This Date in Weather History

A powerful storm hit South Carolina and quickly moved its way up the coast. On Sunday August 30, 1839, as the storm headed for the open waters south of Cape Cod a surge of unseasonably cold air blasted out of eastern Canada and into New York state. Across the Catskill mountains temperatures plunged to near freezing, yet moisture was still being hurled inland. The result was one of those rare occurrences across the uplands of eastern New York – a snow hurricane. Several inches of the white stuff mounted up – the wind was still howling and the heavy wet snow plastered itself to everything in what could be described as a hurricane white-out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hurricane Katrina was a large Category 5 Atlantic Hurricane that caused more than 1,200 deaths and $125 billion in damage in August 2005, particularly hard hit was the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time, the costliest tropical cyclone on record, and is now tied with 2017's Hurricane Harvey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 1990 Plainfield tornado was a devastating tornado that occurred on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 28, 1990. The violent tornado killed 29 people and injured 353. It is the only F5 tornado ever recorded in August and the only F5 tornado to strike the Chicago area. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On August 27, 1893, a major hurricane which came to be known as the Sea Island Hurricane struck the United States near Savanah, Georgia. It was one of three deadly hurricanes during the 1893 Atlantic Hurricane Season; the storm killed an estimated 1,000–2,000 people, mostly from storm surge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The eruption of Krakatoa, in August 1883 was one of the deadliest volcanic eruptions of modern history. It is estimated that more than 36,000 people died. Many died as a result of thermal injury from the blasts and many more were victims of the tsunamis that followed the collapse of the volcano into the sea. The eruption also affected the climate and caused temperatures to drop all over the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635 hit the Jamestown Settlement and the Massachusetts Bay Colony during August 1635. It is considered to be one of the earliest hurricanes to have struck New England, occurring just 15 years after the settlement at Plymouth Rock. Although the hurricane’s exact track remains unknown, several historical accounts describe the storm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hurricane Andrew was a powerful and destructive Category 5 hurricane that struck the Bahamas, Florida and Louisiana in August 1992. It is the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida in terms of structures damaged or destroyed, and was the costliest in financial terms until Hurricane Irma surpassed it 25 years later. In total, Andrew left 65 dead and caused $27.3 billion in damage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On August 23, 1724 and event known as the "Great Gust of 1724" occurred. Almost all tobacco and much of the corn crops were destroyed by this violent tropical storm, which struck the Chesapeake Bay. Intense floods of rain and a huge gust of wind were seen on the James River. Just as those as recovery was underway to salvage what crops they could a week later another tropical system inundated the region with more heavy rain and flooding leading to an almost total failure of the corn crop and the suspension of the export of corn from the region for the next 12 months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

August 19 1992 was a typical summer day as the mercury soared to 90 in Cut Bank Montana, not a record, but still very high. But extremely cold air though had been building in Alaska and it came barreling down the Canadian plains and right into Cut Bank by the early morning hours of August 22, 1992. The high temperature that day only reached 33 degrees. 8-12” of snow fell just to the north in parts of Alberta. Glacier Park Mt. had 12” of snow and 8.3" of snow covered the ground at Cut Bank. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On August 21, 1984 for the first time ever the Colorado State Fair was closed after a vicious hailstorm struck. 9 people were injured; 500 light bulbs were broken by golf ball sized hail; 1 person among the injured was knocked unconscious. Damage totaled $40 million. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By mid-August, there were 1,000 to 3,000 fires burning in Idaho, Montana, and Washington. August 20, 1910 brought hurricane-force winds to the interior northwest, whipping the hundreds of small fires into one or two much larger blazing infernos. Such a conflagration was impossible to fight; there were too few men and supplies. The National Forest Service was only five years old at the time and unprepared for the possibilities of the dry summer or a fire of this magnitude, though all summer it had been urgently recruiting as many men as possible to fight the hundreds of fires already burning, many with little forestry or firefighting experience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On August 19, 1896 one of the best documented sightings ever recorded of a waterspout occurred. It was visible by thousands of people about 8 miles north of Chappaquiddick Island, off the coast of Massachusetts. Three spouts altogether occurred between 12:45PM and 1:25PM. The largest of the 3 lasted 18 minutes with a diameter estimated at 240'. Water was agitated to a height of 400' and column was 3600' high. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hurricane Diane was one of three hurricanes to hit the North Carolina coast during the 1955 Atlantic hurricane season. The system began as a tropical wave over the Atlantic Ocean, which developed into a tropical depression on August 7, 1955. Overall, between 180 and 200 total fatalities were estimated to be a result of Hurricane Diane. Although it was difficult to estimate total damages stemming from Hurricane Diane, it was determined that the floods and other impacts from the hurricane caused $1 billion in damage or almost 10 billion in 2020 dollars, making it the costliest hurricane in U.S. history at the time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On August 17, 1969, a half a century ago, Hurricane Camille slammed into the Mississippi coast, the storm still remains one of the most powerful and costly hurricanes on record to make landfall in the United States. Camille was the second-most-intense hurricane to hit the U.S. and remains one of only 4 category 5 hurricanes to strike the mainland U.S. The storm resulted in at least 259 fatalities and caused nearly $1.4 billion in damages at the time, which equates to more than $10 billion 2020 dollars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On August 16, 1909, dry weather ensued after a rain shower the day before. The next day the residents of San Bernardino saw rain was May 6, 1912. A total of 884 days, or almost 2 1/2 years later in one of the driest periods in California history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The winter of 1978-1979 had been particular cold and snowy across the mid-west and eastern states. The summer remained cool and autumn seemed to come early on August 15, 1979 when an Unusual August Chill hit - Detroit, MI dropped to 46 degrees - new record low, breaking 1885 record. Kansas City, MO reached down to 56 degrees and broke a 1929 record low. Also, the lowest August high temperature ever at only 63 degrees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On August 14, 1890 Thunderstorms with torrential rain and massive hail hit Colorado Springs, Colorado; 3.15” of rain fell in a little over an hour, hail lasted 15 minutes and covered the ground to 6”. The mercury plunged from 75 to 47 degrees in just 4 minutes after the hail began. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The appearance of a blue sun is triggered by volcanic dust, smoke from forest fires, desert dust, smog and other forms of pollution. Wavelengths of visible light that are blue in color become scattered from the rays of the sun reflected off of smog, smoke, or ash particles. The phenomena are extremely rare because the particles suspended in the air scatter blue wavelengths only when they are of a particular size. Smoke, volcanic ash and smog often provide clouds that are gray in color, setting the perfect backdrop for blue light to scatter off the particles composing the cloud. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert. It is one of the hottest places on Earth, along with deserts in the Middle East and the Sahara. On the afternoon of August 12, 1933, the mercury reached 127 degrees making it the highest temperature ever recorded in the United States in the month of August, but it was not close to the hottest it has ever been there. On July 10, 1913, a recorded and verified a high temperature of 134 ° was reached at Furnace Creek in Death Valley, that stands as the highest air temperature ever recorded at the surface of the Earth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hurricane Allen was a rare and extremely powerful Cape Verde hurricane that struck the Caribbean, eastern and northern Mexico, and southern Texas in August 1980. The first named storm and first tropical cyclone of the 1980 Atlantic hurricane season, it was the fifth most intense Atlantic Hurricane on record in terms of barometric pressure, behind Hurricane Rita, the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, Hurricane Gilbert, and Hurricane Wilma. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On August 10, 1778, a slow moving hurricane moved up the east of the Colonies. The storm resulted in extensive damage in eastern NC, and then moved up the coast offshore. As the Hurricane battered the ships the French ships were larger and sustained the heaviest damage. The smaller British ships had a chance to capitalize on the situation avoiding the worst of the storm by their greater maneuverability but because of the severity of the storm they were blown away from the French fleet and had to re-group over the next few days. The severity of the hurricane cost the British precious time to press their advantage of maneuverability and greater numbers. By the time the British squadron had come back together on the 13th more French ships had arrived on the scene and an opportunity lost. The French now controlled that part of the coast in a significant aid to the American Revolution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hurricane Belle was a Category 3 Atlantic Hurricane in August 1976. The storm, at one point, had winds around 120 miles per hour before it moved northward up the East Coast of the United States. The storm formed on August 6; it became Tropical Storm Belle on August 7. Later on, August 7, it became a hurricane. Belle took twelve lives when it struck the East Coast of the United States. Damage was $100 million ore almost half a billion in 2020 dollars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The War of 1812 that is often called the Second War of American Independence is viewed as an American invasion by Canada. Americans recall the “Star Spangled Banner,” and the Battle of Fort McHenry and the Battle of New Orleans. But there were significant naval actions on the Great Lakes. The catastrophic sinking of USS Hamilton and Scourge 200 years ago by a sudden squall turned the advantage to the British for a time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On August 7, 1918 World War I was stalemated in Europe. The Allies, including the United States, Britain and France and the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary had been deadlocked in trench warfare for several years. It had been hot summer across Europe, but that did not compare to the heat building in the northeastern United States that August. Factories had been running at breakneck speed in the US to produce war material, but for a few days at the end of the first week in August 1918 those production lines were put on hold as extreme heat held the region in its blast furnace grip. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On August 6, 1983 A powerful storm moved west from India all the way to the Arabian Peninsula. 3 species of Indian butterflies were observed at Abu Dhabi several days later. The butterflies were "carried" more than 625 miles across the open water by the storm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The rain started in the morning of August 5, 1843 around 7:30 AM and increased in intensity all day. Area residents reported that by 3:00 PM winds had reach gale force and the rain continued at a furious pace. In the evening about 7:00 PM a wall of water, fueled by water levels that rose 5.5 inches in 40 minutes, came rushing down both the Crum and Ridley Creeks without warning. The water overflowed the banks of Crum Creek by more than 20 feet and Ridley Creek by 21 feet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A historical record high for all of Europe of 50.0 °C (122 °F) was recorded on 4 August 1881. This record is somewhat disputed as several in the science community believe that the thermometer used wasn’t officially calibrated and measured. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A succession of storms unleashed 5.77 inches of rain in the Erie area between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. Aug. 3, 1915. Four inches of rain fell between 4 and 7 p.m. All of that water was funneled from the Mill Creek watershed into Mill Creek, which flowed through central Erie. As its waters rose, Mill Creek overflowed its banks into farmlands and yards in the Glenwood Hills area, according to historical accounts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 1922 Swatow Typhoon was a devastating tropical cyclone that caused thousands of deaths in the Chinese city of Swatow, less than 200 miles north of Hong Kong on the Pacific Coast of China, in August 1922. Striking the city on August 2, 1922. Th death totals make it one of the deadliest known typhoons in history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On August 1, 1985 severe thunderstorms formed over the high plans of Wyoming as a result of a southeast flow of warm and humid air all the way from the Gulf of Mexico and a cold front slicing southward out of Canada and through Montana. Cheyenne, Wyoming received just over 6” of rain on that day more than 1/3 their average rainfall for an entire year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the month of July 1861 came to a close on July 31 Cherrapunji, India recorded a total of 366.14" of rain during July 1861, a world record for 1 month. Cherrapunji also holds world record rainfall for a 12-month period; 1,041.78" from August 1, 1860 to July 31, 1861 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 1933 Florida–Mexico hurricane was the first of two Atlantic hurricanes to strike the Treasure Coast region of Florida in the very active 1933 Atlantic hurricane season. It was one of two storms that year to inflict hurricane-force winds over South Texas, causing significant damage there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

