ROCHESTER, N.Y. – I was a young meteorologist at the time, but I remember it quite well and I suspect many across Western New York do as well. Today marks the 35-year anniversary of the historic ice storm of March 1991, one of the most devastating winter weather events in our region’s recorded history.
What made this storm so extraordinary was both its duration and the extent of the freezing rain. The atmospheric setup was highly unusual. A steady plume of Atlantic moisture streamed northward and overran a shallow but stubborn wedge of cold air locked in place near the surface. This cold-air overrunning pattern created the perfect environment for prolonged freezing rain. Once established, the pattern barely moved, allowing icy conditions to persist far longer than is typical in our climate.
The statistics from March 3–4, 1991, remain remarkable:
More than 17 consecutive hours of light to moderate freezing rain Ice accumulations ranging from 0.75 inches to nearly 2 inches Immense weight placed on trees and power lines Approximately 10,000 trees damaged in the city of Rochester alone Nearly 200,000 homes left without power, some for as long as three weeksThe sheer weight of the ice transformed the landscape. Entire neighborhoods were dark, roads were impassable, and how can forget the sound of snapping tree limbs.
Climatologically, this event has been classified as a “100-year storm,” meaning a storm of this magnitude has roughly a one percent chance of occurring in any given year. While Western New York is no stranger to harsh winter weather, the ice storm of 1991 stands apart not only for its severity, but its duration of ice accumulation.
First Alert Weather In-Depth: 35 years later, remembering the ice storm of 1991 WHEC.com.
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