perfect storm

noun

1. Meteorology.,  a very intense and powerful storm arising from the convergence of an unusual set of weather patterns.

   A dying Hurricane Grace delivered the immeasurable tropical energy needed to create the perfect storm.

2. a detrimental or calamitous situation or event arising from the powerful combined effect of a unique set of circumstances.

   a perfect storm battering corporate pension plans.

perfect storm

noun

1. a combination of events which are not individually dangerous, but occurring together produce a disastrous outcome

Word History and Origins

Origin of perfect storm¹

First recorded in 1935–40 in meteorological sense; in 1997 for current sense, from The Perfect Storm, a nonfiction book by Sebastian Junger, U.S. journalist and author (born 1962)

Example Sentences

Kit designer Rob Warner calls it a "perfect storm".

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“And it wasn’t close. I think that certainly helps propel this video, along with the rise of MTV. It was a perfect storm of a pop cultural phenomenon.”

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Or as Ken Mahoney, the chief executive of Mahoney Asset Management, put it in emailed comments, markets are now facing a “perfect storm.”

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Fish and chip shops are fast morphing into general takeaways just to stay afloat due to a perfect storm of changing tastes and spiralling costs, an official trade body has warned.

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“This is the perfect storm,” he said, “something we inherited.”

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