July 29th is traditionally known as a “Rainy Day” in Waynesburg, PA. It all began in 1878 when a farmer casually told drug store clerk William Allison that it always seemed to rain on July 29th in this southwestern PA town. The clerk made a note of it and started keeping a yearly tabulation. It has rained 111 out of the past 135 years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One the most notorious hail storms to hit an American city before the advent of better glass techniques occurred on July 28, 1898 in Chicago. According to the Morning Herald-Dispatch “Thousands of windowpanes were broken during a heavy hailstorm in the city. The rain which fell in torrents for an hours after the hail stones had done their work did great damage to the interiors of apartment building and school houses." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During the morning hours of July 27, British pilots were training at Bryan Field in Bryan, Texas and were alerted about a hurricane approaching the Galveston area. Upon becoming informed that the planes would need to be flown away from the storm, they criticized this policy. Instead, US Colonel Joe Duckworth made a bet with the British pilots that he could fly his AT-6 Texan trainer directly into the storm. Duckworth requested that Lt. Colonel Ralph O'Hair, the only navigator at the field, fly into the hurricane with him. Because neither Duckworth nor O'Hair believed that the headquarters would approve the flight, they decided to proceed without permission. Thus, Duckworth and O'Hair became the first hurricane hunters, on July 27, 1943. Their impact of their flight would pave the way for today’s Hurricane hunters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

July 26, 1890: The Lawrence tornado, called the “Great Cyclone,” struck South Lawrence, Massachusetts at 9:10 to 9:15 AM on Saturday, July 26, 1890. It took about two minutes to pass through any point. Damages were estimated at about $60,000. Eight people were killed and 65 were injured. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

July 25, 1956: As Stockholm and Andrea Doria were approaching each other head-on in the heavily used shipping corridor, the westbound Andrea Doria had been traveling in heavy fog for hours. The Andrea Doria collided with the Stockholm in dense fog 21 miles off the coast of Nantucket.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-date-in-weather-history/id1497536322 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The European continent is not free from tornado events. While in the USA, some 1.200 tornadoes could be observed annually, on the European continent only 300 events every year are recorded. Europe experiences less frequent events than USA, but., storms can be really devastating. Storms occur when warm humid air near the surface lay under drier air aloft with temperatures decreasing rapidly with height, providing energy for the storms through the production of instability. Large changes in wind with height or ‘‘wind shear’’ over both shallow and deep layers—combined with the instability and high humidity near the surface—create a situation favorable for tornadoes to form. Midwestern American areas are an incredible basin that in summer fills with hot air and humidity, provided by the Gulf of Mexico; the drier air comes from Canada, providing energy for the storms through the production of instability. In Europe the northeast of Italy is often the place in which cold air coming from the Alps encounter warm and humid air coming from the Adriatic Sea and Africa, cause widespread severe thunderstorms across the plains of northern Italy. On July 24, 1930 the vicinity of Montello in the Po river valley of northeastern Italy, just south of the southern foot of the Alps was hit by the strongest tornado in Europe on record. The tornado maxed out on the Fujita scale at F5 rating, producing extreme damage – even destroying strong masonry like churches. The area was devastated with more than 20 fatalities and whole villages wiped off the map. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On July 23, 1788 after causing ship disasters southeast of Bermuda, A hurricane moved northwestward over the tidewater area of Virginia, and right over George Washington's Mt. Vernon Plantation. At Ocracoke Inlet, southwest of Cape Hatteras, 6 ships were wrecked and 11 were driven ashore with 2 dismasted. As the storm center passed just to the east of this point, the wind shifted. This caught ships unaware and added to the disaster. An account from Norfolk stated that: "at 3am the wind suddenly shifted from northeast to south and blew a perfect hurricane - tearing up large trees by the roots, removing houses, throwing down chimney, fences, etc. and laying the greatest part of the corn level." The following day on July 24th, George Washington wrote in his diary: "about noon the wind suddenly shifted from northeast to southwest and blew the remaining part of the day violently from that quarter. The tide this time rose higher than it was ever known to do, driving boats, etc. into fields where no tide had ever been heard of before, and must, it is apprehended, have done infinite damage on their wharves at Alexandria, Norfolk, Baltimore, etc. At home all day." It would take more than a year