1993 — Dec 24-30, Coldwave, snow, sleet, MT to New England, south to OK and East– 26
— 26 Blanchard tally from State and DC breakouts below.
—>11 Associated Press. “Storm whips East.” Xenia Daily Gazette, OH, 12-30-1993, p. 1.
—>10 Associated Press. “Cold to blame for deaths.” Sandusky Register, 12-29-1993, A-12.
—>7 Cold (hypothermia/exposure).
—>3 Weather-related auto accidents.
Summary of State and DC Breakout of Fatalities
District of Columbia (3)
Indiana (5)
Iowa (1)
Maryland (2)
Michigan (3)
New Jersey (1)
New York (1)
North Dakota (5)
Ohio (1)
Oklahoma (2)
Pennsylvania (1)
Virginia (1)
Cause of Death Summary Breakout
Exposure/Hypothermia (11)
Going through Ice ( 2)
Sledding ( 1)
Vehicular Accidents (13) (One death is cross-listed in exposure/hypothermia.)
Breakout of Winter Weather Related Fatalities by State and Localities (where noted):
District of Columbia (3)
–1 Dec 29 (body found). Exposure; homeless man behind a school in southeast DC. NCDC.[1]
–1 By Dec 29. Exposure; homeless man found near trash container.[2]
–1 By Dec 29. Exposure; homeless man found dead in car that had been his home.[3]
Indiana (5)
–2 Amboy area, IN-19, Dec 30. Woman loses control of car on “a snow and ice covered road.”[4]
–1 Anderson. Sledding death; youth pulled by car through residential area on sled.[5]
–1 Hammond. Apparent hypothermia. Man found dead in car in fast-food parking lot, 5-10° temp.[6]
–1 Westfield,[7] Dec 26. Exposure; woman, 86, slipped/fell, walking dog. Storm Data, p. 12.[8]
Iowa (1)
–1 Linn County, Hwy-13. Vehicular; car goes out of control, slides into another car.[9]
Maryland (2)
–1 Baltimore, Dec 26. Exposure; found dead in a cemetery, Joann Brown, 39.[10]
–1 Bethesda. Weather-related traffic accident; female.[11]
–1 Paint Branch Creek, ~Dec 25. Exposure. Silver Spring woman’s car found two days after crash.[12]
Michigan (3)
–1 Indian Lake, Schoolcraft Co., Dec 28. Snowmobile goes through ice; Jae McCarthy, 29.[13]
–1 Oscoda County, Dec 26. Snowmobile hits car; Timothy C. Scannell, 24.[14]
–1 Sugar Island Township, Chippewa County. Vehicle spins on icy road into path of another.[15]
New Jersey (1)
–1 East Windsor. Drowning; boy falls into icy pond.[16]
New York (1)
–1 Brooklyn, NYC, Dec 27. Exposure; homeless man “found frozen on a bench.” Barnas, 44.[17]
–1 Harlem, Dec 27. Suspected exposure/hypothermia; homeless man.[18]
–1 New York City, East 126th Street, Dec 27. Homeless man found dead in abandoned car.[19]
North Dakota (5)
–1 Cleveland area, I-94, Stutsman Co. Car-semi collide; icy, snow-covered road.[20]
–1 Foster County, Dec 28-29. Exposure; stranded motorist failed in attempt to walk to safety.[21]
–3 Oakes area, Dec 24. Car/Pickup collision; icy, snow-covered road.[22]
Ohio (1)
–1 Toledo, Dec 28. Hypothermia; homeless male, 64.[23] NCDC Storm Data, 35/12, 1993, p. 27.
Oklahoma (2)
–2 Guymon area, Hwy-54, Dec 24. Vehicular accident; ice and sleet covered road. NCDC.[24]
Pennsylvania (1)
–1 Manchester Township, York County, Dec 25. Car slides on snow-covered road into tree.[25]
Virginia (1)
–1 Alleghany Co. (west), Dec 30. Exposure; elderly woman slipped on ice outside of home.[26]
Narrative Information
Dec 27: “Arctic weather gripped much of the country today, making after-Christmas travel and shopping excursions an ordeal. Shelters were filled to capacity as homeless people sought relief from frigid conditions.
“In Ohio’s Geauga County, commissioners declared a snow emergency for Sunday and today as people struggled to dig out from under more than 30 inches that fell there over the weekend. All county offices were closed and residents were urged to stay off the roads.
“In Syracuse, N.Y., the winds were so fierce on Sunday that a plane preparing for take-off slid off the runway at Hancock International Airport, police said. There were no injuries or damage to the plane. Police also reported about 20 traffic accidents in Lewis County, N.Y., as snow and winds gusting to 40 miles per hour made for treacherous driving.
