The term “perfect storm” describes a combination of events that can lead to catastrophic outcomes. It originated in meteorology but is now used in various fields, including politics and economics. Officials try to anticipate such events, but they can be difficult to predict. The term was popularized by Sebastian Junger’s book and subsequent movie about a 1991 storm.
The term “perfect storm” is used to describe a fortuitous confluence of events that results in something astounding and often catastrophic. Taken individually, each of the events isn’t particularly extraordinary, but when the events are combined, the results can be formidable. The term is used both literally, to refer to ongoing events, and hypothetically, to talk about potential disaster scenarios.
The use of this term is not limited to the field of meteorology, although the term has its origins in meteorological phenomena. Many people in politics, for example, refer to a perfect storm of events that causes an unexpected or shocking outcome, as economists do. The catastrophic turmoil in American markets in 2008, for example, was sometimes said to be caused by a perfect storm of events combining to create chaos.
Credit for the term is usually given to Sebastian Junger, who wrote a book called The Perfect Storm in 1991. The book was about a catastrophic 1991 storm that caused considerable damage on the East Coast of the United States, and has even been made in a movie. Junger, however, points out that he borrowed the term from National Weather Service officials, who referred to the events leading up to the 1991 Halloween Nor’Easter as “perfect” for creating a devastating storm.
In disaster scenarios, officials try to consider the conditions that could lead to a perfect storm, so they can anticipate such events and theoretically deal with them. The infamous 2005 Atlantic hurricane season is often used as an illustration of a perfect storm, as much of the southern United States was hit by a series of devastating hurricanes, in a series of events no one anticipated. While the damage from just one hurricane was manageable, the combined effects of Emily, Dennis, Rita, Katrina and Wilma proved too much for many southern states.
People may also use the term when looking back on historical events. It is often easier to construct a perfect storm after the fact than to predict one, as historians can benefit from having the big picture to look at. A perfect storm of events can lead to everything from the collapse of a government to the failure of an economic market, sometimes alarmingly so.
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