dig out my car (no garage, just a common area). The grocery store was within walking distance, so was the “Roy Rogers” fast food which is now Hardees!! Happy trails to you!! After 15 yrs, i don’t think i would do that again. Luckily we had power too. Winter without power is not much fun, as i experienced while living in different states.
March 12th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
ps- that was before i met my wonderful husband!
March 12th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Great job, Mike, in finding that stuff. Bet it’s been 15 years since I’ve seen it. James doesn’t look like he’s aged hardly at all, just a little less stuff up on top! Thanks for sharing, and you too, JB.
March 12th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
JB – i liked the dandelion story but don’t believe it! Thanks for letting those of us who are “transplants” know what it was like weatherwise, in Birmingham. It was a powerful storm, for everyone!!
March 12th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
We only got a couple inches in Nashville but what a great storm that was. In Nashville we had to wait until ’96 to get our big March snow. March 18th-19th we got about 9 inches and of course a few days ago I got about 4 inches on the 8th. Great posts!
March 12th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
James actually had HAIR!!! waaaaaaaay back then. Amazing how much better weather forecastin has become.
March 12th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Here in Walnut Grove, I remember it so very well…when our chicken houses collapsed and we lost over 48,000 baby chickens…March 13th 1993 was and still is a sore spot in our family’s memory.
March 12th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
JB sorry I didn’t reply to your earlier post on the previous blog. We are indeed located on Rabbittown Rd, now know as CR 55. Yes Dugger was COVERED. We also had a gorgeous view of Oakey Mtn from our back yard and it was something else. That saturday We had to walk to my grandparents home just 2 thenths of a mile west of us and I remember it took us almost 2 hours to make it there. Walking in 3′ snow with 4-5′ drifts while avoding the 12′ drifts weren’t easy. Also all of the trees had came down during the night had the roads clogged. I know we had one fatality nearby where the person had gotten stranded and tried to walk out but got caught in the snow and froze to death. There is a marker off of the Dugger Mtn boundry road that marks where he was found. I remember on the 18th the national guard came into clear the roads and a Humvee got stuck near our driveway. He mistook a pile of snow and found himself burried in a 15′ drift. Now that was something to see. Finlly the guard brought a few front end loadres through to clear the roads so the power crews could get to work. I remember we had a crew from Minnesota that worked on it and even they couldn’t believe the snow we had and even the destruction it left behind. 19 days without power it was like we had fallen off the earth. I laugh at some of the snow totals a friend of mine that lived in Gadsden said wow we had 19 “s at my house and sure that was impressive but try adding another 19″s to that and imagine how rough that was for us to manipulate in. I have many pictures of the event if i can just locate them I will try to scan them and post at a later time. Lets pray for no more blizzards.
March 13th, 2008 at 1:23 am
I remember it very well. I was living here near Walnut Grove at the time….
I remember not wanting to go to bed, i wanted to sit in a chair by the window in the livingroom and just watch it snow all night. Hey, ya know, i had a good view and i knew that we were experiencing something very rare. So i wanted to capture every moment that i could! But around 9:30pm my mom forced me to go to bed.
The next thing i know, i wake up around 2:30 am….the power is out and channel 44 in Gadsden was the only station i could get on my batter operated TV. I suppose the weather had knocked out channel 6 and the rest of the stations. So i was forced to watch people selling jewelry or something on Channel 44 lol. Anyways, i tried to get back to sleep but i couldn’t. The wind, thunder and lightning kept me awake. It was like something out of horror film, yet at the same time, i loved snow, so that calmed my fear. I knew i’d have something beautiful to look at when the sun came up, after all the thunder and lightning was over. Anyways, when the sun finally did come up, i went to look out the livingroom window….and there was nothing to see but a big ol’ snow drift!!
Our poor little house..lol…that drift went all the way to the roof!
It took several hours for my grandfather and my oldest brother to dig the snow away from the front door enough so we could get out. Most of my time that day (the 13th) was spent listening to WGAD and WAAX in Gadsden on my radio. Listening to them talking about the storm and giving out information on how people with 4 wheel drives could help their neighbors by delivering items like firewood and other necessities.
It is a very special memory, nonetheless. Glad to have gone through it, and will always cherish it. It was a great early birthday present for me….which was just 12 days later