“A section of Interstate 271, the beltway around Cleveland, was closed part of Sunday by snow drifts and ice. Up to 15 inches of snow fell in 24 hours in the eastern suburbs of Cleveland.
“Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., chilled to 31 below zero Sunday, a record for the month, the National Weather Service said. By early this morning, the reading had risen to 12 degrees below zero….Detroit Metro Airport was the state’s ‘hot spot’ Sunday with a high of 12. City shelters reported an increase in people seeking a warm bed….
“Sunday’s low temperature for the Lower 48 states was 50 below zero at the tiny Iron Range town of Tower in northeastern Minnesota, the weather service said. And the Lake Superior shore town of Grand Marais had a wind chill of 68 below.” (Associated Press. “Much of U.S. held in icy grip.” Wilson Daily Times, NC, 12-27-1993, 6A.)
Dec 28: “People who work outdoors for a living piled on layers and pulled on long underwear, hats and scarves against the season’s strongest blast of frigid air….A cold spell that took hold on Christmas continued in much of the Northeast and Midwest today. Temperatures dropped to 18 below zero in Bismarck, N.D., and minus 10 in Minneapolis before dawn. The mercury in western New England was expected to fall as low as minus 30 by daybreak. Snow was forecast in Minnesota, Maryland, West Virginia, Illinois and Kentucky. The frigid weather caused pipes to burst and cars to break down. Homeless shelters were filled to capacity. In many cities, people slept on floors….Record lows around the country Monday [Dec 27] included 30 below zero at Bismarck, N.D., 9 below at Binghamton, N.Y., and 29 at Melbourne, Fla.” (Associated Press. “Cold spell won’t release icy grip.” The Daily News, Huntingdon, PA, 12-28-1993, 1.)
Dec 29: “Minneapolis (AP) — The deep freeze continued today with more frigid cold from the Midwest to the East, and a snowstorm added to the mix in the East. Record lows for the date this morning included 15 degrees below zero in Burlington and Montpelier in Vermont, and 3 below in Binghamton, N.Y.
“At least seven cold-related deaths have been reported since the weekend[27] as the wintry weather moved from the Ohio Valley to the East Coast. In addition, at least three people have died in weather-related auto accidents.
“New England and much of New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and Washington, D.D., were in for more snow late tonight and Thursday from a storm system, the National Weather Service said.
“In Minnesota this morning, the temperature was 6 below in International Falls and 3 below in Hibbing. Blowing snow and wind chills near 30 below made conditions hazardous for travel in southwestern Minnesota early today.
“Federal employees in Washington were sent home Tuesday because of snow, and National Airport shut down for a short time.
“In New York City, every available shelter bed — 5,234 for single men and 1,014 for single women — was taken Tuesday night, said Mary Brosnahan, executive director of the Coalition for the Homeless….
“Three deaths in the Washington area included two homeless men, one found near a trash container and another in a car that had been his home.
“The other dead included two people in Indiana; a 64-year-old homeless man found frozen in an alley in Toledo, Ohio. In New York City, a man was found frozen on a bench. Two homeless men also died in New York but the cause of death hadn’t been determined.
“Virginia’s first storm of the winter made roads impassable in spots. In Kentucky, snow depths ranged from 6 inches in Ashland to 3 inches along the Ohio River as a storm advanced….
“Greg Singletary of Chesterfield County in Virginia spent three hours Tuesday getting to work. The 18-mile journey to Richmond usually takes 25 minutes. ‘It was slick!’ said Singletary, who saw eight cars run off the road and three cars and a truck spin out of control on the James River Bridge, where traffic ‘came to a dead stop.’….” (Associated Press. “Cold to blame for deaths.” Sandusky Register, 12-29-1993, A-12.)
Dec 30: “A storm coupled with extreme cold dumped up to 8 inches of snow in much of the East, sending cars into a slide and causing a jet to skid off a taxiway…
“…Philadelphia got…2 inches. Maine and New Hampshire got 4 to 7 inches along the coast. The snow continued early today on Cape Cod, which had at least 3 to 5 inches. New York City got 3 to 4 inches.
“The arctic cold that moved in on Christmas lingered in the East and the Great Lakes. It was 16 degrees this morning in Albany, N.Y., 18 in Boston, 13 in Cincinnati, 8 in Portland, Maine, 13 in Detroit and 6 in Lansing, Mich….