to repair the damage to those ports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Christopher Columbus' third voyage, after leaving the Cape Verde Islands, his 4 ships drifted WSW in the equatorial current. A ship’s account from July 22, 1498 states that "The wind stopped so suddenly the heat was so excessive and immoderate that there was no one who dared to go below after the casks of wine and water which burst, snapping the hoops of the pipes; the wheat burned like fire; the bacon and salted meat roasted and putrefied." This calm area known to sailors around the world as the doldrums, is a belt around the Earth extending approximately five degrees north and south of the equator. Here, the prevailing trade winds of the northern hemisphere blow to the southwest and collide with the southern hemisphere’s driving northeast trade winds. Due to intense solar heating near the equator, the warm, moist air is forced up into the atmosphere like a hot air balloon. The rising air mass finally subsides in what is known as the horse latitudes, where the air moves downward toward Earth’s surface. Because the air circulates in an upward direction, there is often little surface wind in this region. That is why sailors well know that the area can becalm sailing ships for weeks. Columbus was caught in the doldrums or horse latitudes. The term horse latitudes came later, after Columbus when ships sailing to the western hemisphere were sometime stranded for weeks and as they baked, sailors reportedly pushed the horses they were transporting overboard to keep from running out of scarce water. Occasionally the ships were stranded and for longer periods and became ghost ships as entire crews perished, from heat and lack of food and water. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On July 21, 1861, a hot and dry summer Sunday, Union and Confederate troops clashed outside Manassas, Virginia, in the first major engagement of the Civil War, the First Battle of Bull Run. Union General McDowell hoped to march his men across a small stream called Bull Run in the vicinity of Manassas, Va. that was well-guarded by a force of Confederates under General Beauregard. McDowell needed to find a way across the stream and through the Southern line that stretched for over six miles along the banks of Bull Run. McDowell launched a small diversionary attack at the Stone Bridge while marching the bulk of his force north around the Confederates’ left flank. The march was slow, but McDowell’s army crossed the stream easily because the weather leading up the the battle had been dry and the stream was running at a low level. Some of Beauregard’s troops, recognizing that the attack at Stone Bridge was just a diversion, fell back just in time to meet McDowell’s oncoming force. The battle raged for several hours on top of Henry Hill, with each side taking control of the hill more than once. Slowly, more and more Southern men poured onto the field to support the Confederate defense, and Beauregard’s men pushed the Northerners back. At this point in the battle, Confederate General Barnard Bee attempted to rally his weary men by pointing to Brigadier General Thomas Jackson who stood his ground in the face of the Union assault. Bee cried, “There stands Jackson like a stone wall!” From that moment on, Thomas Jackson was known as “Stonewall” Jackson. As the day wore on, the strength of McDowell’s troops was sapped by the continuous arrival of fresh Southern reinforcements and the intense heat of the summer day with temperatures in the 90s and Union troops in heavy wool uniforms. Eventually, the Northerners began to retreat across Bull Run. The Union pullout began as an orderly movement. However, when the bridge over Cub Run was destroyed, cutting off the major route of retreat, it degenerated into a rout. The narrow roads and fords, clogged by the many carts, wagons, and buggies full of people who had driven out from Washington, D.C., to see the spectacle, hampered the withdrawal of the Union Army. The heat had done in the Union troops who had marched a greater distance to get to the battle and then choked in the dry, dusty roads as they made their way back to Washington City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On July 20, 1977 a flash flood devastated Johnstown, Pennsylvania, killing 84 people and causing millions of dollars in damages. This flood happened 88 years after the Horrible Flood of 1889 that was one of the worst weather-related disasters in US history that killed more than 2,000 people. Johnstown sits in a deep valley, hard against the Conemaugh river. In that earlier flood, the dams in the Conemaugh Valley failed, bringing disaster to Johnstown and as fate would have it the combination of the weather and those human make dams would once again bring catastrophe. The flood occurred when an extraordinary amount of rain came down in the Conemaugh Valley in a short period of time. Nearly 12 inches were measured in 10 hours. The National Weather Service later estimated that this amount of rain in that location should happen less than once every 1,000 years. Dams started bursting upstream from Johnstown. The