What were you doing ...
Friday, March 12, 2010 at 09:44AM 
Snow on bark. Photo Jennifer Weber 2009... seventeen years ago today?
If you lived east of the Mississippi in the United States of America, you were battening down the hatches in preparation for the storm of the century.
Or, as it has come to be known, The Superstorm.
On Friday, March 12, 1993, we lived in Knoxville, Tennessee. I worked at a law firm downtown, and it was mid-afternoon before I heard someone in the office mention that we were due for "some snow."
I'm sure I laughed it off. Having lived in Northwest Indiana for 17 years, I knew from snow. If you get my drift.
*beatific smile*
(When we moved to East Tennessee in 1991, folks there were quick to tell us that they saw a lot of snow each winter. Suuuuuuuure, we said. Keep tellin' yourself that, darlin'.)
For five days at least, nobody went anywhere.
I recall glancing outside late in the afternoon. Ominous clouds were indeed approaching. If I'd had a little dog named Toto, I would've tucked him into his basket right about then.
By the time I was on the interstate headed for home shortly after five o'clock, snow had begun flying furiously in a horizontal pattern. The winds were whipping up; hillsides and tree branches were already silvered.
A few hours later, safe home and the family gathered in, we tuned in to The Storm Team on WATE Channel 6. Chief Meteorologist Matt Hinkin told us Knoxville might get six inches of snow if all the "ingredients came together."
Knoxville and the surrounding areas saw 15 to 30 inches of snow. In southern measurements, that's approximately 12 feet.
The entrance to our neighborhood was long and steeply slanted, as was our own driveway. I don't remember how long the kids were out of school, but I know that for five days at least, nobody went anywhere.
TG and the older girls, dressed in every warm layer they could find, finally walked to the grocery store early the next week.
It was fun. Great memories.
Did you experience the Blizzard of '93? What do you remember?
Reader Comments (9)
I was a freshman back then, so I SHOULD remember, vividly, everything I did that week. Especially since, you know, snow is so uncommon in my neck of the woods! But alas, I don't remember what I did. Varsity baseball season was underway, so the storm no doubt canceled games (and practices) that week. And since I was baseball obsessed at that age, I likely was in mourning. That explains it! I don't remember what I did that week because I was probably in the fetal position in the corner of my bedroom with my baseball glove on one hand and a tissue in my other (you know, to wipe away all the "no baseball?!?" tears).
Ah, good times.
Sounds like quite a storm! I don't think it hit Michigan though!
I was driving from Wisconsin to Little Creek VA in that snowstorm. I was a young Navy man back then...all full of crazyness.
Being a Wisconsin Farmboy I remember doing donuts in the gas station parking lots in front of terrified motoristst who had never driven in snow.
That was a good time.
@ Kev ... "no baseball" tears ... that's funny!
@ Mari ... I do believe the upper Midwest escaped the fury of this storm! Mainly a Deep South and Eastern Seaboard event! But I was living in NW Indiana during the blizzard of '78, which I'm sure you remember!
@ Matt ... you're still full of crazyness! Glad you didn't stun the motorists further by donutting right into their fenders!
We were living in Ohio at the time. I vaguely remember a news report about the snow on the east coast.
Now that we live here, our neighbors now tell us about it. They said that they helped the lady who lived in this house before us, shovel the snow off the roof.
Gosh - was 1993 really 17 years ago? Yikes! My youngest was 3. Times were good. I lived in Florida and we did not get snow. :) (It actually did snow in Jan. 1977. but not a blizzard). Ok, I'm not helping, I'll go away now.
Hey! I was doing the same thing you were doing on that day! Well, I was at school, but once we got home I was doing what you were doing. Isn't that something. : )
My birthday was 10 days later and I think I remember all of us going to Cades Cove that day.
@ Cheryl ... I guess it was mostly an Eastern Seaboard event!
@ Tracie ... girl you so funny.
@ Audrey ... yeah! We went to Cades Cove with Uncle Ron, Aunt Marcia, and Angie, who had just gotten her engagement ring! She and Steve were married in July that year. And the day we went to Cades Cove, I got a moving violation ticket on Emory Road! LOLOLOL good memories ...
Luckily, I only had to walk across my yard to go to work. However, there was so much snow, even that was a challenge the first couple days. All of the roads in my county were shut down for 3 days--no traffic except emergency vehicles allowed.
Ahhhh....blizzards!