ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) – On March 13th, 1993, millions of Americans in the eastern half of the country woke up to one of the most powerful storms in U.S. history.

Nicknamed the “Storm of the Century,” the Blizzard of ’93 brought at least 10 inches of snowfall from Alabama to Maine on March 12th-14th, 1993. The highest snow accumulations were more than 3 feet in the Appalachian Mountains. Wind speeds also reached 40 to 60 miles per hour.

The Twin Tiers was hit hard by the blizzard on March 14th. Elmira, for example, received 17 inches of snowfall in a single day, bringing the total snow depth to 23 inches. The City of Elmira had to endure a snow depth of at least 20 inches for the next three days.

“This was a really crippling storm,” said John Banghoff, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in State College, Pa. “We had tons of flight cancellations, interstates shut down, power outages for millions of people, and it’s still actually the second costliest winter weather event to date in U.S. history.”

The storm affected more than 100 million people and caused $5.5 billion in damages. The storm was so large that it stretched from the Caribbean to Quebec, Canada.

According to David Nicosia from the National Weather Service in Binghamton, large blizzards could be linked to “volcanism.” The blizzard happened just two years after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, and the smoke from the volcano caused a drop in global temperatures. Despite the correlation, there is not enough research to prove that this is true.

The “Storm of the Century” has made significant changes to how weather forecasts are produced. Since the blizzard ended, there have been noticeable improvements in computer modeling and the communication of forecast information.

According to recent computer information, the trend for more snowfall in Elmira and elsewhere is slowly rising. Given this trend, there may be a snowstorm that could beat the “Storm of the Century,” but time will only tell.