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For
centuries, sailors have ventured
out to sea and lived through storms,
and they will continue to do so
for centuries to come. But, once
every 100 years a storm comes
along that is so big and so destructive
compared to the rest that it is
called the "Storm of the Century".
Storms such as this present a
crisis for some and an opportunity
for others. But for all who experience
it, it is something they will
remember for a lifetime.
In
late October of 1991 three separate
storm systems collided off the
coast of New England. A tropical
storm named Grace developed from
a low near Bermuda and started
moving north. Simultaneously,
a cold front associated with a
high-pressure system was being
propelled southeast from Canada
by the Jet Stream. And a low-pressure
system stalled near Sable Island,
Nova Scotia in the direct path
of the Canadian High and the Bermuda
Low. The
resulting combination formed a
well-defined "eye" off the coast
of New England, spanned 1500 miles,
and moved in retrograde motion
from the east to the west.
Even
though it eventually qualified
in all respects as a hurricane,
the National Hurricane Center
did not name it because it developed
considerably north of the Caribbean's
Hurricane Alley and it's origin
was remarkably unusual.
So
some people called it "The No
Name Storm" and others referred
to it as "The Halloween Storm".
Because this storm was so big,
so ferocious and so destructive
that it could not have been any
worse, one meteorologist described
it as "The Perfect Storm" when
Sebastian Junger was conducting
research for his book.
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