The
Braer Storm of January 1993 was the most intense
extratropical cyclone on record for the northern
Atlantic ocean. Developing as a weak frontal wave on January 8, 1993, the system moved rapidly northeast. The combination of the absorption of a second
low-pressure area to its southeast, a stronger than normal
sea surface temperature differential along its path, and the presence of a strong
jet stream aloft led to a rapid strengthening of the storm, with its central pressure falling to an estimated on January 10. Its strength was well predicted by forecasters in the
United Kingdom, and warnings were issued before the low initially developed.