largest dam that burst was at Laurel Run. This 10-year-old earthen dam held back 100 million gallons of water. Despite having a 42-foot-high spillway, the dam failed and the resulting flood devastated the town of Tanneryville. Five other dams in the area also burst, releasing another 30 million gallons of water. The failure of the dams was a shock. Johnstown had constructed an entire system designed to completely eliminate the flood risk after the devasting flood of 1889 and a destructive flood in 1936. Many safely measure were in place along with inspections. Still, the dams were no match for the thunderstorm that stalled over the area on July 20. In addition to the 84 people who lost their lives to the flood, $300 million or more than $1.2 Billion in 2020 dollars in damages were suffered and hundreds of people lost their homes. President Carter declared the region a federal disaster area and the National Guard was sent to assist in the relief efforts. Despite millions spent to rehabilitate the Johnstown area, the economy never recovered. The city’s population decreased nearly 15 percent in the aftermath of the flood, as people moved away. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the course of a three-month period in the summer of 1993, a slow-moving and historic flooding disaster unfolded across the midwestern United States, leaving economic ramifications that would be felt for years to come. Over 17 million acres were flooded across nine states across the Midwest during the summer of 1993, starting in June and lasting through August. This is an area larger than the entire state of West Virginia. “The magnitude and severity of this flood event was simply overwhelming, and it ranks as one of the greatest natural disasters ever to hit the United States,” said Lee Larson, chief at the Hydrologic Research Laboratory. This long-duration river flooding caused hundreds of levees failures, 50 fatalities and an estimated $15 billion in damages. While the worst of the flooding occurred in the summer of 1993, impacts across the region lasted for years. Of the 17 million acres that were flooded, a majority was being used as farmland. This had a long-term impact on the industry as some of the land was not able to be used again for farming for several years after flood waters had receded. Shipping and transportation industries were also severely impacted during the height of the flooding. Barge traffic on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers was stopped for nearly two months. The inability for ships and barges to navigate the waters of these major waterways resulted in an economic loss of $2 million per day, according to the National Weather Service. High water also rendered some bridges that spanned across the Mississippi River unusable for weeks, disrupting travel across the region. In some cases, this meant taking a detour of over 100 miles just to make it to the other side of a flooded river. The historic flooding was not caused by one single rainfall event, but rather an extended period of above-normal rainfall across the same region. The stage was set in 1992 with a wet fall which resulted in above-normal soil moisture and reservoir levels in the Missouri and Upper Mississippi river basins. The wet autumn was followed by above-average snowfall during the winter. When all of this snow melted in the spring, it left the ground across the region saturated and prone to flooding. The focus of the flooding on July 19, 1993 was St Louis Mo, where the Mississippi river rose to 46.8 feet at were flood stage is only 30'. It was the high-water mark in St Louis and flooding extended from the Gateway Arch to the suburbs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

July 18, 1942: Late in the evening of Friday, July 17, 1942 heavy rain began falling in southern New York. The weather system producing the heavy rain and thunderstorms intensified and moved into Pennsylvania. The weather system stalled out over Smethport and Port Allegany PA, on Saturday, July 18th. Most of the rain, incredibly feel in just a 5-hour period. People living in the region reported in the local press after the storm that the electrical storm was the worst they had ever witnessed. Water quickly began to accumulate and rise rapidly, many thought that they would drown. In the Austin, PA, many people were quoted as saying that “the rain did not come down in drops, it came down in streams.” The dam at the Williamson Pulp and Paper Company at Austin was breached and immediately flooded the town of Austin. There were reports of massive quantities of gravel and rock being washed down small gullies and even reports of bedrock being ripped out and carried downstream as the relentless rain continued. In Emporium, Pennsylvania, the estimated rainfall rate was more than 10 inches per hour. There was massive flooding over a short period of time. There were many accounts of an “almost instantaneous rise” in the water from 5 to 8 or 10 feet. Buildings in Austin were being knocked off their foundations and the water was 4 to 5 feet deep on the main street. The heaviest rain fell in Smethport, Pennsylvania. Some locations received an incredible 34.50 inches of rain from the event. A rainfall total of 30.7 inches of rain in a 4 1/2-hour period set a world record at Smethport. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Heavy rain on July 17, 1996, produced several rainfall records and was the second most costly weather disaster in Illinois history. The 16.94 inches recorded at Aurora still stands as the statewide record for the most rain from a single 24-hour period. The 10.99 inches on the west side of the Chicago metro area was the most ever recorded in the Chicago urban area. Just as impressive as the point values was the size of the area covered by heavy rainfall. It was estimated that 16.3 inches fell over the wettest 100 square mile area of the storm, 12.6 inches over the wettest 1000 square mile area, and 5.2 inches over the wettest 10,000 square mile area. Another way to look at it is that an area of 1350 square miles exceeded the expected 100-year, 24-hour storm while 4650 square miles exceeded the expected 10-year, 24-hour storm for northeast Illinois. The widespread heavy rains led to excessive flooding. Damage estimates were on the order of 700 million dollars or more than 1.1B in 2020 dollars. FEMA estimated that more than 35,000 residences were flooded. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On July 16, 1945 the first nuclear device ever detonated in Earth history occurred at the Trinity site near Alamogordo, New Mexico. From a weather perspective, scientists wanted good visibility, low humidity, light winds at low altitude, and westerly winds at high altitude for the test. The best weather was predicted between July 18 and 21, but the Potsdam Conference near the end of WWII between the Allies was due to start on July 16 and President Truman wanted the test to be conducted before the conference began. It was therefore scheduled for July 16, the earliest date at which the bomb components would be available. The detonation was initially planned for 4am Mountain War Time but was postponed because of rain and lightning from early that morning. It was feared that the danger from radiation in the form of fallout would be increased by rain, and lightning had the scientists concerned about a premature detonation. A crucial favorable weather report came in at 4:45am and the final countdown began at 5:10. By 05:20 the rain had gone. At 5:29am the device exploded with an energy equivalent to around 22 kilotons of TNT. The desert sand, largely made of silica, melted and became a radioactive light green glass. At the time of detonation, the surrounding mountains were illuminated "brighter than daytime" for one to two seconds, and the heat was reported as "being as hot as an oven" at the base camp. The roar of the shock wave took 40 seconds to reach the observers. It was felt over 100 miles away, and the mushroom cloud reached 7.5 miles in height. John Lugo was flying a U.S. Navy transport at 10,000 feet, 30 miles east of Albuquerque en route to the west coast. "My first impression was, the sun was coming up in the south. What a ball of fire! It was so bright it lit up the cockpit of the plane." Lugo radioed Albuquerque. He got no explanation for the blast but was told, "Don't fly south." Because the rain cleared and the test went off successfully Truman was able to tell Soviet leader Stalin then ally, of a terrible new weapon the US had in its possession as it became the only nuclear power in the world. After the blast and the initial euphoria of witnessing the explosion had passed, Bainbridge one of those working on the project told Robert Oppenheimer, the director of the project, "Now we are all sons of bitches." Oppenheimer later recalled that, while witnessing the explosion, he thought of a verse from a Hindu holy book, the Gita, 'Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

July 15, 1643: Weather reporting up until the mid-1700’s was sketchy at best across North America. Colonial leaders who formed the path to independence of our country were avid weather observers. Thomas Jefferson purchased a thermometer from a local Philadelphia merchant while in town for the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. He also purchased a barometer — one of the only ones in America at the time — a few days later from the same merchant. Jefferson made regular observations at Monticello from 1772-78, and participated in taking the first known simultaneous weather observations in America. George Washington also took regular observations; the last weather entry in his diary was made the day before he died. During the early and mid-1800's, weather observation networks began to grow and expand across the United States. Although most basic meteorological instruments had existed for over 100 years, it was the telegraph that was largely responsible for the advancement of operational meteorology during the 19th century. With the advent of the telegraph, weather observations from distant points could be "rapidly" collected, plotted and analyzed at one location in real time. In 1870 a Joint Congressional Resolution required the Secretary of War "to provide for taking meteorological