WASHINGTON — A ferocious late-winter storm billed as one of the worst of the century smashed the Eastern Seaboard on Saturday, spawning killer tornadoes in Florida, dumping record amounts of snow from the Deep South to New England and unleashing gale-force winds that forced thousands of coastal residents to evacuate their homes.
At least 42 deaths were attributed to the "Blizzard of '93" and more than 3 million customers were without electricity at the peak of the storm Saturday afternoon.
The result of a collision between an arctic air mass and warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, the storm dished out a bizarre combination of thundershowers, lightning, sleet, daylong rain and heavy snow from South Florida to Canada.
So stunning was its fury that it was dubbed a "winter hurricane" and "monster storm" by weather reporters and forecasters.
The worst effects were felt in Florida, where scores of tornadoes struck in the north-central part of the state, killing 18 people and causing power outages affecting 2 million homes. The dead included people killed in the wreckage of mobile homes, those who suffered heart attacks while shoveling snow and homeless people who died of exposure.
Four weather-related deaths were reported each in North Carolina and New York, three in Georgia, two each in Maine, Tennessee and Pennsylvania, and one each in Alabama, Connecticut, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Virginia.
Millions of others in the eastern United States suffered from the enormous power of the storm, which packed such destructive force and spread across such a large area that it rivaled the legendary "Blizzard of '88" that devastated the Northeast 105 years ago.
Punishing winds--above 70 m.p.h. in many places and peaking at 109 m.p.h. in the Dry Tortugas, an island chain off the southwest coast of Florida--accounted for most of the damage and power outages.
Winds, snowy runways and low visibility forced the closing of major airports in the East, stranding thousands of passengers nationwide. Airports in New York City, Washington, Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Atlanta were among those expected to be shut down throughout Saturday night.
The storm disrupted some flights out of Los Angeles International Airport and other West Coast airports. Dale Harris, superintendent for operations at LAX, advised travelers to contact their airlines before coming to the airport to find out the status of scheduled flights.
Highway traffic also was halted or slowed in many states in the storm's path. Jittery shoppers jammed grocery stores to stock up on food, and video stores reported a tidal wave of customers seeking in-home entertainment. Digging cars out of snow banks became an instant winter sport.
Reacting swiftly, President Clinton mobilized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to get in touch with officials of the hardest-hit areas and devoted much of his day to monitoring the damage caused by high winds, high water and icy roads.
"We're trying to assess the damage and see what other resources might be brought into play," Clinton said at a news briefing, clearly mindful of the criticism heaped on President George Bush over seeming inaction in the wake of last year's Hurricane Andrew.
Governors of 12 states declared emergencies. Shelters were opened and National Guard units were called out in some flooded areas to assist in evacuations. Connecticut Gov. Lowell P. Weicker joined many other officials in advising residents of his state: "Stay home."
In New York City, several bridges were closed and Central Park resembled a winter wonderland, covered with a record 10 inches of snow by late afternoon. About 1,700 snowplows tried to keep major routes clear, with limited success, and downtown streets were deserted.
"We are fighting one of the greatest winter storms in 100 years," said New York's Mayor David N. Dinkins.
Barbara McNaught, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said the storm was unusual because of extremely low barometric pressure at its center, causing extremely high winds.
McNaught said it was too soon to assess the storm's effect, but she said the size of the affected area could make it one of the most memorable in decades.
The storm struck Florida and the Deep South before sweeping north through the Carolinas and Mid-Atlantic states, then lashing the New York area and New England states with heavy snows and high winds. Its wintry blasts were felt as far west as Louisiana.
The National Weather Service predicted that the record-breaking cold, snow and winds would continue through the night, tapering off this morning. Snowfall ranged from a few inches in Mobile, Ala., to more than three feet in the mountains of Maryland and Pennsylvania. A hard-freeze warning was issued for Central Florida, but high winds were expected to lessen the cold's effect on citrus crops.