“At least 11 deaths have been blamed on the weather since Tuesday [Dec 27]. Also, a 7-year-old boy who fell into an icy pond in East Windsor, N.J., and died….
“An American Airlines jet hit ice and skidded off a taxiway at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. None of the 69 passengers was hurt.” (Associated Press. “Storm whips East.” Xenia Daily Gazette, OH, 12-30-1993, p. 1.)
Sources
Associated Press. “Big chill grips much of the U.S.” The Chronicle-Telegram, Elyria, OH, 12-29-1993, A2. Accessed 12-15-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/elyria-chronicle-telegram-dec-29-1993-p-2/
Associated Press. “Big chill keeps icy grip on much of Northeast, Midwest.” Syracuse Herald-Journal, 12-28-1993, A5. Accessed 12-15-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/syracuse-herald-journal-dec-28-1993-p-85/
Associated Press. “Blanket, boot weather returns.” The Dickinson Press, ND, 12-28-1993, p. 5. Accessed 12-15-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/dickinson-press-dec-28-1993-p-5/
Associated Press. “Cold Shatters Soo records.” The Daily Globe, Ironwood, MI, 12-27-1993, p. 3. Accessed 12-15-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/ironwood-daily-globe-dec-27-1993-p-3/
Associated Press. “Cold spell takes hold on nation.” Xenia Daily Gazette, OH. 12-28-1993, p. 1. Accessed 12-15-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/xenia-daily-gazette-dec-28-1993-p-1/
Associated Press. “Cold spell won’t release icy grip.” The Daily News, Huntingdon, PA, 12-28-1993, 1. Accessed 12-15-2018: https://newspaperarchive.com/huntingdon-daily-news-dec-28-1993-p-1/
Associated Press. “Cold to blame for deaths.” Sandusky Register, 12-29-1993, A-12. Accessed 12-15-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sandusky-register-dec-29-1993-p-33/
Associated Press. “Much of U.S. held in icy grip.” Wilson Daily Times, NC, 12-27-1993, 6A. Accessed 12-15-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/wilson-daily-times-dec-27-1993-p-6/
Associated Press. “Pride kept vet on street, cold was fatal.” Sandusky Register, OH, 12-29-1993, A12. Accessed 12-15-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sandusky-register-dec-29-1993-p-33/
Associated Press. “Snowmobiler dies in icy U.P. lake.” Daily Globe, Ironwood, MI, 12-30-1993, p. 1. Accessed 12-15-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/daily-globe-dec-30-1993-p-1/
Associated Press. “Storm whips East.” Xenia Daily Gazette, OH, 12-30-1993, p. 1. Accessed 12-15-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/xenia-daily-gazette-dec-30-1993-p-1/
Associated Press. “Too cold even for Minnesotans.” Journal-Courier, Jacksonville, IL, 12-28-1993, p. 2. Accessed 12-15-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/jacksonville-journal-courier-dec-28-1993-p-2/
Courier-Express, Dubois, PA. “Cold.” 12-27-1993, p. 9. Accessed 12-15-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/dubois-courier-express-dec-27-1993-p-9/
Cumberland Times-News, MD. “Winter weather continues.” 12-28-1993, 3A. Accessed 12-15-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/cumberland-times-news-dec-28-1993-p-3/
Herald-Bulletin, Anderson, IN. “Break out those sleds but don’t forget safety.” 12-30-1993, C-1. Accessed 12-15-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/anderson-herald-bulletin-dec-30-1993-p-15/
National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 35, No. 12, Dec 1993. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA. Accessed 12-15-2018 at: http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-2CF2DC6B-8595-4C9B-A5F2-D10344A391EB.pdf
Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Semi, Car Crash Leaves Mother and Son Dead.” 12-31-1993, p. 1. Accessed 12-15-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/logansport-pharos-tribune-dec-31-1993-p-1/
Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Valparaiso Man Dies in Cold.” 12-27-1993, A3. Accessed 12-15-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/logansport-pharos-tribune-dec-27-1993-p-3/
The Capital, Annapolis, MD. “Woman survived crash, killed by cold.” 12-30-1993, A4. Accessed 12-15-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/annapolis-capital-dec-30-1993-p-4/
The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, IA. “Snow turns roads deadly.” 12-31-1993, p. 1. Accessed 12-15-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/cedar-rapids-gazette-dec-31-1993-p-74/
[1] Storm Data, p. 17. Notes the temperatures were “very cold.”
[2] Associated Press. “Cold to blame for deaths.” Sandusky Register, 12-29-1993, A-12.
[3] Associated Press. “Cold to blame for deaths.” Sandusky Register, 12-29-1993, A-12.
