 Before the early 1990s, the phrases "storm of the century" or "perfect storm" were generally used to describe unusually large or destructive storms.The term "superstorm" was employed in 1993 by the National Weather Service to describe a Nor'easter in March of that year.The term is most frequently used to describe a weather pattern that is as destructive as a hurricane, but which exhibits the cold-weather patterns of a winter storm.