TENNESSEE, USA — If you were anywhere near the southeast in March around 31 years ago, chances are you remember the Blizzard of '93. The storm of the century left its mark on East Tennessee.
The frigid memories of that time start to defrost every year on the anniversary, but for many, the major snow event in mid-January of 2024 really brought some flashbacks.
On March 12, 1993, a blizzard warning went into effect in Knoxville. In typical East Tennessee fashion, just two days prior, the high temperature for the day was 71 degrees.
People flooded to stores before the snow came rolling in, grabbing all the necessities and emptying shelves to prepare for the forecasted flakes.
"If that prediction don't come true, you better hide," one shopper at a Knoxville store told a 10News crew.
Luckily for WBIR Meteorologist Marti Skold, the forecast followed through with the bitter cold.
"I didn't really think it was gonna hit," one woman out in the elements in East Tennessee said to a TV crew. "In East Tennessee, you just don't get this kind of weather!"
Fifteen inches of snow fell in Knoxville during the storm of the century. The memories from over three decades ago are still fresh.
In the comment section of a Facebook Post back in January 2024 during the major snow event, dozens of people chimed in with what they remembered from that historic time: everything from cooking food on wood stoves, losing power, sliding down hills on makeshift sleds and even having babies.
"My brother was on his honeymoon and was on the last plane to land at McGhee Tyson Airport before they shut it down for snow. They had been on a cruise, so they had on shorts when they got off the plane," said Teresa Franklin on social media.
"Everything was so quiet because nothing was stirring about. It silenced everything," said Randy Greene on social media.
"I was a student at UTK. Pretty much everything was shut down. We used anything we could find for makeshift sleds. We just made the best of it. It brought people together," said Nikki Dome on social media.
At the beginning of 2024, around ten inches of snow and ice covered Knoxville and stuck around for over a week. Comparing the '93 snow to the one fresh in our minds — the parallels are apparent.
During both events, people still found ways to have fun with sledding and snowballs. The helpers also showed up to save the stranded in a time of need.
Over time, for East Tennessee, when flakes are in the forecast, the memories always defrost.
We know in 1993, there was a baby boom about nine months later. We'll wait and see if that's another parallel the labor and delivery departments will see here too.