observations at the military stations in the interior of the continent”. And so, a national weather service had been born within the U.S. Army Signal Service’s Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefit of Commerce. The first systematic weather observations didn't start in colonial America until 1644 in what would become the state of Delaware. Occasional observations of the weather were reported a bit before that and on July 15, 1643, John Winthrop’s from Newberry, MA entered in his in diary; “There arose a sudden gust at NW; so violent for half an hour as it blew down multitudes of trees. It lifted up their meeting house at Newberry, the people being in it, but only killed (one person) with the fall of a tree”. It was one of the first ever reports of weather’s impact in America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

July 14, 1886: Rainfall in Southern California in the summertime is almost non-existent. In fact, the climate takes on desert-like conditions. The average rainfall in June, July and August in Los Angles is less than a quarter of an inches of rainfall – 2 tenths of an inch to be exact. July is the driest month with barley more than a spritz of rain at an average of one hundredth of an inch – the lowest measurable total of rainfall that is officially observed. In contrast New Orleans is generally regarded as the rainiest big-city in the US and averages more than 6 inches of rain for the month of July. It’s not always dry in LA with the months of January, February and March all averaging more than 3 inches of rain each month. Certainly, though there are two distinct seasons in LA a wet season and a dry season. To give you an idea of just how dry it is in Southern California in July, on this date in weather history on July 14, 1886, twenty-four hundredths of an inch of rain – just shy of a quarter of an inch fell in LA, the most ever on a single day in the region in recorded history. Not much impact was felt in the region – today of course a rainfall like that on a July day would result in slippery freeways because the accumulated oil dripping off of cars and onto the highway would mix with the water and cause the roads to become slippery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

July 13, 1816: The year 1816 featured unprecedented cold conditions throughout the United States and Europe. The key cause was the eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Tambora in April 1815, the largest volcanic explosion in recorded. “Mount Tambora ejected so much ash and aerosols into the atmosphere that the sky darkened and the sun was blocked from view in many places around the world that year. The eruptions killed up to 100,000 people – some immediately from the blasts – and tens of thousands of others as a result of starvation and the resulting crop failures and disease. “It might have been millions who died in total, across the globe in the next year” said AccuWeather Founder and CEO Dr. Joel Myers. The smaller particles spewed by the volcano were light enough to spread into the stratosphere and eventually had a worldwide impact on the climate by reflecting solar radiation back into space. The Earth’s average global temperature dropped 5 degrees Fahrenheit, according, and in some areas, the drop was more than 10 degrees. The uncharacteristic cold ruined agricultural production in the United States, Europe and China, which led to drastic increases in food prices, as well as famine and epidemics of cholera and other diseases. The U.S. consisted of just 18 states in 1816 and five were in New England, which was devastated by the frigid temperatures and the lack of food. Frost throughout May killed crops in several Northeast states, snow fell in June in wide areas from New York to Maine, and heavy frosts and ice storms occurred as late as July in parts of New England. There were freezing temperatures in all 12 months of the year in New England, many of the crops failed, causing famine and triggering a western migration from New England where there was a depression and starvation. In 1815, before the effects of the volcano were known, the typesetter of the Old Farmer's Almanac jokingly printed America "snow, and hail" across eastern North America for this date of July 13, 1816. The editor missed it, and the publication went to print. But because of the severe climate change; snow, and hail did fall across parts of New England on July 13. Even though later editions of the Almanac had the "correct" forecast in place, those who received the earlier editions "swore" by the Almanac the rest of their lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On July 12, 1984 a rapidly developing storm pounded the Munich area with hailstones the size of tennis balls, high winds and heavy rains, injuring 300 people and causing extensive damage. The Red Cross said the storm injured about 200 people in Munich and 100 in surrounding south-east Bavaria, most of them hit on the head by ice balls, cut by glass shattering from windows, or hurt in car crashes. One person was killed and damages reached nearly $100 million. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.