[4] Killed were Janet L. Rogers, 21, of Peru, and her 17-months-old son. (Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Semi, Car Crash Leaves Mother and Son Dead.” 12-31-1993, p. 1.)
[5] Details are not provided other than to note this was “a recent sledding tragedy…” (Herald-Bulletin, Anderson, IN. “Break out those sleds but don’t forget safety.” 12-30-1993, C-1.)
[6] “The cause of death was listed preliminarily as hypothermia and alcohol abuse.” (Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Valparaiso Man Dies in Cold.” 12-27-1993, A3.)
[7] Location from AP. “Too cold even for Minnesotans.” Journal-Courier, Jacksonville, IL, 12-28-1993, p. 2.
[8] NCDC notes that “Temperatures at the time were between 10 and 15 degrees.” Also: Associated Press. “Cold spell takes hold on nation.” Xenia Daily Gazette, OH. 12-28-1993, p. 1.
[9] The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, IA. “Snow turns roads deadly.” 12-31-1993, p. 1.
[10] Cumberland Times-News, MD. “Winter weather continues.” 12-28-1993, 3A.
[11] Associated Press. “Big chill grips much of the U.S.” The Chronicle-Telegram, Elyria, OH, 12-29-1993, A2. Highlighted in yellow to denote we do not include in our tally. Given the generality of this report and the proximity of Bethesda to Paint Branch Creek, this may refer to the more detailed death of Sung Rae Chun at Paint Branch.
[12] “Rockville — A Silver Spring woman whose body was found two days after her car crashed in a ravine apparently survived the crash but froze to death trapped in the wreckage, according to preliminary autopsy results. The report does not indicate how long Sung Rae Chun, 37, survived after the crash, which police believe happened shortly after 1 a.m. Friday along Paint Branch Creek…Ms. Chun’s legs were pinned in her overturned Honda at the bottom of a rocky embankment….” (The Capital, Annapolis, MD. “Woman survived crash, killed by cold.” 12-30-1993, A4.)
[13] Associated Press. “Snowmobiler dies in icy U.P. lake.” Daily Globe, Ironwood, MI, 12-30-1993, p. 1.
[14] Associated Press. “Snowmobiler dies in icy U.P. lake.” Daily Globe, Ironwood, MI, 12-30-1993, p. 1.
[15] Victim identified as Stephanie L. Savard, 18, of Sault Ste. Marie, a passenger in vehicle that spun out of control. (Associated Press. “Cold Shatters Soo records.” The Daily Globe, Ironwood, MI, 12-27-1993, p. 3.)
[16] Associated Press. “Cold spell takes hold on nation.” Xenia Daily Gazette, OH. 12-28-1993, p. 1.
[17] AP. “Big chill keeps icy grip on much of Northeast, Midwest.” Syracuse Herald-Journal, 12-28-1993, A5.
[18] AP. “Big chill keeps icy grip on much of Northeast, Midwest.” Syracuse Herald-Journal, 12-28-1993, A5. Highlighted in yellow to denote we do not include in tally given cause of death ambiguity.
[19] AP. “Big chill keeps icy grip on much of Northeast, Midwest.” Syracuse Herald-Journal, 12-28-1993, A5. Highlighted in yellow to denote we do not include in tally given cause of death ambiguity.
[20] Associated Press. “Blanket, boot weather returns.” The Dickinson Press, ND, 12-28-1993, p. 5.
[21] National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 35, No. 12, Dec 1993, p. 26.
[22] Associated Press. “Blanket, boot weather returns.” The Dickinson Press, ND, 12-28-1993, p. 5.
[23] Age is from: Associated Press. “Cold to blame for deaths.” Sandusky Register, 12-29-1993, A-12. Victim identified as Robert Rowe. (AP. “Pride kept vet on street, cold was fatal.” Sandusky Register, OH, 12-29-1993, A12)
[24] Storm Data, p. 29. Notes: “Freezing rain and sleet fell across most of Texas and Beaver Counties in the Oklahoma Panhandle on the 24th. Ice covered and hazardous roads resulted in numerous accidents.
[25] Victim identified as Amy Wagner, 11, in car driven by her sister. (Courier-Express, Dubois, PA. “Cold.” 12-27-1993, p. 9.)
[26] National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 35, No. 12, Dec 1993, p. 44. Notes she “never made it indoors before succumbing to the cold.” Notes, as well, that Alleghany County experienced “Extreme Cold” on the 30th.
[27] Saturday and Sunday were the 25th and 26th. Article is in Wednesday, Dec 29 paper.