perfect storm

American  

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.

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perfect storm British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of perfect storm

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

See Examples For:

perfect storm

Everyday activism created a perfect storm at the Supreme Court in 2015.

From Slate ● Aug. 1, 2026

From a wildfire perspective, it was the perfect storm.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

"The lesson we can learn from this, is that the combination of climate change, deforestation, and the spread of opportunistic species can provide all the ingredients for a perfect storm," Van de Schootbrugge concludes.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026

A spokesperson for Mayor Sadiq Khan said he is “using every power available to accelerate housebuilding despite the perfect storm of Brexit, high interest rates, increased building costs and global instability.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

The answer, as historians tell us, has to do with a perfect storm of place, time, personality, and luck: but it also has to do with his brilliance as an orator.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith