AUGUST 21ST - 31ST WEATHER HISTORY
http://www.examiner.com/weather-in-wilmington/charlie-wilson
Charlie Wilson Wilmington Weather ExaminerSubscribeSponsor an Examiner A member of the American Meteorological Society, 
Charlie Wilson has combined his knowledge of Meteorology & Weather History with his Education background in Communications.
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NO AUGUST 21 History Listed

August 22nd:
 
1711
British Admiral Sir Hovenden Walker's assault on Quebec was thwarted by dense river fog and high winds on the St. Lawrence River. Collisions in the fog wrecked 8 of 15 warships and drowned 884 men.
 
1746
Salem, MA had a cold night, with "some frost so as to kill corn leaves", according to the Lt. John Preston diary.
 
1816
The growing season for corn was cut short as damaging frosts were reported from North Carolina to interior New England.
 
1821
A tornado ripped through Tybee Island, GA destroying a wing of the U.S. Army barracks.
 
1851
A tornado ripped through Middlesex County in Massachusetts. The tornado swept through Waltham, Belmont, West Cambridge, Arlington, and Medford. Six people died along with extensive damage. 

1857
A tornado tore through Woodland, WI. Although it leveled every building in the town, fortunately there were no deaths.
 
1893
On this date, four hurricanes roamed the Atlantic Basin: one off Nova Scotia; the second between the Bahamas and Bermuda; the third northeast of the Lesser Antilles, and the newest off the Cape Verde Islands. Over a century would pass, 1998 before four hurricanes would again rage together in the Atlantic.
 
1923
The temperature at Anchorage AK reached 82°, a record for August which was later tied on 8/2/1978.
 
1933
The Hampton Roads area of Virginia was hit on the night of the 22nd-23rd by its worst hurricane in history. Norfolk saw an 8 foot storm surge pushed through the streets of the city. Winds reached nearly 100 mph. 18 people were killed.
 
1968
A violent thunderstorm at St. Paul, Alberta Canada produced hailstones a half inch in diameter and 6 inches deep on roads.
 
1976
Newfoundland, Canada recorded its hottest day on record when the temperature peaked at 98° at Botwood. It was also the hottest day on record in St. John, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia as temperatures reached 94°.
 
1980
Major flash flooding occurred in Kentucky as up to 3 inches of rain fell in a very short period. Heavy damage included flooded homes and washed out bridges and roads.
 
Wichita Falls, TX reached 108° to establish a record for the date. 56 of the previous 59 days in Wichita Falls had reached a high temperature of 100 degrees or hotter.
 New Orleans LA hit 102° to establish their all-time record high temperature.
 
1985
Intense thunderstorms moved from near Shadehill Reservoir in northwest South Dakota late in the evening on the 21st, to northern Brown County after sunrise on this date. These thunderstorms produced strong winds, large hail, heavy rainfall and lightning. Considerable crop and property damage was caused mainly by the strong winds and hail. Winds gusts ranged from 55 mph at Mobridge to 60 mph in and around Akaska. Winds of 70 mph were reported at Onaka and Faulkton. The strongest wind gust was reported in Hoven with a peak gust of 72 mph. Widespread damage was reported throughout the area. Many mobile homes, storage sheds, silos, and roofs were damaged or destroyed. Nine miles south and four miles west of Keldron, over two inches in diameter hail fell for 40 minutes, breaking windows and piling in ditches to a depth of four feet. These intense thunderstorms also produced brief heavy rainfall ranging from three quarters of an inch to over four inches.
 
1987
A cold front lowered temperatures 20 to 40 degrees across the north central U.S., and produced severe thunderstorms in Ohio and Lower Michigan. An early morning thunderstorm near Sydney, MI produced high winds which spun a car 180 degrees.
 
1988
Afternoon highs of 104° at Medford OR and 88° at Astoria OR were records for the date. This brought the number of daily record high temperatures across the nation since the first of June above the 2,000 mark.
 
A large complex of thunderstorms moved into northwest Iowa. Most of the damage that occurred was due to high winds although golf ball size hail fell in Marcus in Cherokee County and one inch hail battered Jefferson in Greene County. Many counties across northwest Iowa reported winds in excess of 60 mph. One farmstead was severely damaged near LeMars by strong winds. Also, one tornado touched down in the Fort Dodge area and did considerable damage to trees and roof damage to homes. Fortunately, no deaths or injuries happened as a result of these storms.
 
1989
Evening thunderstorms in the central U.S. produced golf ball size hail at May City, IA, and wind gusts to 66 mph at Balltown, IA. Lightning struck a barn in Fayette County Iowa killing 750 hogs.
 
Evening thunderstorms in Montana produced wind gusts to 70 mph at Havre.
 
1990
Thunderstorms dropped heavy rains in Virginia with Nassawadox recording 12 inches in just 2 hours. Numerous road washouts occurred including several on U.S. 13, a major route to the Tidewater area.
 
1992
Hurricane Andrew developed a well-defined eye. Residents of Florida were alerted. The storm was 650 miles east of Miami, moving west at 14 with top winds of 95 mph.
 
1994
Hurricane John, about 390 miles south of Hilo, HI had winds of 170 mph and pressure at 920 millibars or 27.17 inHg, making it the strongest hurricane ever in the Central Pacific. It was the third category 5 storm in this area in a month, unprecedented since records began.
 
1998
Tropical Storm Charley was the second of 7 named tropical systems to strike the U.S. in 1998. But the most interesting event of Charley's arrival on the mainland would occur the next day, when 17.03 inches of rain fell in Del Rio, TX. This amount is nearly equal to the average rainfall for an entire year. It would establish their all-time record rainfall. The Del Rio area had received less than three inches of rain during the previous 8 1/2 months. 20 people died in flash flooding.
 
1999
Hurricane Bret made landfall on South Padre Island on the Texas coast with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and a central pressure of 946 millibars or 27.94 inHg. Fortunately, the Category 4 Hurricane made landfall over the most sparsely populated area on the Texas coast, about 70 miles south of Corpus Christi. Very heavy rainfall amounts up to 28 inches occurred in parts of Kennedy County.
 
2000
Billy Wagner, the Emergency Manager for Monroe County, Florida, which includes the Florida Keys, had a dilemma on his hands. He had a strengthening Tropical Storm Debbie north of Puerto Rico. Wagner knew that it would take 36 hours to evacuate the Keys. Wagner consulted with the National Hurricane Center and decided to issue an evacuation the next morning. He faced the wrath of tourism officials when the storm weakened inexplicably.
 
Super Typhoon Billis devastated Taiwan claiming 11 lives, injuring at least 80 others, and trapping 18 in mudslides.
 
2002
Thunderstorms produced very heavy rainfall across far northern Illinois during the early morning hours. Significant flooding of roads, creeks and basements were reported across several counties in northern Illinois. Chicago reported 3.75 inches of rain in six hours. Many roads were closed due to flooding and the metropolitan water reclamation district of greater Chicago opened the locks at Wilmette Harbor and at the Chicago River releasing 850 million gallons of storm and sewage water into Lake Michigan. Several beaches were closed as a result. 
The Dubuque airport in Iowa reported 8.96 inches of rain setting their 24 hour rainfall record.
 
2003
Cheyenne, WY topped out at 92°, making it the 32nd 90 degree day this year, a record for the location.
 
The Okanagan Mountain fire reached its destructive peak, destroying 250 homes in British Columbia Canada. Nearly 40,000 residents were evacuated or on alert. The Okanagan Mountain Park Fire was estimated to be 17,000 hectares and continued to grow.
 
2008
Severe thunderstorms produced large hail and strong winds over parts of eastern Wyoming and the Nebraska panhandle. A wind gust to 71 mph was recorded at the Chadron airport in Nebraska while 60 to 70 mph winds and hail up to 2 inches in diameter were reported around Douglas, WY.
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August 23rd 

Estimates are that over 3 billion lightning strikes hit the planet every year. The United States gets more than its fair share of this total. One of the great hazards of lightning strikes is the fire danger. Each year approximately 10,000 fires are started by lightning in the U.S. alone. These fires destroy an average of $50 million dollars in timber annually. This cost does not take into account the cost of the massive effort it requires to bring in fire fighters from all over the country to fight the blazes.
 
1683
A hurricane struck the Atlantic Coast, moving from Virginia to Massachusetts. Extensive damage was done in Rhode Island, and the torrential rains from the hurricane caused the Connecticut River to rise 26 feet above its usual level. All crops along the river were inundated and carried away by the floods.
 
1806
A hurricane of great size and destructive power raged along the Atlantic coast from the 21st to the 24th. As the slow moving storm gained forward speed, shipping suffered severely. The coastal ship "Rose in Bloom" capsized during the morning off Barnegat Inlet, NJ, with the loss of 21 of the 49 persons on board. This disaster received wide national publicity. Further north, Cape Cod, MA received 18 inches of rain, which ruined crops. The storm also caused major shipping losses.
 
1851
The Great Middle Florida Hurricane of 1851 struck the area near Apalachicola and St. Marks.
 
1870
Congress appropriated funds for the creation of a National Weather Service. One of the main needs was the ability to warn for hurricanes. What was probably the first warning for a storm of tropical origin was issued on this date for New England and the Mid Atlantic States.
 
1906
Thunderstorms drenched Kansas City, MO with 6 inches of rain during the early morning, including nearly 3 inches in just 30 minutes.
 
1921
2.2 inches of rain fell at Denver, CO in one hour, a record for that location.
 
1933
A major hurricane made landfall along the North Carolina/Virginia border, moved through Virginia, along the western Chesapeake Bay and central Pennsylvania during the late afternoon into the overnight as a tropical storm, then moved northeast up the St Lawrence River valley. Washington, D.C. measured a wind gust of 49 mph on the 22nd. A tidal bore swept up Chesapeake Bay with waters rising to 12 feet above normal, the highest ever recorded. Tidal flooding pushed up the Delaware River with 10 square miles of southwest Philadelphia, PA flooded. On this date, although the system was now only a tropical storm, Baltimore, MD recorded a wind gust to 74 mph, Delaware Breakwater gusted to 78 mph, and Atlantic City, NJ measured a gust to 100 mph. 60% of Atlantic City was flooded. There was great damage to resorts on the Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey coasts. 47 people were killed and damage was set at $47 million 1933 dollars.
 
1939
A long dry spell began in central Illinois. This was the first of 37 consecutive days where no measurable rain fell at Springfield, a record dry spell for the city.
 
1944
Warnsveld, in the Netherlands set a record for their countries highest maximum temperature as the thermometer hit 101.5°.
 
1963
Project Stormfury was armed and ready as Hurricane Beulah moved across the Atlantic Ocean north of Puerto Rico. An armada of planes carried out the seeding and monitored the results of the experiment. On the 23rd, Beulah did not really meet the criteria for seeding. On the following day, the storm met the criteria of having a well-formed eyewall and the seeding appeared to be successful as the eyewall disintegrated. No other hurricanes would be seeded until 1969 because of a lack of good targets.
 
1966
A bolt of lightning struck and killed a surfer who had just come out of the water while surfing at Surf City, NJ. The surfer was standing at the ocean's edge when lightning struck.
 
1970
Dry thunderstorms ignited more than 100 fires in the Wenatchee and Okanogan National Forests of Washington State. Hot, dry, and windy weather spread the fires, a few of which burned out of control through the end of the month. More than 100,000 acres were destroyed.
 
1987
A cold front brought autumn-like weather to the Northern and Central Plains Region. Afternoon highs were in the 50s and 60s across parts of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska. Just two days earlier temperatures were in the 90s to above 100°. 

Upwelling in Lake Ontario caused by unusually strong northwesterly winds caused quite a temperature difference across the lake. On the north shore, water temperatures were an icy 41°, while along the south shore, they were a much more comfortable 70°.
 
1988
Thunderstorms produced hail an inch in diameter, wind gusts to 64 mph, and 2.62 inches of rain at Tucson, AZ resulting in $3 million dollars damage. 

Cool weather prevailed in the northeastern U.S. Some record lows included: Caribou, ME: 38°-Tied, Concord, NH: 38°-Tied, Hartford, CT: 42°, Burlington, VT: 43°, Albany, NY: 44°, Syracuse, NY: 45°-Tied, Atlantic City, NJ: 50°-Tied, Islip, NY: 55° and New York (Kennedy Airport), NY: 58°-Tied. Out west, Pocatello, ID tied a record low with 36°.
 
1989
Thunderstorms produced heavy rain with flash flooding in West Virginia. Pickens, WV reported 4.80 inches of rain in 24 hours. Evening thunderstorms in Mississippi deluged Alta Woods with 4.25 inches of rain in less than an hour. Thunderstorms also produced heavy rain in southeastern Kentucky, and flooding was reported along Big Creek. 

Fort Worth, TX hit the 100 degree mark for the first time all year. 

1992
On this Sunday morning, the warnings in South Florida were frantic. Andrew had top winds of 120 mph, making it a category 3 hurricane. Located 380 miles west of Miami that morning, the hurricane was moving west at 15 mph. By 3:30 pm, Andrew was a Category 4 storm with winds of 150 mph. That afternoon, Hurricane Andrew brought a 23 foot storm surge to Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas. Damage in the islands totaled $250 million dollars. 

An unusually strong surge of arctic air combined with a strong upper level trough resulted in record early snowfall and cold temperatures over north central Montana. Great Falls had 5 inches of snow. Never before in the 100 years of records kept at Great Falls had snow ever fallen in August, let alone accumulated on the ground. Many places in Glacier National Park measured 13 inches. All-time record low temperatures for the month of August were set at Great Falls: 32° and at Billings: 39°. Daily record lows included: Helena, MT: 33°, Havre, MT: 35°, Missoula, MT: 37°-Tied and Lewiston, ID: 42°.
 
1995
The Fujiwhara Effect describes the interaction between two low pressure systems that come within a reasonably close distance to one another, usually about 700 to 900 nautical miles. The Fujiwhara Dance begins when two cyclones "link arms" and begin to rotate around a common midpoint. On this date, as Hurricane Iris was being pursued by Hurricane Humberto in the Atlantic east of the Leeward Islands, the two linked in a Fujiwhara dance.
 
Tropical Storm Jerry brought very heavy rains to parts of Central Florida on this date making landfall at Jupiter. Winds were only 40 mph, but rains of up to 15 inches were reported. The town of Golden Gate, east of Naples reported 16.80 inches. There was so much water that walking catfish made their way onto the runways at West Palm Beach International Airport, disrupting flights. Only two tornadoes and one waterspout was reported and tides ran just 1 to 2 feet above normal.
 
1998
Massive flooding caused by heavy rains from the remnants of dying Tropical Storm Charley struck the town of Del Rio, TX with 18 inches reported. At least 13 people died in the flooding in Texas and Mexico. The town of Del Rio had been parched by seemingly endless drought before the rains started had had less than 3 inches of rainfall for the first seven months of the year.
 
2001
Scattered strong thunderstorms developed during the evening hours of the 22nd in west central Illinois, continuing into the early morning hours of the 23rd. Excessive rain fell during this period, and produced widespread urban and street flooding. Cooperative observer rainfall observations ranged from 6.30 to 8 inches in Hancock County from this event. In Schuyler County, a total of 8.67 inches of rain fell in Brooklyn. On the LaMoine River, levels rose up to 16 feet in only 4 to 6 hours.
 
2002
Several inches of rain in less than three hours caused flash flooding in Kalamazoo, MI where two homes and two businesses sustained extensive damage. Waldo Stadium, on the campus of Western Michigan University, also had major flooding. At one point, three feet of standing water covered the entire football field. The flooding caused an estimated $200,000 dollars in damage.
 
2005
An unusually huge summer marine storm struck the southwest Alaska coast. Winds gusted to more than 50 mph whipping up 20 foot waves before moving inland.
 
Hurricane Katrina formed from Tropical Depression Twelve over the southeastern Bahamas. Katrina would become the costliest ($81.2 billion) and one of the most deadly hurricanes (1,836 lives) in U.S. history.
 
A powerful storm system with winds in excess of 100 mph struck the regions of Uruguay where nearly 70% of the country's population reside. Thousands of homes were damaged and around 20,000 people lost electricity and telephone service. Seven people were killed and dozens injured.
 
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August 24th:

What's the most humid city in the United States? Quillayute, WA, has an average relative humidity of 83%. All of the Top 10 Most Humid cities are either in the Pacific Northwest, in Washington or Oregon or along the Gulf Coast, in Texas or Florida.

1456
Machiavelli described a tornado which crossed Ancona, Italy as: "From…confused clouds, furious winds, and momentary fires, sounds issued, of which no earthquake or thunder ever heard could afford the least idea; striking such awe into all, that it was thought the end of the world had arrived...."

1785
A hurricane ravaged the area from St. Croix, Virgin Islands to Cuba during the last week of August beginning on this date. Over 142 people were reported dead from storm's impact.

1827
A powerful hurricane struck North Carolina. The storm caused the Diamond Shoals Lightship to break away from its anchorage and drift away. Two crewmembers were lost during the storm.

1893
A hurricane moved northeast of Puerto Rico, then moved north close to the New Jersey shore and into western Long Island, NY during the pre-dawn hours. Cape Henry, VA, measured a gust to 128 mph. Philadelphia, PA had a maximum 1-minute wind velocity of 55 mph. New York City recorded a daily rainfall record of 3.61 inches. Hog Island was a big resort for New York City residents in the mid to late 1800s, located near Coney Island. This hurricane, still a Category 2 off New Jersey, not only washed away the resort, but washed away the island as well. This storm retained its hurricane strength throughout its passage across New England, decreasing to tropical storm status over the mouth of the St Lawrence River.

1897
"A well-known American writer said once that, while everybody talked about the weather, nobody seemed to do anything about it. He was right. We just have to take it as it comes." Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) quoted in The Hartford (Connecticut) Daily Courant.

1906
A cloudburst deluged Guinea, VA with 9.25 inches of rain in just 40 minutes.

1910
An unusually strong dry cold front caused a considerable drop in temperature at Denver, CO. From 3pm to Midnight the temperature fell from a high of 93° to a low of 40°.  Sustained winds of 44 mph were reported during the late afternoon. The low of 40° set a daily record low and tied a record low for August. Cheyenne, WY dropped to 30°, their earliest freeze on record.

1933
It was Black Thursday in northwestern Oregon as 200,000 acres were burned in a single day during the Great Tillamook Burn forest fire. As the humidity dropped and an east wind began to increase, firefighters battling the conflagration urgently warned residents to the south and west of the fires to evacuate immediately.

1936
This date was a real scorcher across the Central and Northern Plains. Sioux Falls hit 109°, tying their second highest temperature on record. In fact, three of the four hottest temperatures ever recorded in Sioux Falls occurred in 1936 which not coincidentally is the hottest summer on record across much of the Northern Plains.

1938
A long-lived tornado roared across the landscape near Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Over its 100 mile path south and west of the Lakehead, the storm leveled farm buildings, uprooted trees and killed livestock in ten townships.

1948
The following locations recorded their hottest August temperature: Mather, WI: 107° (also their hottest day on record), Mondovi, WI: 104°, Winona, MN: 103°, and Rochester, MN: 100°, also tying their hottest August temperature with several other dates: 8/3/1930, 8/4/1947, 8/15/1936, 8/23/1948.

1952
It was a record braking chilly morning across the Mid-Atlantic States. Layton, NJ dropped to 33° and Runyon, NJ fell to 37°. It came close to the states all-time record low for August that occurred at Layton & Charlottesburg on 8/25/1940 when they fell to 32°.  Other daily record lows included: Elkins, WV: 40°-Tied, Binghamton, NY: 45°, Buffalo, NY: 47°, Allentown, PA: 47°, Wilmington, DE: 48°, Baltimore, MD: 48°, Huntington, WV: 48°-Tied, Harrisburg, PA: 49°-Tied, Richmond, VA: 50° and New York (LaGuardia Airport), NY: 59°.

1964
The NIMBUS I weather satellite was launched. The first one would fail, but subsequent NIMBUS satellites provided the first quality night satellite photographs.

1968
Lightning struck the Crawford County fairgrounds in northwest Pennsylvania killing two people and injuring 72 others.

1975
Heavy rains fell during the evening over much of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, with most of the damage in the Lansdale area. Streets and basements were flooded, cars trapped and basement walls collapsed. Lansdale received over 5 inches in 2 hours.

1979
2.5 inches of rain fell in one hour at Livingston, MT near Bozeman. Major flash flooding resulted with bridges washed out and roads under water.

1982
Five tornadoes touched down south and east of Bloomington, IL. The strongest one traveled from Merna to Cooksville, destroying 5 homes and damaging 125 others. Total damages were around $2.4 million. The storms were unusual in the fact that four had unusual changes in directions of movement.

1984
The remnants of Tropical Storm Holly brought heavy rains and snows to parts of Alaska. Four foot snow drifts were measured in Denali National Park outside of Fairbanks.

1987
Autumn-like weather prevailed across the north central and northeastern U.S.  Several cities reported record low temperatures for the date, including Saint Cloud, MN with 37°.

Temperatures in Florida soared to 99°at Jacksonville and 98°at Pensacola.

Thunderstorms produced heavy rain in the Southern High Plains Region, with 5.40 inches at Union, NM, and 7.25 inches reported west of Anthony, NM.

1988
Thunderstorms in the Delaware Valley of eastern Pennsylvania produced wind gusts to 95 mph near Philadelphia, and gusts to 100 mph at Warminster.

A tropical depression drenched the Cabo Rojo area of southwestern Puerto Rico with up to 10 inches of rain. San Juan received 5.35 inches of rain.

1989
Late afternoon and evening thunderstorms produced severe weather in eastern Montana and western sections of the Dakotas. Thunderstorms in Montana produced wind gusts to 76 mph at Jordan, and golf ball size hail at Rock Springs, which collected 3 to 4 feet deep in ditches. Lewiston, ID reported a record 1.50 inches of rain for the date and a record rainfall total for August of 2.63 inches.

1990
Thunderstorms dumped up to 7 inches of rain over Long Island, NY causing many road closings.

1991

Eastern North Dakota suffered severe hail damage from stones that were as big as 6 inches near Lisbon. Windows were smashed, cars heavily damaged, holes punched in roofs and 16,000 acres of crops were destroyed.

1992
Hurricane Andrew made landfall near Homestead, FL around 5am with a central pressure of 922 millibars or 27.23 inHg. Fowey Rocks coastal marine buoy recorded maximum sustained winds of 142 mph and a peak gust of 169 mph (measures 144 feet above the ground) and the National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables had sustained winds of 115 mph with a peak gust of 164 mph. A huge satellite dish was knocked off the top of their building. The highest official peak gust was 177 mph at a private home.  The storm surge peaked at 16.9 feet occurred in Biscayne Bay, which is a record for south Florida.  Homestead AFB was practically wiped out. More than 120,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, leaving 250,000 homeless. About 660,000 people were without power for period of from a few hours to several months. Overall, 65 people died with 15 killed as a direct result of the storm, mostly from flying debris and collapsing roofs, walls, or falling furniture. 23 deaths occurred in the U.S. & three in the Bahamas and damage totaled at least $26.5 billion; including $1 billion in crop loss and $1 billion reported in Louisiana, making Andrew by far the most costly hurricane in U.S. history before Katrina. $250 million dollars in damage occurred in the Bahamas. Andrew was the third most intense hurricane to strike the mainland behind Camille: 1969 and the Labor Day Hurricane: 1935. At the time, Andrew came onshore as a strong Category 4 storm; but close to 10 years later, Andrew was upgraded to a Category 5 hurricane. Once over the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico, a moderate intensification occurred as the storm turned northwestward. On August 26th, Andrew made landfall again, this time in south central Louisiana, with a central pressure of 956 millibars and sustained winds of 120 mph. The hurricane quickly weakened and became a depression 24 hours later, as it was turned sharply northeastward and merged with a frontal system over the eastern United States. Originally a Category 4, Andrew was upgraded a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 175 mph.

2002
Tlemce in northwestern Algeria gets on average a tenth of an inch of rain in August but on this date in 12 hours 1.77 inches fell as thunderstorms moved across northern Algeria.

In Ibiza, 2.36 inches of rain fell in 18 hours. Their average rainfall for the entire month is 2.36 inches.

Prolonged heavy showers and thunderstorms affected the Netherlands dumping more than 1.97 inches of rain in 21 towns in less than 24 hours, something which has only happened 13 times previously since 1951. There was widespread flooding from the rain and the wettest places included Zevenbergen, near Rotterdam with 5.12 inches, Weesp, near Amsterdam with 3.98 inches and Gouda with 3.47 inches.

2005
Tropical depression 12 would be named Tropical Storm "Katrina" during the morning. Katrina went on to become the costliest and one of the most deadly hurricanes to ever strike the U.S.

2009
Dammama, Saudi Arabia soared to a high of 120°.
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 August 25th:
Gustnadoes are short lived vortexes (usually less than 5 minutes) that form in the wind flowing outward from thunderstorms. They typically form when the thunderstorm outflow hits a boundary beyond which the air is flowing in a different direction or at a different speed. They develop much like the vortexes which form in water flowing down a mountain stream. Gustnadoes, which can be considered a cousin of the tornado do not necessarily have a similar in appearance to a tornado, usually only last a few minutes and are generally weak.
 
79 A.D.
The Roman town of Pompeii was destroyed when Mount Vesuvius erupted. The city was engulfed by a cloud of burning gas. Victims were found under hundreds of feet of ash several hundred years later, huddled in groups indicating that they had died suddenly when the terrifying gas cloud struck suddenly.
 
1635
The Great Colonial Hurricane struck the New England coast. Rev. Increase Mather wrote: "...no storm more dismal than the great hurricane." Many shipwrecks and several near-disasters occurred during the storm, one of which would give birth to a favorite New England legend surrounding Thacher's Island.
 
1814
The War of 1812 is the only time that foreign troops have ever occupied our nation's capital. As British troops burned the city of Washington, including the Capitol, White House and Pennsylvania Avenue, the skies began to darken. As a huge thunderstorm pounded the city, a tornado ripped through residential sections of Washington, D.C. Several British soldiers were killed by the storm. Their ranks shattered, the event was followed by a retreat by the Redcoats.
 
1885
On the 24th, a major hurricane made landfall near Savannah, GA and moved in a northeastward arc just inland along the South and North Carolina coasts. Damage was estimated at $1.3 million dollars at Charleston, SC and crop damage was extensive. The storm was still intense as it moved into North Carolina where winds were estimated to 125 mph at Smithville, NC after the anemometer failed. The 1885 storm would be the impetus for the formation of a hurricane reporting network across the Caribbean and Mexico.
 
1910
Bowen, MT set the record for lowest temperature ever observed in the lower 48 states in August with a reading of 5°. Wisdom, MT was not very far behind with a reading of 11°. Great Falls, MT set an early season and August record snowfall of 8.3 inches on the 22nd and 23rd, while St. Mary, MT reported a foot.
 
Cheyenne, WY reported an all-time August record low of 25°, while Scottsbluff, NE set their lowest August temperature and earliest freeze on record, with a low of 30°.  Kimball, NE recorded a low of 26° while the temperature fell to 25° near Lusk, WY.
 
1927
 “The August Gale”, a hurricane, raged across the East Coast of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland Canada, crossing the Cabot Strait during the early morning hours. Hundreds of small boats in Newfoundland ports were among the storm victims.
 
1940
New Jerseyexperienced its coldest August morning on record, when Layton and Charlotteburg dropped to 32°.
 
A stalled cold front brings clouds and very cool high temperatures to parts of the Great Lakes. The high at Muskegon, MI was only 56° and Lansing, MI was 57°, both records for the coldest maximum temperatures for the month of August. The high of 60° at Grand Rapids, MI is only one degree higher than the record of 59° set on 8/26/1987.
 
1948
Neillsville, WI reported their hottest August temperature on record with 103°.
 
Toronto, Ontario Canada recorded their hottest day on record as the temperature reached 101°.
 
Three people were killed and 80 were injured when a tornado hit the towns of Hamilton and Frankton in New Zealand.
 
1958
Record chill occurred across parts of the upper Midwest. Cities recording their coldest August temperature included: Austin, MN: 34°, Decorah, IA: 35°, and Genoa, WI: 41°.
 
Other daily records included: Madison, WI: 37°, Green Bay, WI: 40°-Tied, Rockford, IL: 41°, Dubuque, IA: 42°, La Crosse, WI: 43°, Moline, IL: 43°, Springfield, IL: 45°, Topeka, KS: 47°, Columbia, MO: 48°, Springfield, MO: 50°, Omaha, NE: 50°, St. Louis, MO: 52° and Kansas City, MO: 53°.
 
1972
Philadelphia, PA measured their 25th consecutive day without measurable rainfall.
 
1987
Morning thunderstorms produced heavy rain in eastern Nebraska and southwestern Iowa. Stanton, IA reported 10.50 inches of rain. Water was reported up to the handle of automobiles west of Greenwood, NE. Rainfall totals for a two day period ranged from 7 to 14 inches across southwestern Iowa. Crop damage was in the millions for both states. Subsequent flooding of streams in Iowa the last week of August caused millions of dollars damage to crops, as some streams crested 10 feet above flood stage.
 
An all-time record was set for monthly rainfall at Chicago, IL when a storm brought the monthly total to 15.73 inches. The previous record was 14.17 inches of rain which was recorded in September of 1961.
 
Fort Wayne, IN recorded their coolest daytime maximum for August as the high only reached 60°.
 
1988
Several cities in California reported record high temperatures for the date, including Sacramento with an afternoon reading of 104°.
 
Thunderstorms produced locally heavy rains in Arizona. Chino Valley was drenched with 2.50 inches of rain in just 30 minutes washing out some streets.
 
1989
Morning thunderstorms drenched Spencer, IN with 4.10 inches of rain in 3 hours causing extensive street flooding. Evening thunderstorms in eastern Kansas produced up to 6 inches of rain around Emporia, and 4 inches of rain in just 45 minutes near Parsons. Winds gusted to 70 mph at Lake Melvern.
 
1992
After unleashing sustained winds of up to 165 mph around Homestead/Florida City, FL, Hurricane Andrew headed for the Louisiana coast. Hurricane Warnings were posted from Pascagoula, MS to the Bolivar Peninsula on the northeast Texas coast.
 
Billings, MT fell to 35°, their coldest August temperature on record. This was the 3rd consecutive day with a low temperature in the 30s at that location.
 
1998
Torrential tropical downpours from the remnants of Tropical Storm Charley caused flash flooding along Texas State Highway 349 between Iraan and Sheffield. Just south of Iraan fast moving waters swept pavement away from this highway. The highway was reopened in a limited fashion later that night, but crews continued highway repairs for the next week. Unconfirmed reports of 7 inches of rain were received from citizens of Sheffield.
 
A massive wall of water was moved down the Rio Grande River in Texas toward Laredo after devastating the towns of Del Rio and Eagle Pass. 44 years ago, a flood taking virtually the same path washed out Del Rio before sweeping through Eagle Pass and Laredo.
 
2000
Hailstones up to three quarters of an inch in diameter were reported at the Cape Cornwell Golf Club, in Cornwall England during a severe thunderstorm.
 
2002
3.03 inches of rain fell in 18 hours at Perpignan in Southern France. This was around 2.5 times their average August rainfall.
 
2003
Record high temperatures occurred across parts of the Midwest. Rockford, IL set a new record high with 97° while O’Hare Airport in Chicago, IL tied their record high with 95°. 
 
Typhoon Krovanh made landfall along the coast of Vietnam near the Chinese border. The strongest typhoon to strike Vietnam in more than a decade destroyed nearly 1,000 homes, and 11,000 homes in southern China.
 
2005
Tropical storm Katrina continued to move towards Florida, and became a hurricane only two hours before it made landfall between Hallandale Beach and Aventura, FL. Katrina would go on to become the costliest and one of the most deadly hurricanes to hit the United States.
 
2007 
Chattanooga, TN had their record streak of 22 consecutive days, beginning 8/4 with temperatures 95° come to an end.
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 August 26th:
1864
A passenger train bound from Cincinnati, OH to Chicago, IL was derailed by a tornado in Dearborn, IN, injuring 30 people.

1883
The Krakatoa Volcano exploded in the East Indies. The explosion was heard more than 2,500 miles away, and every barograph around the world recorded the passage of the air wave, up to seven times. Giant waves, 125 feet high and traveling 300 mph, devastated everything in their path, hurling ashore coral blocks weighing up to 900 tons, and killing more than 36,000 people. Volcanic ash was carried around the globe in 13 days producing blue and green suns in the tropics, and then vivid red sunsets in higher latitudes. The temperature of the earth was lowered one degree for the next two years, finally recovering to normal by 1888.

1895
Snow flurries affected parts of Pennsylvania, New York and New England with snow observed as far south as Hartford, CT.

1910
Peoria, ILregistered a low temperature of 41°. This established a record for the month of August, although it has been tied twice since then. Daily low temperatures were established at Lincoln, IL with 37°; Decatur, IL: 44°; and Champaign, IL: 46°.

1915
One inch of rain fell at Riverside, CA from a dying tropical cyclone.

1924
A hurricane brushed New England with 80 mph winds reported at Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, MA. The pressure at Nantucket Island dropped to 28.71 inches. Boston, MA recorded their lowest barometric pressure reading ever at 29.26 inches.

1935
San Francisco, CA had their heaviest 24-hour rainfall for August when 0.25 inches fell.

1948
Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada recorded its hottest day on record as the mercury climbed to 100.9°.

1949
A hurricane made landfall at Delray Beach, FL. Winds reached 153 mph at the Jupiter Lighthouse before the anemometer failed. The hurricane caused $45 million dollars damage to crops, and moved up the Georgia and South Carolina coast resulting in another $2 million dollars damage.

1965
Late night severe thunderstorms associated with an unusually strong late summer cold front produced straight line winds of 100 mph around Chicago, IL and northwest Indiana. In Lake County, Indiana, high winds derailed a train near Crown Point, and left a canoe suspended among telephone lines.

1970
China Lake Naval Air Station in California ended a streak of 47 consecutive days at or above 100°; their longest such streak on record.

1976
An unusual weak tornado touched down briefly in the Hockley Hills near Kiana, AK, about 29 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

1987
Showers and thunderstorms drenched northern Illinois during the morning and afternoon hours pushing August rainfall totals for Chicago, Moline and Peoria to new all-time highs for any month of the year. By the end of August, Chicago had received 17.10 inches of rain, which easily surpassed the previous record of 14.17 inches established in September 1961.

1988
A dozen cities in Texas, Colorado and California reported record high temperatures for the date, including readings of 109°at Redding, CA, 106°at Wichita Falls, TX and 100°at Pueblo, CO.

Afternoon thunderstorms deluged Beaver, UT with more than an inch of rain in 20 minutes.

1989
Anchorage, AK was soaked 4.12 inches of rain in 24 hours; smashing their previous 24 hour precipitation total of 2.10 inches. It also pushed their rainfall total for the month past their previous monthly record.

1992
Hurricane Andrew made a second landfall near Burns Point, LA as a Category 3 hurricane. Morgan City, LA recorded sustained winds of 92 mph with a peak gust of 108 mph. Hammond, LA was deluged with 11.92 inches of rain.  Late on the 25th, one of Andrew's rainbands spawned an F3 tornado which tracked 9 miles from Laplace to Reserve, LA. This tornado killed two people and injured 32 others. Six other people were killed as a result of the hurricane's second landfall and total damage was $1.8 billion dollars. As Andrew moved inland and weakened, he spawned 47 tornadoes from this date through the 28th from the South to the Mid Atlantic states.

Elko, NV dipped to 20° to set not only a new record low temperature for the day but also a new record low for the month of August. The old monthly record low for August was 24° set on the 8/30/1932.

1993
Severe thunderstorms developed ahead of a slow moving cold front in northwest Iowa. High winds affected several counties and one inch diameter hail was reported in O'Brien County at Sanborn. Shortly after midnight, strong winds of 75 mph or greater blew a police car across a street in Sanborn. These winds lasted 3 to 3 1/2 minutes. Hartley received some tree damage from 60 mph winds with one 22 inch diameter ash tree uprooted. Four buildings also had their windows broken out. In addition, a three stall garage had its roof blown about 100 yards into a bean field and a single car garage was completely blown away. What is amazing is that this garage had its door closed with a car inside. After the wind stopped, the garage was on the other side of a grove and the car was not scratched.

Butte, MT picked up 5 inches of heavy, early season snow.

1995
The longest consecutive days without measurable rain ended at Boston, MA. The streak lasted 20 days beginning on 8/7.

2002
Severe thunderstorms produced widespread wind damage over a large part of northwest Oklahoma. Several large trees were blown down, and roof damage occurred in and around Woodward. Wind speeds as high as 80 mph were measured.

A severe thunderstorm produced large and damaging hail at Cheyenne, WY during the evening. Hail up to the size of baseballs fell over especially the central and west parts of town producing widespread damage, particularly to roofs and automobiles. Total damage estimates exceeded $30 million dollars. 

4.22 inches of rain fell at Nimes in southern France during a 30 hour period causing local flooding. Their average August rainfall is 1.77 inches.

2003
A derecho associated with a cluster of severe thunderstorms affected parts of Michigan and states eastward to Washington, D.C. Strong winds left hundreds of thousands of customers without power, just weeks after the Great Blackout of 2003.

Fresno, CA received 0.07 of an inch of rain. This is rare since measurable rain has only fallen in 18 Augusts since 1887 at Fresno.

2005
At 1 am EDT, maximum sustained winds had decreased to 70 mph and Katrina was again downgraded to a tropical storm. At 5 am EDT, the eye of Hurricane Katrina was located just offshore of southwestern Florida over the Gulf of Mexico about 50 miles north-northeast of Key West, FL. Maximum sustained winds had again increased to 75 mph and Katrina was upgraded again to a Category 1 hurricane.

2007
The remnants of Hurricane Dean produced thunderstorms and heavy rain all over the San Diego Metro area in southern California. Two inches of rain fell in just 90 minutes at Escondido during the morning. During the afternoon, flash flooding occurred near Borrego Springs and Ocotillo Wells closing several roads. 
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August 27 

Lightning can take on many intriguing forms. One of the more interesting and probably less frequent types is called “ribbon lightning”. Ribbon lightning forms when the wind moves or pushes the ionized channel between each lightning return stroke. These return strokes are just following the path carved by the initial lightning strike (when you see lightning appear to flicker what you are seeing is additional return strokes following the same path). As the wind moves the ionized channel between each stroke the lightning will appear as a moving ribbon hanging from the cloud.
 
1667
On this date one of the most severe hurricanes to ever hit Virginia reduced the Jamestown Colony to ruins. The nearest computation was that at least 10,000 houses were blown down.
 
1854
A tornado struck Louisville, KY, killing 25 people. Many people were at the Third Presbyterian Church when the tornado hit. 18 parishioners died.
 
1856
3 inches of snow was reported on the peak of Mouth Washington, NH.
 
1881
A hurricane struck the coast of Georgia killing 335 people. Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC were especially hard hit.
 
1893
The Sea Islands Hurricane came ashore near Beaufort, SC. This was the first of three major hurricanes to affect the United States between August and October and one of six hurricanes to hit the U.S. coast that year. Winds at Savannah, GA were estimated at 120 mph. Many communities along the South Carolina coast were inundated by the storm surge. Death toll estimates ranged as high as 2,500; more than 1,000 in the storm surge at Charleston, SC.
 
1935
0.25 of inch of rain fell in San Francisco, CA to establish their all-time 24 hour rainfall record for the month of August.
 
1948
A late season heat wave was underway from parts of the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Other daily records included: Huntington, WV: 103°, Baltimore, MD: 102°, Cleveland, OH: 102°, New York (Central Park), NY: 101°, New York (Kennedy Airport), PA: 101°, Columbus, OH: 100°, Bridgeport, CT: 100°, Boston, MA: 100°, Portland, ME: 100°, Cincinnati, OH: 99°, Toledo, OH: 99°, Louisville, KY: 99°, Washington, D.C.: 99°, Newark, DE: 99°, Pittsburgh, PA: 99°, New York (LaGuardia), NY: 99°, Milton, MA: 99°, Detroit, MI: 98°, Flint, MI: 98°, Lansing, MI: 98°, Richmond, VA: 98°, Wilmington, DE: 98°, Atlantic City, NJ: 98°, Allentown, PA: 98°, Philadelphia, PA: 98°, Williamsport, PA: 98°, Rochester, NY: 98°, Hartford, CT: 98°, Chicago, IL: 97°, Indianapolis, IN: 97°, Akron, OH: 97°, Dayton, OH: 97°, Raleigh, NC: 97°, Harrisburg, PA: 97°, Albany, NY: 97°, Syracuse, NY: 98°, Providence, RI: 98°, South Bend, IN: 96°, Fort Wayne, IN: 96°, Youngstown, OH: 96°, Lynchburg, VA: 96°, Avoca, PA: 96°, Concord, NH: 96°, Grand Rapids, MI: 95°, Elkins, WV: 95°, Burlington, VT: 95°, Alpena, MI: 94°, Worcester, MA: 94°, Beckley, WV: 93°, Ste. St. Marie, MI: 93°, Erie, PA: 92°and Muskegon, MI: 91°.
 
Buffalo, NY hit their all-time maximum temperature of 99°.
 
1951
A hurricane moving north-northwestward just off the west coast of Baja California moved northeastward into northern Baja California and dissipated. Moisture from this tropical cyclone resulted in rainfall of 2 to 5 inches in the mountains and deserts starting on this date and ending on 8/29. A daily record of 1.10 inches fell at Borrego Springs.  Many roads were washed out in the Imperial Valley, but otherwise no major damage occurred. This occurred during the El Nino of 1951-52.
 
1954
Palm Springs, CA dropped to 52°, their lowest temperature on record for August. This was tied on 8/30/1957.
 
1964
On this date through the 28th, Hurricane Cleo, a small, but destructive storm, moved northward into Biscayne Bay early on this date and continued northward a short distance inland and roughly parallel to the Florida east coast all the way to Jacksonville by midday on the 28th. Strongest winds and greatest damage were in a 20 to 35 mile wide coastal strip from Miami to Melbourne. Miami had sustained winds of 100 mph with gusts to 135 mph and the barometer fell to 967 millibars or 28.57 inHg. Storm intensity north of Melbourne was such that only minor damage resulted. The storm surge was less than four feet at Miami, five feet above normal at Fort Lauderdale, and 5 to 6 feet above normal at Pompano Beach. No serious tidal damage was reported. Principal damages were glass breakage in unprotected store fronts, Miami Beach hotels and motels and other unprotected glass. Many building and contents suffered water damage after the windows gave away. Other major damages were uprooted trees, disrupted communications and power failures in the southern sections, sand blasted buildings and automobiles, overturned parked aircraft and agricultural losses. Rainfall connected with this storm was light in the state and there were only isolated reports of flooding. Measured storm totals varied from 5 to 8 inches in the coastal areas of north Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties to mostly between 3 and 5 inches in the coastal areas farther north. Three tornadoes were reported, causing minor injuries. This was the first direct hit in south Florida in 14 years. Damage totaled $125 million dollars.
 
A tornado moved north, then west, then north again through the San Xavier Mission Indian village, four miles west-southwest of Tucson, AZ. Four dwellings were demolished along with two deaths and nine injuries. These were Arizona's first known tornado fatalities.
 
1965
Hurricane Betsy was born in the Atlantic.
 
1970 
3.66 inches of rain fell in one hour at Elko, NV, setting the state record.
 
1971
An F2 tornado moved north in the northern part of Cape May City, NJ and moved into Atlantic County. The funnel re-formed as an F1 at Woodbine and Atlantic City. This tornado was associated with tropical storm Doria. Doria was a tropical depression moving northwest through the Bahamas, and became a tropical storm east of northern Florida. The storm re-curved along the coast from North Carolina to New Jersey then moved into New England. Philadelphia, PA received 4.77 inches of rain and New York City: 4.16 inches, both daily records. On the 28th, Philadelphia received an additional 1.78 inches, and New York City a daily record of 1.80 inches. Norfolk, VA, measured a gust to 56 mph, and Cape May, NJ, gusted to 46 mph the next day.
 
1973
Borrego Springs, CA dropped to 55°, their lowest temperature on record for August.
 
The largest documented Canadian hailstone was reported in Cedoux, Saskatchewan Canada. It weighed 0.55 lb and measured 4.5 inches across.
 
1977
Only two days after setting a record low of 43°, the low temperature at Muskegon, MI was a balmy 74°, a record warm low temperature for the date.
 
1986
A mix of snow, ice pellets and rain fell at Sault St. Marie, MI during the evening. This is the first time snow has ever been recorded at Sault Ste Marie during the month of August since weather records have been kept there. Weather records for Sault Ste Marie date back to July 1, 1888.
 
1987
WashingtonD.C. soared to a record high of 100°, while clouds and rain to the north kept temperatures in the 50s in central and southeastern New York State.
 
1988
Afternoon thunderstorms produced locally heavy rains in the southwestern U.S. Thunderstorms in eastern New Mexico produced wind gusts to 75 mph near the White Sands Missile Range, and produced three inches of rain in two hours near the town of Belen.
 
1989
Afternoon and evening thunderstorms produced severe weather in southeastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas and Missouri. Thunderstorms produced baseball size hail south of Belleville, KS, and tennis ball size hail south of Lincoln, NE. Thunderstorms produced golf ball size hail and wind gusts to 70 mph at Saint Joseph, MO. Thunderstorms deluged Linton, ND with 6 inches of rain in one hour.
 
1990
New York City, NY had a bout of severe weather. The Bronx received 4.24 inches of rain. A wind gust of 61 mph was measured at LaGuardia Airport. At Nassau, 12 people were injured when a boat overturned.
 
1991
A tornado in Maskinonge, Quebec Canada caused over $17 million dollars in damage.
 
1994
An F3 tornado rolled through the town of Big Flats, WI and caused $1 million dollars in damage. An 80 year old man and his 78 year old wife died when the tornado destroyed their home in Big Flats. 24 homes were destroyed, eight suffered major damage, and 160 had light to moderate damage. In addition, the Big Flats Fire Department and town hall were destroyed, as well as a thrift shop. 70 cows were crushed to death in one barn as the walls blew out and the upper floor, filled with 16,000 bales of hay, and the roof collapsed. This was one of the first tornadoes detected by the new WSR-88D installed at Sullivan, WI. This tornado became known as the "Big Flats Tornado". In addition to this tornado, two other F1 tornadoes touched down on this date. The first touched down just south of Lyndon Station, WI and then moved southeast for just over five miles. This tornado damaged eight mobile homes and plowed through a campground where two trailers were hit. Considerable tree damage also occurred. Three injuries resulted by this tornado. The second F1 tornado briefly in a field caused some crop damage just southeast of Plainville, WI.
 
1995
17.01 inches of rain fell at Antreville, SC from the remnants of Tropical Storm Jerry, setting a new 24 hour rainfall record for the state. Greer, SC reported 12.32 inches to establish their 24-hour rainfall record and their wettest August on record.
 
1998
Hurricane Bonnie passed just east of Cape Fear, NC late on the 26th and made landfall near Wilmington, NC on this date as a Category 2 hurricane. Bonnie would be the first of seven (3 hurricanes and 4 tropical storms) named tropical systems to make landfall in the U.S. during a very busy hurricane season, the most since 1985. Three people were killed by the storm and $720 million dollars in damage resulted. One of the biggest victims of Bonnie was the tourism industry in eastern North Carolina. The storm forced over 500,000 visitors to flee in advance of the storm.
 
2002 
A stationary thunderstorm over the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming produced rainfall totals of up to 7.4 inches in six hours. The excessive rains produced severe flash flooding that damaged most of the homes and businesses in Kaycee, WY.  As bad as the damage was, experts say that if the rainfall had been centered 10 miles further north, the town of Kaycee would have been totally destroyed. Severe thunderstorms spread large hail over metro Denver, CO. Hail up to two inches in diameter fell in Jefferson County 5 to 11 miles northwest of Golden. A storm produced a trace of rain and a microburst wind gust to 52 mph at Denver International Airport.
 
2003 
Billings, MT ended their longest consecutive day stretch without measurable precipitation at 62 days.
 
2005
Hurricane Katrina reached Category 3 intensity in the Gulf of Mexico about 335 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph.
 
2009
In New London in southeast Iowa's Henry County, 8.34 inches of rain fell; 7.20 inches of it in just four hours.
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August 28th:
1816
Widespread frosts continued throughout New England in the infamous “Year Without A Summer”.

1898
The official rain gauge at Fort Mohave, AZ was blown over by high winds accompanying a strong thunderstorm. However, a wash tub was reported to have received 8 inches of rain during the 45 minute storm.

1911
Saint George, GA recorded 18.00 inches of rain in 24 hours to establish a state record.

1951
Needles, CA recorded 2.55 inches of rain which is the greatest one day calendar total.

1954
Thunderstorm winds and hail struck Alachua and Orange Counties in Florida. A tornado touched down briefly in Orlando and ripped up three large oaks. Trees, wire lines, and TV antennas were downed in many areas. Considerable wind damage to roofs and several automobiles were hit by falling trees. A child was killed by lightning at Lake City, FL. Several others were injured.

1959
Lieutenant Colonel William Rankin bailed out of his plane at a height of 46,000 feet into a violent thunderstorm, and lived to write about the 45 minute journey (which normally would have been a 13 minute descent). He described it as one of the most bizarre and painful experiences imaginable.

1961
La Coruna on the tip of northwestern Spain recorded its hottest day on record as the temperature peak at 103.3°. 

1964
NASA launched the first NIMBUS weather satellite. More advanced than the pioneering TIROS satellites, the NIMBUS program featured new cameras and sensors that continued well into the 1970s.

1966
3.78 inches of rain fell in one hour at Porcupine Mountain, Manitoba Canada.

1968
One man was seriously injured by lightning while riding on a roller coaster at a Denver, CO amusement park. An airline employee was injured when lightning struck a jetliner he was servicing at Stapleton International Airport. A lightning caused fire did extensive damage to a house and to several others.

1971
For the second day in a row New Jersey was hit by heavy rain from Tropical Storm Doria which made landfall over western Long Island and southwestern Connecticut before moving north-northeast. Winds on the southern New England coast gusted to 75 mph while Newark, NJ recorded their record 24-hour precipitation record when 7.84 inches of rain fell. The Princeton-Millstone area of New Jersey was even wetter with 11.03 inches of rain falling in 36 hours. Damage totaled $138 million dollars. In southeastern Pennsylvania, high winds downed trees and power lines, and in New York City, heavy rains flooded streets and subways. This was the worst tropical storm/hurricane activity in New England since Hurricane Donna in 1960.

In southeastern Pennsylvania, high winds downed trees and power lines, and in New York City, heavy rains flooded streets and subways. Record flood stages were set at Morristown, NJ, on the Whippany River, with a stage of 8.6 feet (flood stage 6.0 feet); at Haddenfield, NJ, on the Cooper River, with a stage of 5.5 feet (flood stage 2.8 feet); and tied the record flood of 8/21/1939, at Pemberton, NJ, on the Rancocas Creek, with a stage of 4.2 feet (flood stage 2.7 feet). Somerset Co, New Jersey, records were also set, and stood until hurricane Floyd in 1999. The main stem of the Raritan River rose to 23.8 feet (flood stage 14.0 feet) at Manville, and to 37.5 feet (flood stage 28.0 feet) at Bound Brook. At Blackwells Mills, the Millstone River crested at 18.7 feet (flood stage 9.0 feet).

1973
An F4 tornado touched down in extreme eastern New York and moved into Massachusetts and leveled a truck stop at West Stockbridge. Four people were killed and 43 others were injured. The thunderstorm responsible for this tornado had tops to 62,000 feet which is rare for this part of the country.

1977
Severe flooding hit parts of southwest Oklahoma after 8 to 10 inches of rain fell over the area. The hardest hit areas were between the West Cache and Blue Beaver Creeks, near the communities of Cache, Faxon, and Medicine Park, all in Comanche County. Six children had to be rescued by helicopter from a knoll between the two creeks, while several other families had to be evacuated. Damage was quite severe as many houses reportedly had two to four feet of water flowing through them. The floods also washed away several bridges.

1978
Hail up to six inches deep was recorded during a severe thunderstorm at Colorado Springs, CO.

1979
2.73 inches of rain fell in 50 minutes at Rochester, MN; resulting in extensive flooding. The rainfall put the city over the top for the month as the wettest August on record.

A tornado struck a fully loaded semi-trailer truck on a highway in southwestern Iowa. The truck was carried through the air for 200 yards, fatally injuring the driver, who was found another 50 yards away. The twister was part of an outbreak of 20 tornadoes that occurred across a five state area.

1980
Two inches of snow fell at Sherman Pass, WA.

1982
A strong cold front pushed through bringing record low temperatures across parts of the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. Record lows included: International Falls, MN: 30°, Duluth, MN: 34°, Marquette, MI: 36°, Lansing, MI: 36°, Ste. St. Marie, MI: 37°-Tied, Toledo, OH: 41°, Youngstown, OH: 41°, Rochester, NY: 41°, Grand Rapids, MI: 42°, Albany, NY: 42°, Binghamton, NY: 42°, Buffalo, NY: 43°, Syracuse, NY: 43° and New York (LaGuardia), NY: 57°-Tied.

1985
In the early morning hours eight inches of rain pounded Le Mars, IA. Every home in town had some problems and houses that had never had water in their basements suddenly had 6 inches of water standing on their floors. Later that afternoon, more severe weather developed in northwest Iowa pounding several counties with golfball size hail and high winds in excess of 60 mph. Window and tree damage was extensive across Emmett, O'Brien, Cherokee, Clay, Buena Vista and Plymouth Counties.

1986
There was an autumnal chill extending from the upper Midwest, Great Lakes to the Ohio& Tennessee Valley and the Mid-Atlantic. Locations recording their coldest August temperature ever included: Viroqua, WI: 32°, Richland Center, WI: 33°, Guttenberg, IA: 40° and Quincy, IL: 42°. Other daily records included: Grand Forks, ND: 31°, Lansing, MI: 36°-Tied, Sioux City, IA: 39°, Flint, MI: 39-Tied, Dubuque, IA: 40°, Moline, IL: 40°, Elkins, WV: 40°-Tied, Des Moines, IA: 41°, Peoria, IL: 41°, Grand Rapids, MI: 41°, Chicago, IL: 42°, Fort Wayne, IN: 42°, South Bend, IN: 42°, Columbia, MO: 42°-Tied, Kansas City, MO: 43°, Indianapolis, IN: 43°, Detroit, MI: 43°, Springfield, IL: 44°, Sterling (Dulles Airport), VA: 44°, Wilmington, DE: 46°, Allentown, PA: 46-Tied, Cincinnati, OH: 47°, St. Louis, MO: 48°, Baltimore, MD: 48°, Evansville, IN: 48°, Bristol, TN: 48-Tied, Philadelphia, PA: 49°, Islip, NY: 49°, Huntington, WV: 49°, Roanoke, VA: 49°-Tied, Jackson, KY: 50°, Richmond, VA: 50°, Wallops Island, VA: 50°, Lexington, KY: 50°-Tied, Louisville, KY: 51°, Lynchburg, VA: 51°-Tied, New York (Kennedy Airport), NY: 53°, New York (LaGuardia), NY: 54° and Oak Ridge, TN: 54°-Tied.
The temperature at Apalachicola, FL dipped to 62° to shatter their previous August record by four degrees. They tied their August record high of 99° on the 2nd.

1987
Severe thunderstorms broke the heat in the southeastern U.S. and the Gulf Coast Region, but not before several cities reported record high temperatures for the date. The severe thunderstorms produced wind gusts to 80 mph downing large trees around Horse Shoe, NC, and pelted southeastern Meridian, MS with hail two inches in diameter.

1988
Tropical Storm Chris spawned a tornado near Manning, SC which killed one person, and spawned three tornadoes in North Carolina. Chris produced tides two feet above normal and 3 to 6 inches of rain, over coastal South Carolina. 

Severe thunderstorms in New York State and Vermont, developing ahead of a cold front, spawned a tornado which killed one person at Hector, NY, produced tennis ball size hail at Brandon, VT, and produced wind gusts to 80 mph at Lyndonville, VT.

1989
Early morning thunderstorms in Nebraska produced 4.50 inches of rain around McCook, and 4.65 inches near Auburn and Brownville. 

Showers in Montana pushed the rainfall total for the month at Havre past the previous August record of 3.90 inches.

1990
A deadly tornado struck Kendall and Will Counties in northern Illinois. Known as “The Plainfield, IL Tornado”, the F5 twister was on the ground for over 16 miles, touching down first near Oswego and lifting 20 minutes later in Joliet. The worst damage occurred in the towns of Plainfield and Crest Hill. 29 people were killed, and another 350 were injured. Total damage was estimated around $165 million dollars. Before the tornado developed, the severe thunderstorm produced wind gusts in the 80-100 mph range. Oddly, no known photographs or videos of the actual tornado exist. The tornado was embedded in heavy rain and hail during most of its lifetime, thus preventing visual warning of the impending event.
Proper tornado warnings were not issued as coordination between local National Weather Service Offices and spotter networks was inadequate, prompting an official NOAA investigation.

1992
The coolest August temperature ever recorded in Wichita Falls, TX when the temperature fell to a cool 53°.

Rapidly intensifying Typhoon Omar cut right across the U.S. territory of Guam in the western Pacific. At the time of landfall winds were sustained at 125 mph around the eye. Anderson Air Force Base had sustained winds of 104 mph with a peak gust to 150 mph, recorded a pressure reading of 945.8 millibars or 27.93 inHg, and was deluged with 16.41 inches of rain. Agana Naval Air Station reported wind gusts exceeding 170 mph and a low pressure reading of 932 millibars or 27.52 inHg. The storm surge reached 10 feet on the northeast side of the island. The Western Pacific Typhoon Warning Center was knocked out of commission, less than a week after Hurricane Andrew severely damaged the Atlantic region's National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables, FL. One person was killed, 132 people were injured, over 4,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, and total damage was $487 million dollars. This was the strongest typhoon to strike Guam since Typhoon Pamela in 1976.

2005
Hurricane Katrina continues to rapidly strengthen reaching Category 5 status. It had the second lowest pressure for an American hurricane in recorded history, with only the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 having a lower measurement. Katrina dropped to 908 millibars or 26.81 inHg. The Labor Day event of 1935 had a minimum pressure of 892 millibars or 26.34 inHg.
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August 29th:
1583
The ship “Delight” was wrecked on the Sable Island, Nova Scotia Canada during blinding rain and thick fog. This was Canada's first recorded marine disaster, which took 85 lives.

1816
Any remaining hopes of harvesting a corn crop were dashed by heavy frosts in northern New England. This was the second time this summer with heavy frosts.

1876
A torrential downpour inundated St John's, Newfoundland Canada with 6.8 inches of rain, the greatest single daily accumulation ever recorded in the province.

1893
A very destructive hurricane devastated the Georgia/South Carolina coast on the 27th. A tremendous wave submerged the offshore islands near Charleston and Savannah, killing between 1,000 and 2,500 people. The storm recurved to the northeast, passing through eastern Pennsylvania, still maintaining hurricane strength. Norfolk, VA, and New York City both measured a gust to 60 mph. The storm decreased to tropical storm status in Maine.
To the west, Buffalo, NY received 4.22 inches of rain. A large number of cellars were flooded, sidewalks were raised and carried for blocks, the street cars were unable to run and in some instances the sewers were unable to carry off the water. Estimated damages were about $5,000 dollars. 

1936
In Rickmansworth England, the temperature rose within 9 hours from an overnight low of 34° to an afternoon high of 84.9°, a jump of 50.9°.

1960
Hurricane Donna, the only storm on record to strike Florida, the Mid-Atlantic States and New England, was born in the far eastern Atlantic.

1962
Hackberry, LA was deluged with 22 inches of rain in 24 hours, establishing a state record.

1965
A cold outbreak in New England brought 2.5 inches of snow to the top of Mount Washington, NH. Many stations recorded the earliest freeze on record. Temperatures were in the mid to upper 20s as far south as Connecticut and the temperature on Nantucket Island dipped to 39°. Chilly weather extended from the Midwest to the Gulf Coast to the Mid-Atlantic. 
Record August lows included: Necedah, WI: 28°, Fort Wayne, IN: 38°, South Bend, IN: 40°.
Other record lows included: Elkins, WV: 34°, Madison, WI: 35°, Beckley, WV: 36°, Duluth, MN: 37°, Toledo, OH: 37°, Green Bay, WI: 38°, Columbus, OH: 39°, Flint, MI: 40°, Mansfield, OH: 40°, Pittsburgh, PA: 40°, Albany, NY: 40°, Binghamton, NY: 40°, Rochester, NY: 40°, La Crosse, WI: 40°-Tied, Indianapolis, IN: 41°, Cleveland, OH: 41°, Youngstown, OH: 41°, Lexington, KY: 42°, Grand Rapids, MI: 42°, Akron, OH: 42°, Dayton, OH: 42°, Williamsport, PA: 42°, Cincinnati, OH: 43°, Huntington, WV: 43°, Syracuse, NY: 43°, Chicago, IL: 43°-Tied, Peoria, IL: 44°, Milwaukee, WI: 44°, Avoca, PA: 44°, Springfield, IL: 45°, Milton, MA: 45°-Tied, Wilmington, DE: 46°, Atlantic City, NJ: 46°, Allentown, PA: 46°, Philadelphia, PA: 46°, St. Louis, MO: 47°, Evansville, IN: 47°, Roanoke, VA: 47°, Bristol, TN: 49°, Louisville, KY: 49°, Paducah, KY: 49°, Lynchburg, VA: 49°, Raleigh-Durham, NC: 50°, Baltimore, MD: 50°, Newark, NJ: 50°, New York (Central Park), NY: 50°, New York (Kennedy Airport), NY: 51°, Bridgeport, CT: 51°, Richmond, VA: 52°, Greensboro, NC: 52°-Tied, Oak Ridge, TN: 53°, New York (LaGuardia), NY: 53°, Norfolk, VA: 54°, Cape Hatteras, NC: 62° and New Orleans, LA: 67°.

1974
Hurricane Carmen was born east of the Lesser Antilles.

1978
The remnants of Tropical Storm Debra spawned a tornado in southern Memphis, TN. The twister was two miles long and 75-100 yards wide, left 26 injured and did $4.6 million damage. No thunder or lightning was observed. The tornado came within one mile of Elvis Presley's Graceland.

1979
The strong winds of powerful Hurricane David leveled the island of Dominica in the Lesser Antilles, resulting in 56 deaths and leaving 60,000 of the islands 80,000 inhabitants homeless.

Hurricane Frederic was born in the Atlantic.

1980
2.23 inches of rain fell in less than one hour at Houston, TX causing flooding in the downtown area.

1982
Canadian high pressure settled across the Mid-Atlantic brought record lows from the Great Lakes to the East Coast. The morning low of 39° at Pittsburgh, PA was their coldest reading ever in August. Cool air from Canada continues pouring in, Houghton Lake, MI: 29°, Ste. St. Marie, MI: 29°, Alpena, MI: 30°, Youngstown, OH: 32°, Toledo, OH: 34°, Albany, NY: 34°, Marquette, MI: 36°, Caribou, ME: 36°, Flint, MI: 37°, Erie, PA: 37°, Muskegon, MI: 38°, Detroit, MI: 38°, Cleveland, OH: 38°, Sterling (Dulles Airport), VA: 38°, Avoca, PA: 38°, Binghamton, NY: 38°, Buffalo, NY: 38°, Rochester, NY: 38°, Pittsburgh, PA: 39°, Williamsport, PA: 39°, Hartford, CT: 39°, Grand Rapids, MI: 41°, Akron, OH: 41°, Atlantic City, NJ: 41°, Milton, MA: 41°, Wilmington, DE: 43°, Allentown, PA: 43°, Chicago, IL: 43°-Tied, Milwaukee, WI: 44°, Bridgeport, CT: 44°, Newark, NJ: 45°, Harrisburg, PA: 46°, Providence, RI: 46°, Philadelphia, PA: 46°-Tied, Baltimore, MD: 49°, Richmond, VA: 50°, New York (Central Park), NY: 50°-Tied, Norfolk, VA: 51°, Wallops Island, VA: 51°, New York (LaGuardia), NY: 51° and New York (Kennedy Airport), NY: 51°-Tied.

1983
A devastating hail storm struck portions of central South Dakota. In a small portion of Faulk county hail pounded the area for two straight hours. At times, the hail was the size of baseballs. Of course, this amazing hail storm devastated crops in the area and took out windows in area buildings. In one home, the windows were shattered, the curtains shredded, and much of the upper floor was ruined by glass shards and water. On some houses paint was literally peeled off by the continual pounding of the hail.
Spencer in Clay County of northwest Iowa was the target of a severe thunderstorm. Winds of 70 mph whipped through town downing trees, power lines and breaking windows. One tree smashed a camping trailer when it fell due to strong winds. 

1984
The high temperature in Topeka, KS reached 110° for only the second time since the Dust Bowl days of the 1930's.
The highest temperature on record at Columbia, MO for the month of August: 110° was recorded.

1986
Canadian high pressure across the Ohio Valley brought record chill from the Ohio Valley to the East Coast and Southeast.
Record lows included: Concord, NH: 32°, Caribou, ME: 35°, Beckley, WV: 36°-Tied, Goshen, IN: 37°, Dayton, OH: 41°, Atlantic City, NJ: 41°-Tied, Burlington, VT: 41°-Tied, Asheville, NC: 42°, Roanoke, VA: 42°, Syracuse, NY: 42°, Columbia, MO: 43°, Bristol, TN: 43°, Peoria, IL: 43°, Springfield, IL: 43°, Evansville, IN: 43°, Dubuque, IA: 43°-Tied, Cincinnati, OH: 43°-Tied, Huntington, WV: 43°-Tied, Paducah, KY: 44°, Philadelphia, PA: 44°, Providence, RI: 44°, Jackson, KY: 45°, Lexington, KY: 45°, Louisville, KY: 46°, Islip, NY: 46°, Springfield, MO: 47°, Greensboro, NC: 47°, Lynchburg, VA: 47°, Richmond, VA: 47°, Baltimore, MD: 47°, St. Louis, MO: 47°-Tied, Boston, MA: 47°-Tied, Wallops Island, VA: 48°, Nashville, TN: 49°, Washington, D.C.: 49°, Raleigh-Durham, NC: 49°, New York (Central Park), NY: 50°-Tied, Fort Smith, AR: 51°, Tupelo, MS: 52°, Little Rock, AR: 52°-Tied, Knoxville, TN: 53°, Memphis, TN: 53°, Charlotte, NC: 54°, Meridian, MS: 55°, Shreveport, LA: 56°, Savannah, GA: 57°, Charleston, SC: 57°, Lake Charles, LA: 61°, Tallahassee, FL: 61°-Tied and Mobile, AL: 64°.

1987
Some of the most powerful thunderstorms in several years developed over the piedmont of North Carolina, and marched across central sections of the state during the late afternoon and evening hours. Baseball size hail was reported around Albemarle, while thunderstorm winds downed giant trees around High Falls.

1988
Cool air invaded the north central U.S. Several cities reported record low temperatures for the date, including Bismarck ND with a reading of 33°. Deerfield, a small town in the Black Hills of South Dakota, reported a low of 23°. 

Tropical storm Chris moved into South Carolina then recurved through southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey as a depression. The remnants of Tropical Storm Chris drenched eastern Pennsylvania with up to 5.5 inches of rain, and produced high winds gusting to 90 mph, severely damaging 100 boats in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.

1989
Evening thunderstorms produced destructive lightning in West Virginia. The lightning caused widespread damage, particularly in Doddridge County. Numerous trees were downed closing many roads. Fire companies had a difficult time tending to the many homes and trailers on fire. 

Anchorage, AK reported a record 9.60 inches of rain for the month of August. The average annual precipitation for Anchorage is just slightly more than 15 inches. 

Maryville, MO reported 8.20 inches of rain during a 3-day rain event. 

1991
Williamsport, PA established their record for most 90 degree plus days in one year as the event occurred for the 38th time.

Severe thunderstorms struck parts of southwest and central Oklahoma late in the evening. Most of the damage was from winds. Rush Springs experienced winds stronger than 80 mph, and a bus barn and several mobile homes were destroyed in the area. Just south of nearby Cement, the wind blew over an oil drilling rig. The storms also produced golf ball sized hail northeast of Durham.
In Kansas, thunderstorm wind gusts of 65 mph, combined with golf ball-size hail, blew out the windows of a few houses 3 miles west of Dodge City. The large hail also killed a bunch of sparrows nesting in surrounding trees. At Garden City, lightning struck service transformers, electric lines, and buildings causing power outages and several structural fires. Lightning also caused one house fire that resulted in $20,000 damage. Flooding occurred along Highway 281 near the Kansas/Oklahoma border due to heavy rainfall. Water was up to the tail lights of some cars and the highway patrol had to stop traffic.

1995
The 1995 North Atlantic Hurricane Season was one of the busiest on record. The National Hurricane Center had their hands full on this date, as they tracked dissipating Tropical Storm Jerry, a strong tropical wave and four named storms: Hurricane Humberto, Hurricane Iris, Tropical Storm Karen and Tropical Storm Luis.

1996
A severe thunderstorm produced 1.75 inch diameter hail and very heavy rain over parts of Cheyenne on this day in 1996, flooding some basements on the north side of town and causing about 2.4 million in damage. Further east, Sidney, NE was flooded with up to 5 inches of rain.

1998
Strong thunderstorms developed each day starting on this day and ending on 8/31 in parts of southern California. 1.5 inches of rain fell at Apple Valley, 0.77 inched fell in only 45 minutes at Wrightwood, and 0.68 inches fell in only 30 minutes at Forest Falls. Homes and roads were flooded with four to six feet of water in Hesperia and Apple Valley. Rock slides occurred in Mill Creek. Roads were flooded in Sugarloaf and Forest Falls. Flash flooding was also recorded in Hemet. Severe thunderstorm wind gusts of 86 mph hit Sage, south of Hemet. Gusts of 50 mph were recorded at Rialto and gusts of
45 mph hit San Marcos. Trees and power lines were downed. 
Record heat occurred near the coast as well on these same days. Temperatures hit 114° at Dulzura, 112° at Yorba Linda and the Wild Animal Park, 110° at El Cajon, Hemet and Riverside, 108° at Ramona, 106° at Vista and Escondido, and over 100° in most of Orange County.

1999
Parts of the Outer Banks of North Carolina were being evacuated as large Category 2 Hurricane Dennis continued to move towards the coast with top winds of 105 mph. The National Hurricane Center cautiously waited for the hurricane to make a much-anticipated turn to the east that would carry it out to sea and away from land.

2000
The mercury reached 105° at Mobile, AL, setting an all-time record high. The record high also established a new mark for most 100 degree days in a summer with 8.

Heavy rainfall totaling nearly 2.00 inches of rain soaked the northwest part of Las Vegas, NV. Several swift water rescues were preformed after people ignored warning signs. No injuries were reported, but at least 40 motorists became stranded.

2002
Strong thunderstorms dropped 4.7 inches of rain on Kerkyra, Corfu Greece in six hours, nearly seven times the average August rainfall.

2005
Hurricane Katrina, one of the strongest storms to impact the coast of the United States during the last 100 years, blasted coastal Louisiana with winds gusting over 100 mph. The hurricane caused major levee breaks that flood 80% of New Orleans up to 20 feet deep.
Coastal Mississippi bore the brunt of Hurricane Katrina's force. Powerful winds and a devastating storm surge of 20-30+ feet raked the coastline, spreading floodwaters several miles inland. Along the Mississippi and Alabama coastlines, thousands of homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed and more than 2.3 million people lost power. The accepted death toll has reached more than 1,300 based on bodies found, but the real death toll is clearly higher.
Hurricane Katrina's minimum central pressure was observed at 902 millibars or 26.64 inHg, by reconnaissance aircraft, the 5th lowest pressure ever recorded in the Atlantic Basin. Katrina is also the third most-intense landfalling hurricane in U.S. history based on a minimum landfall pressure of 920 millibars or 27.17 inHg.

2007
With its high temperature pegged at 113° Phoenix, AZ sets a new record of 29 days with 110°+ temperatures.

2008
On this date through the 30th, a freakish late-winter heat wave developed over Argentina. Buenos Aires recorded highs of 93.2° and 92.3°, respectively; normal would be around 60°. Cordoba had a high of 99.1° the next day. Santa Fe reached 101.5° two days later. These would be hot days in midsummer, let alone late August which is late winter.

Parts of central Japan receive torrential rain that causes flooding and landslides that force nearly half a million people to evacuate. The city of Okazaki measured 5.7 inches of rain.
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August 29th:
1583
The ship “Delight” was wrecked on the Sable Island, Nova Scotia Canada during blinding rain and thick fog. This was Canada's first recorded marine disaster, which took 85 lives.

1816
Any remaining hopes of harvesting a corn crop were dashed by heavy frosts in northern New England. This was the second time this summer with heavy frosts.

1876
A torrential downpour inundated St John's, Newfoundland Canada with 6.8 inches of rain, the greatest single daily accumulation ever recorded in the province.

1893
A very destructive hurricane devastated the Georgia/South Carolina coast on the 27th. A tremendous wave submerged the offshore islands near Charleston and Savannah, killing between 1,000 and 2,500 people. The storm recurved to the northeast, passing through eastern Pennsylvania, still maintaining hurricane strength. Norfolk, VA, and New York City both measured a gust to 60 mph. The storm decreased to tropical storm status in Maine.
To the west, Buffalo, NY received 4.22 inches of rain. A large number of cellars were flooded, sidewalks were raised and carried for blocks, the street cars were unable to run and in some instances the sewers were unable to carry off the water. Estimated damages were about $5,000 dollars. 

1936
In Rickmansworth England, the temperature rose within 9 hours from an overnight low of 34° to an afternoon high of 84.9°, a jump of 50.9°.

1960
Hurricane Donna, the only storm on record to strike Florida, the Mid-Atlantic States and New England, was born in the far eastern Atlantic.

1962
Hackberry, LA was deluged with 22 inches of rain in 24 hours, establishing a state record.

1965
A cold outbreak in New England brought 2.5 inches of snow to the top of Mount Washington, NH. Many stations recorded the earliest freeze on record. Temperatures were in the mid to upper 20s as far south as Connecticut and the temperature on Nantucket Island dipped to 39°. Chilly weather extended from the Midwest to the Gulf Coast to the Mid-Atlantic. 
Record August lows included: Necedah, WI: 28°, Fort Wayne, IN: 38°, South Bend, IN: 40°.
Other record lows included: Elkins, WV: 34°, Madison, WI: 35°, Beckley, WV: 36°, Duluth, MN: 37°, Toledo, OH: 37°, Green Bay, WI: 38°, Columbus, OH: 39°, Flint, MI: 40°, Mansfield, OH: 40°, Pittsburgh, PA: 40°, Albany, NY: 40°, Binghamton, NY: 40°, Rochester, NY: 40°, La Crosse, WI: 40°-Tied, Indianapolis, IN: 41°, Cleveland, OH: 41°, Youngstown, OH: 41°, Lexington, KY: 42°, Grand Rapids, MI: 42°, Akron, OH: 42°, Dayton, OH: 42°, Williamsport, PA: 42°, Cincinnati, OH: 43°, Huntington, WV: 43°, Syracuse, NY: 43°, Chicago, IL: 43°-Tied, Peoria, IL: 44°, Milwaukee, WI: 44°, Avoca, PA: 44°, Springfield, IL: 45°, Milton, MA: 45°-Tied, Wilmington, DE: 46°, Atlantic City, NJ: 46°, Allentown, PA: 46°, Philadelphia, PA: 46°, St. Louis, MO: 47°, Evansville, IN: 47°, Roanoke, VA: 47°, Bristol, TN: 49°, Louisville, KY: 49°, Paducah, KY: 49°, Lynchburg, VA: 49°, Raleigh-Durham, NC: 50°, Baltimore, MD: 50°, Newark, NJ: 50°, New York (Central Park), NY: 50°, New York (Kennedy Airport), NY: 51°, Bridgeport, CT: 51°, Richmond, VA: 52°, Greensboro, NC: 52°-Tied, Oak Ridge, TN: 53°, New York (LaGuardia), NY: 53°, Norfolk, VA: 54°, Cape Hatteras, NC: 62° and New Orleans, LA: 67°.

1974
Hurricane Carmen was born east of the Lesser Antilles.

1978
The remnants of Tropical Storm Debra spawned a tornado in southern Memphis, TN. The twister was two miles long and 75-100 yards wide, left 26 injured and did $4.6 million damage. No thunder or lightning was observed. The tornado came within one mile of Elvis Presley's Graceland.

1979
The strong winds of powerful Hurricane David leveled the island of Dominica in the Lesser Antilles, resulting in 56 deaths and leaving 60,000 of the islands 80,000 inhabitants homeless.

Hurricane Frederic was born in the Atlantic.

1980
2.23 inches of rain fell in less than one hour at Houston, TX causing flooding in the downtown area.

1982
Canadian high pressure settled across the Mid-Atlantic brought record lows from the Great Lakes to the East Coast. The morning low of 39° at Pittsburgh, PA was their coldest reading ever in August. Cool air from Canada continues pouring in, Houghton Lake, MI: 29°, Ste. St. Marie, MI: 29°, Alpena, MI: 30°, Youngstown, OH: 32°, Toledo, OH: 34°, Albany, NY: 34°, Marquette, MI: 36°, Caribou, ME: 36°, Flint, MI: 37°, Erie, PA: 37°, Muskegon, MI: 38°, Detroit, MI: 38°, Cleveland, OH: 38°, Sterling (Dulles Airport), VA: 38°, Avoca, PA: 38°, Binghamton, NY: 38°, Buffalo, NY: 38°, Rochester, NY: 38°, Pittsburgh, PA: 39°, Williamsport, PA: 39°, Hartford, CT: 39°, Grand Rapids, MI: 41°, Akron, OH: 41°, Atlantic City, NJ: 41°, Milton, MA: 41°, Wilmington, DE: 43°, Allentown, PA: 43°, Chicago, IL: 43°-Tied, Milwaukee, WI: 44°, Bridgeport, CT: 44°, Newark, NJ: 45°, Harrisburg, PA: 46°, Providence, RI: 46°, Philadelphia, PA: 46°-Tied, Baltimore, MD: 49°, Richmond, VA: 50°, New York (Central Park), NY: 50°-Tied, Norfolk, VA: 51°, Wallops Island, VA: 51°, New York (LaGuardia), NY: 51° and New York (Kennedy Airport), NY: 51°-Tied.

1983
A devastating hail storm struck portions of central South Dakota. In a small portion of Faulk county hail pounded the area for two straight hours. At times, the hail was the size of baseballs. Of course, this amazing hail storm devastated crops in the area and took out windows in area buildings. In one home, the windows were shattered, the curtains shredded, and much of the upper floor was ruined by glass shards and water. On some houses paint was literally peeled off by the continual pounding of the hail.
Spencer in Clay County of northwest Iowa was the target of a severe thunderstorm. Winds of 70 mph whipped through town downing trees, power lines and breaking windows. One tree smashed a camping trailer when it fell due to strong winds. 

1984
The high temperature in Topeka, KS reached 110° for only the second time since the Dust Bowl days of the 1930's.
The highest temperature on record at Columbia, MO for the month of August: 110° was recorded.

1986
Canadian high pressure across the Ohio Valley brought record chill from the Ohio Valley to the East Coast and Southeast.
Record lows included: Concord, NH: 32°, Caribou, ME: 35°, Beckley, WV: 36°-Tied, Goshen, IN: 37°, Dayton, OH: 41°, Atlantic City, NJ: 41°-Tied, Burlington, VT: 41°-Tied, Asheville, NC: 42°, Roanoke, VA: 42°, Syracuse, NY: 42°, Columbia, MO: 43°, Bristol, TN: 43°, Peoria, IL: 43°, Springfield, IL: 43°, Evansville, IN: 43°, Dubuque, IA: 43°-Tied, Cincinnati, OH: 43°-Tied, Huntington, WV: 43°-Tied, Paducah, KY: 44°, Philadelphia, PA: 44°, Providence, RI: 44°, Jackson, KY: 45°, Lexington, KY: 45°, Louisville, KY: 46°, Islip, NY: 46°, Springfield, MO: 47°, Greensboro, NC: 47°, Lynchburg, VA: 47°, Richmond, VA: 47°, Baltimore, MD: 47°, St. Louis, MO: 47°-Tied, Boston, MA: 47°-Tied, Wallops Island, VA: 48°, Nashville, TN: 49°, Washington, D.C.: 49°, Raleigh-Durham, NC: 49°, New York (Central Park), NY: 50°-Tied, Fort Smith, AR: 51°, Tupelo, MS: 52°, Little Rock, AR: 52°-Tied, Knoxville, TN: 53°, Memphis, TN: 53°, Charlotte, NC: 54°, Meridian, MS: 55°, Shreveport, LA: 56°, Savannah, GA: 57°, Charleston, SC: 57°, Lake Charles, LA: 61°, Tallahassee, FL: 61°-Tied and Mobile, AL: 64°.

1987
Some of the most powerful thunderstorms in several years developed over the piedmont of North Carolina, and marched across central sections of the state during the late afternoon and evening hours. Baseball size hail was reported around Albemarle, while thunderstorm winds downed giant trees around High Falls.

1988
Cool air invaded the north central U.S. Several cities reported record low temperatures for the date, including Bismarck ND with a reading of 33°. Deerfield, a small town in the Black Hills of South Dakota, reported a low of 23°. 

Tropical storm Chris moved into South Carolina then recurved through southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey as a depression. The remnants of Tropical Storm Chris drenched eastern Pennsylvania with up to 5.5 inches of rain, and produced high winds gusting to 90 mph, severely damaging 100 boats in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.

1989
Evening thunderstorms produced destructive lightning in West Virginia. The lightning caused widespread damage, particularly in Doddridge County. Numerous trees were downed closing many roads. Fire companies had a difficult time tending to the many homes and trailers on fire. 

Anchorage, AK reported a record 9.60 inches of rain for the month of August. The average annual precipitation for Anchorage is just slightly more than 15 inches. 

Maryville, MO reported 8.20 inches of rain during a 3-day rain event. 

1991
Williamsport, PA established their record for most 90 degree plus days in one year as the event occurred for the 38th time.

Severe thunderstorms struck parts of southwest and central Oklahoma late in the evening. Most of the damage was from winds. Rush Springs experienced winds stronger than 80 mph, and a bus barn and several mobile homes were destroyed in the area. Just south of nearby Cement, the wind blew over an oil drilling rig. The storms also produced golf ball sized hail northeast of Durham.
In Kansas, thunderstorm wind gusts of 65 mph, combined with golf ball-size hail, blew out the windows of a few houses 3 miles west of Dodge City. The large hail also killed a bunch of sparrows nesting in surrounding trees. At Garden City, lightning struck service transformers, electric lines, and buildings causing power outages and several structural fires. Lightning also caused one house fire that resulted in $20,000 damage. Flooding occurred along Highway 281 near the Kansas/Oklahoma border due to heavy rainfall. Water was up to the tail lights of some cars and the highway patrol had to stop traffic.

1995
The 1995 North Atlantic Hurricane Season was one of the busiest on record. The National Hurricane Center had their hands full on this date, as they tracked dissipating Tropical Storm Jerry, a strong tropical wave and four named storms: Hurricane Humberto, Hurricane Iris, Tropical Storm Karen and Tropical Storm Luis.

1996
A severe thunderstorm produced 1.75 inch diameter hail and very heavy rain over parts of Cheyenne on this day in 1996, flooding some basements on the north side of town and causing about 2.4 million in damage. Further east, Sidney, NE was flooded with up to 5 inches of rain.

1998
Strong thunderstorms developed each day starting on this day and ending on 8/31 in parts of southern California. 1.5 inches of rain fell at Apple Valley, 0.77 inched fell in only 45 minutes at Wrightwood, and 0.68 inches fell in only 30 minutes at Forest Falls. Homes and roads were flooded with four to six feet of water in Hesperia and Apple Valley. Rock slides occurred in Mill Creek. Roads were flooded in Sugarloaf and Forest Falls. Flash flooding was also recorded in Hemet. Severe thunderstorm wind gusts of 86 mph hit Sage, south of Hemet. Gusts of 50 mph were recorded at Rialto and gusts of
45 mph hit San Marcos. Trees and power lines were downed. 
Record heat occurred near the coast as well on these same days. Temperatures hit 114° at Dulzura, 112° at Yorba Linda and the Wild Animal Park, 110° at El Cajon, Hemet and Riverside, 108° at Ramona, 106° at Vista and Escondido, and over 100° in most of Orange County.

1999
Parts of the Outer Banks of North Carolina were being evacuated as large Category 2 Hurricane Dennis continued to move towards the coast with top winds of 105 mph. The National Hurricane Center cautiously waited for the hurricane to make a much-anticipated turn to the east that would carry it out to sea and away from land.

2000
The mercury reached 105° at Mobile, AL, setting an all-time record high. The record high also established a new mark for most 100 degree days in a summer with 8.

Heavy rainfall totaling nearly 2.00 inches of rain soaked the northwest part of Las Vegas, NV. Several swift water rescues were preformed after people ignored warning signs. No injuries were reported, but at least 40 motorists became stranded.

2002
Strong thunderstorms dropped 4.7 inches of rain on Kerkyra, Corfu Greece in six hours, nearly seven times the average August rainfall.

2005
Hurricane Katrina, one of the strongest storms to impact the coast of the United States during the last 100 years, blasted coastal Louisiana with winds gusting over 100 mph. The hurricane caused major levee breaks that flood 80% of New Orleans up to 20 feet deep.
Coastal Mississippi bore the brunt of Hurricane Katrina's force. Powerful winds and a devastating storm surge of 20-30+ feet raked the coastline, spreading floodwaters several miles inland. Along the Mississippi and Alabama coastlines, thousands of homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed and more than 2.3 million people lost power. The accepted death toll has reached more than 1,300 based on bodies found, but the real death toll is clearly higher.
Hurricane Katrina's minimum central pressure was observed at 902 millibars or 26.64 inHg, by reconnaissance aircraft, the 5th lowest pressure ever recorded in the Atlantic Basin. Katrina is also the third most-intense landfalling hurricane in U.S. history based on a minimum landfall pressure of 920 millibars or 27.17 inHg.

2007
With its high temperature pegged at 113° Phoenix, AZ sets a new record of 29 days with 110°+ temperatures.

2008
On this date through the 30th, a freakish late-winter heat wave developed over Argentina. Buenos Aires recorded highs of 93.2° and 92.3°, respectively; normal would be around 60°. Cordoba had a high of 99.1° the next day. Santa Fe reached 101.5° two days later. These would be hot days in midsummer, let alone late August which is late winter.

Parts of central Japan receive torrential rain that causes flooding and landslides that force nearly half a million people to evacuate. The city of Okazaki measured 5.7 inches of rain.

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August 30th:
1776
Heavy fog aided General George Washington in evacuating his troops after a defeat on Long Island, NY.

1838
A tornado struck the area near Providence, RI leaving a path which went 25 miles into Massachusetts as far as Freetown. No fatalities occurred but extensive minor damage was done.

1839
A hurricane moved from Cape Hatteras, NC to offshore New England. An unusual feature of the hurricane was the snow it helped produce, which whitened the Catskill Mountains of New York State. Considerable snow was also reported at Salem, NY.

1907
Snow fell on Monadnock Mountain in southern New Hampshire.

1915
Some of the chilliest August weather on record occurred from the Plains to the upper Midwest. Locations that reported their all-time coldest temperature for August included: Neillsville, WI: 31°, Rochester, MN: 32° (also earliest first occurrence of freezing temperatures), Fayette, IA: 33°, Winona, MN: 33°, Charles City, IA: 34°, Grand Meadow, MN: 34°, Lancaster, WI: 34°, La Crosse, WI: 35°, New Hampton, IA: 35°, Rockford, IL: 35° and Dodge City, KS: 43°.

1929
Coastal fog contributed to the crash between the San Juan and an oil tanker off Santa Cruz, CA. 70 passengers and crew of the San Juan perished.

1950
On this date through the 31st, Hurricane Baker made landfall at Santa Rosa Island between Mobile, AL and Pensacola, FL with winds of 100 mph. At Pensacola, the lowest sea-level pressure was 991 millibars or 29.27 inHg at 10pm with a maximum wind speed of 42 mph from the southeast. A waterspout/tornado came ashore and unroofed a home and store at Apalachicola, FL. 23 homes were damaged. One other tornado was reported in Jackson County.

1954
Hurricane Carol strengthened to Category 2 strength off the North Carolina coast with maximum sustained winds near 100 mph. Carol would accelerate over the next 24 hours and make landfall the next day over the Fire Island community of Point O’Woods on the eastern end of Long Island, NY with 100 mph sustained winds.
An interesting note from Hurricane Carol was some of the strongest criticism came about the name of the storm. Editorials railed that it was not appropriate to give a nice name like Carol to a destructive hurricane. Some people even said that the name Carol gave the impression that the storm would not be dangerous.

1959
Severe thunderstorms moved south across western Oklahoma, leaving several swaths of extensive hail damage. The Weatherford area was especially hard hit. Hail up to golf ball size caused severe damage to roofs and windows on almost all homes and buildings in the Weatherford area. Other hail paths, some of which caused 100% crop damage, extended from Dill City, south to the Red River in Cotton County, over the Grandfield area, and from near Granite to Headrick. The storms continued into north Texas, where wind damage was reported in the Burkburnett, Wichita Falls, Iowa Park, and Henrietta areas. Wind gusts to 75 mph were measured.

1965
Canadian high pressure brought another chilly start to parts of the Great Lakes to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Raleigh, NC dropped to 46°; their coldest August reading. Other record lows included: Concord, NH: 32°, Rochester, NY: 36°, Elkins, WV: 37°, Binghamton, NY: 37°, Ste. St. Marie, MI: 38°, Worcester, MA: 38°, Buffalo, NY: 38°, Williamsport, PA: 38°, Burlington, VT: 39°, Beckley, WV: 39°, Milton, MA: 39°, Hartford, CT: 39°, Syracuse, NY: 40°, Roanoke, VA: 43°, Erie, PA: 44°, Pittsburgh, PA: 44°, Greensboro, NC: 45°, Charleston, WV: 45°, Lynchburg, VA: 45°, Providence, RI: 45°, Atlantic City, NY: 45°, Raleigh, NC: 46°, Richmond, VA: 47°, Boston, MA: 48°, Bridgeport, CT: 49°, New York (Central Park), NY: 50°, Oak Ridge, TN: 51°, New York (Kennedy Airport), NY: 51°, Philadelphia, PA: 51°, Norfolk, VA: 52°, Charlotte, NC: 53°, Chattanooga, TN: 55°, New York (LaGuardia), NY: 55° and Cape Hatteras, NC: 61°.

1967
Hurricane Katrina crossed the southern tip of Baja California and then traversed almost the entire length of the Gulf of California before making landfall again and rapidly weakening. More than two inches of rain fell in parts of southern California. Two inches fell at La Quinta and the city was cut off for several hours. 150 homes were damaged by floods in Palm Desert and Indian Wells. Numerous roads were washed out in the Coachella Valley.

1976
Another preview of fall as record lows were recorded across parts of Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. Grand Rapids, MI fell to 39°, the coldest ever recorded during the month of August. Scattered frost occurs in rural areas. Ste. St. Marie, MI: 35°, Detroit, MI: 41°, Muskegon, MI: 41°, Youngstown, OH: 41°, Toledo, OH: 41°-Tied, Dayton, OH: 43°, Pittsburgh, PA: 44°-Tied, Columbus, OH: 45° and Cleveland, OH: 45°-Tied.

1979
Hurricane David grew into one of the most intense storms ever to cross the Caribbean Sea. After wiping out the tiny island of Dominica with 150 mph winds, David crashed ashore in the Dominican Republic at peak intensity on this date, with wind gusts over 200 mph. The central pressure in the storm was at its lowest at 924 millibars or 27.29 inHg. More than 1,200 people on the two-nation island were killed and over 80,000 were left homeless. Damage totaled more than $1 billion dollars in the Caribbean alone. Skipping through the Bahamas, David struck a glancing blow on Florida, just north of the Gold Coast, tore across Cape Canaveral and then moved up the East Coast on September 6th, downing trees and power lines well into New England.

1982
A tropical depression brought torrential rains to portions of southern Texas. Up to a foot of rain fell south of Houston with as much as 18 inches reported southeast of Austin. The depression spawned 14 tornadoes during a 3-day period. 

Many cities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states observed record lows for the date. Parts of Vermont receive up to 3 inches of snow. Record lows included: Caribou, ME: 34°-Tied, Albany, NY: 38°, Portland, ME: 40°-Tied, Norfolk, VA: 49°, Wallops Island, VA: 53° and Wilmington, NC: 55°. 

1985
Massive evacuations were ordered for beachfront communities along the northern Gulf Coast as Hurricane Elena made her move toward the coast just before a busy Labor Day weekend. A cold front approached from the northwest, which collapsed the steering currents around Elena, and the storm began to recurve. It approached Florida, moving quite close to Tampa Bay and Cedar Key, before high pressure bridged the frontal boundary and steered Elena back towards the west. Elena intensified as it accelerated west-northwest, and was a major hurricane by the afternoon on September 1st peaking later that day at 125 mph. The hurricane made landfall near Biloxi, MS on September 2 as a major hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 120 mph. A storm surge of 10 feet was reported at Apalachicola, FL. Rainfall ranged from 2 inches at Key West to 11 inches at Apalachicola. Bursting convection after moving inland, Elena brought locally heavy rains to Louisiana, Arkansas, and Kentucky over the succeeding four days that the system maintained integrity while it was inland. Elena spawned five tornadoes in Pasco, Marion, Lake (2) and Glades Counties the next day. The strongest tornado struck Leesburg, FL in the morning destroying 70 trailers and damaged 52 others.

1987
Several cities in California and Oregon reported record high temperatures for the date, including Redding and Sacramento with readings of 100°.

1988
Thunderstorms drenched Georgia and the Carolinas with heavy rain, soaking Columbia SC with 4.10 inches in just 3 hours. 

Fresno CA was the hot spot in the nation with a record high of 109° while Duluth, MN tied their record for the month of August with a morning low of 39°.

1989
Thunderstorms developing ahead of a cold front produced large hail in Montana and North Dakota during the evening and overnight hours. Hail 3 inches in diameter was reported 20 miles south of Medora, ND, and thunderstorms over Dawson County, Montana produced up to 3 inches of rain. 
Thunderstorms produced golf ball size hail at Roundup, MT, Dazey, ND and Protection, KS.

1993
Three people were hurt by lightning in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. Two of them were huddled under an umbrella on the side of a road, watching a wrecker operator connect their stalled vehicle to his tow truck. Lightning struck the umbrella and then traveled to the wrecker operator.

1996
One of the worst wildfire seasons ever in the western United States peaked as 52 major fires were burning. Intense heat and drought in parts of the West caused fires to spread quickly through parched grass, brush and forest. More than 5.7 million acres burned by the end of August, compared with a five-year average of just more than 2 million acres.

2000
An intense heat wave rewrote the record books across a large portion of the southern Plains and Mississippi Valley through September 5th. During the 8 day period, over 30 new all-time record high temperatures were established; while an additional 100 monthly records were also set. Some all-time record highs included 108° at Alexandria, LA, 111° at Little Rock, AR and 103° at Audubon Park in New Orleans, LA.

2001
Thunderstorms developed over northern Illinois during the evening hours. A series of thunderstorms moved across northern Cook County, dumping torrential amounts of rainfall. Flooding was reported on portions of the Kennedy and Edens expressways. The 93 mile deep tunnel was filled to capacity with 1.6 billion gallons of water forcing the Wilmette licks to be opened to dump 75 million gallons of storm and sewer water directly into Lake Michigan. O'Hare Airport received 4.31 inches of rain, most of which fell between 9 pm and 11 pm. This rainfall brought the total for the month to 12.25 inches, making this the second wettest month on record for Chicago.

2002
Typhoon Rusa struck South Korea causing widespread flooding. 26.44 inches of rain fell in 24 hours at Gangneung in northern South Korea just east of Seoul. This was close to 3 times their average August rainfall. Meanwhile in Kangnung 36.05 inches of rain fell in 30 hours. 187 people were killed by Rusa, the strongest typhoon to hit South Korea since Sarah in 1959 when 840 people died. Rusa also gave eastern and southern South Korea their wettest period since records began in the 1930's.

2008
A large and severe thunderstorm produced flash flooding and severe hail in the San Jacinto Mountains in California. Flash floods up to three feet deep carried rocks and mud and covered many roads in Idyllwild-Fern Valley. The storm dropped hailstones in size from marbles to walnuts. Hail injured two people during an already progressing search and rescue operation at Suicide Rock. These are the only documented injuries resulting from direct hail impact in California history.

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August 31st:
1885
A record 71-day dry period began on this day at Calgary, Alberta Canada.

1886
The Great Charleston Earthquake occurred on a hot, muggy and still evening at Charleston, SC. The Charleston Earthquake is the most damaging ever in the southeastern United States and one of the largest earthquakes ever to occur in eastern North America, measuring 7.5 on the Richter Scale.

1889
A pair of rainfall records was broken at Los Angeles, CA from one storm. 0.61 of an inch total set the record for the heaviest 24 hour rainfall and the largest monthly total for the month of August.

1911
Funkiko, Japan was deluged with 40.7 inches of rain in 24 hours.

1915
Early season record chill continued across parts of the Plains to the Midwest. The temperature at Bartlesville, OK dipped to 38° to establish a state record for the month of August. Warsaw, IN dropped to 37°. The lowest temperature on record at Columbia, MO dropped to 40°, setting their record low for August.

1922
An incredible hailstorm at West Chester, PA dropped so much hail that fields were covered with up to two feet of drifted hail the next day.

1935
The U.S. Weather Bureau issued advisories on a small tropical storm 60 miles east of the Bahamas. The storm would go through “bombogenesis” two days later, becoming the strongest hurricane ever to hit the United States when it crossed the Florida Keys on Labor Day; known as the Labor Day hurricane of 1935.

1936
Among the many heat-related records established during the summer of 1936 was the number of days with highs 90° or above. Springfield, IL reported 69 such days during the year, 57 of which occurred between June and August. At Peoria, IL the total for the year was 64, a few days shy of the record of 68 degrees set in 1887.
It was the hottest month ever recorded in Oklahoma City, OK with an average temperature of 88.7°. This is 7.5° above the normal for August, and 0.4° warmer than the second hottest months, a tie between July 1980 and July 1934. Also, the two hottest daily temperatures ever recorded in August in Oklahoma City occurred in 1936, along with the warmest daily minimum temperature ever recorded in the city. Many of the daily record highs set in 1936 are still records for their respective dates.

1939
Sea surface temperatures off the coast of southern California for the month were in the upper 70s with some reports of 80° near San Diego. This occurred ahead of tropical storms the next month.

1953
Areas from the upper Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes to the East Coast were in the midst of a late summer heat wave that continued into early September. Record highs included: Richmond, VA: 102°, Baltimore, MD: 102°, Newark, NJ: 102°, Bismarck, ND: 101°, Louisville, KY: 101°, Rockford, IL: 101°, Huntington, WV: 101°, Wilmington, DE: 101°, Philadelphia, PA: 101°, St. Louis, MO: 100°, Paducah, KY: 100°, Madison, WI: 100°, Mobile, AL: 100°, New York (Central Park), NY: 100°, New York (LaGuardia Airport), NY: 100°, Evansville, IN: 100°-Tied, Washington, D.C.: 100°-Tied, Lexington, KY: 99°, Chicago, IL: 99°, Cleveland, OH: 99°, Allentown, PA: 99°, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC: 99°, Bristol, TN: 98°, Oak Ridge, TN: 98°, Hartford, CT: 98°, Chattanooga, TN: 98°-Tied, Cincinnati, OH: 98°-Tied, Columbus, OH: 98°-Tied, Harrisburg, PA: 98°-Tied, Grand Rapids, MI: 97°, Milwaukee, WI: 97°, Atlantic City, NJ: 97°, Boston, MA: 97°, Grand Forks, ND: 97°, Indianapolis, IN: 97°-Tied, Lansing, MI: 96°, Dubuque, IA: 96°, Waterloo, IA: 96°, Atlanta, GA: 96°, Providence, RI: 96°, Peoria, IL: 96°-Tied, La Crosse, WI: 95°, Fargo, ND: 95°, Avoca, PA: 95°-Tied, Bridgeport, CT: 94°, Milton, MA: 94°, Beckley, WV: 94°-Tied, Rochester, MN: 93°, Asheville, NC: 93°, Albany, NY: 93°, Worcester, MA: 93°, Elkins, WV: 92°-Tied, Muskegon, MI: 91°, Portland, ME: 91° and Binghamton, NY: 90°.

1954 
Hurricane Carol, the first of three hurricanes to affect the east coast, made landfall in New England at Westhampton, Long Island, NY. The storm moved through Connecticut and New Hampshire. Maximum winds of 130 mph were reported at Block Island, RI and 105 mph winds at Providence, RI. At Boston, MA winds reached 86 mph gusting to 100 mph. Tides were 10 to 15 feet above normal. 60 people were killed. The damage, estimated at $450 million dollars, exceeded any previous storm to that point. The historic steeple at Old North Church in Boston, where Paul Revere received his famous signal, fell in the middle of the storm. This was New England's second worst hurricane of the 20th century only to the 1938 storm. 

1964
11.40 inches of rain fell at Norfolk, VA, from Hurricane Cleo, setting their all-time 24 hour rainfall record.

1967
Hurricane Kathleen brought a 3-day barrage of wind and storm surge to the Mexican coast, destroying the town of San Felipe and leaving 2,500 people homeless while sinking 60 vessels.

1971
The low of 84° and high of 108° at Death Valley, CA were the coolest of the month. The average daily high was 115.7° and the average daily low was 93.4° for the month.

1979
Hurricane David brought over $1 billion dollars in damage to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and killed over 1,200 people. Before making landfall, the Category 5 storm had maximum sustained winds of 175 mph.

1982
This was a wild day across eastern South Dakota. Strong thunderstorms ripped across the area early in the morning and again in the afternoon hours. Numerous areas reported wind gusts of 50 to 90 mph including 80 mph winds at Lyons, SD which leveled a partially completed addition to a fire hall. Also portions of Hand County, South Dakota received 65 mph winds and baseball sized hail. The large hail broke numerous windows and knocked in several roofs.
Sioux Falls, SD was hit with a severe thunderstorm with a 62 mph wind gust which did a large amount of tree damage in the south and east sections of town during the early morning hours. To add insult to injury Sioux Falls was hit with another severe thunderstorm in the evening. The second storm was even stronger than the first one as it was accompanied with wind gusts up to 74 mph winds. Overall, Sioux Falls picked up 2.67 inches of rain with extensive wind damage.
Strong straight line winds from severe thunderstorms caused extensive damage to parts of northeast Nebraska, southwest Minnesota and northwest Iowa. In Dakota County of northeast Nebraska, high winds of 50 to 70 mph blew down trees and power lines around South Sioux City. Winds of 70 to 80 mph caused extensive crop damage in Sioux, O'Brien, Plymouth and Clay Counties in northwest Iowa. Farm fields in a 30 mile stretch east of Primghar in O'Brien County were flattened. Also, several trees were uprooted and power lines were downed in these areas. Further north in southwest Minnesota, 90 mph winds damaged crops in northern Murray County. In addition, boats were damaged on several area lakes. 

1983
August 1983 was a scorcher across much of the northern plains. Sioux Falls, SD topped 90 degrees 22 times in that one month. That is the most time on record that Sioux Falls has topped 90° in the same month. In a normal year the area only tops 90 degrees 25 times all year. 

1985
Hurricane Elena stalled off the coast of West Central Florida. More than 300,000 residents fled their homes. Although Elena never came closer than 80 miles to the Tampa Bay area, its 40 to 50 mph sustained winds caused tides 6 feet above normal on the beaches and 7 feet above normal in the bay. The storm killed 4 people, destroyed more than 250 homes and damaged thousands of others before reversing course and coming ashore in Mississippi. Total damages to man-made property in Florida were estimated at $213 million dollars.

1987
Cities from parts of northern California, Nevada north to Washington reported record high temperatures for the date, including Eugene and Portland, OR with afternoon highs of 102°. The high of 102° at Portland smashed their previous record for the date by 12 degrees. Redding, CA: 111°, Medford, OR: 102°-Tied, Salem, OR: 100°, Winnemucca, NV: 98°-Tied, Burns, OR: 95°, Olympia, WA: 94°, Quillayute, WA: 94° and Seattle, WA: 92°.

Thunderstorms moved into the southern portion of the San Joaquin Valley in southern California in Kern County. Straight line winds damaged several farms. Bakersfield reported a wind gust to 49 mph.

Widespread frost was reported in South Dakota. Aberdeen, SD established a record for the month of August with a morning low of 32° and Britton, SD dipped to 31°.

1988
The Summer of 1988 officially recorded the second driest in history at Springfield, IL. During the months of June, July, and August, only 3.92 inches of rain was recorded. The only other summer drier was in 1897 when 3.87 inches fell.
The drought conditions that began during the Spring continued well into August. The hottest weather of the year occurred in August in many areas. In terms of dollar amounts, damage was not as severe this month, since most of the damage to crops had already been done in June and July. By month's end, about 43% of the corn crop, 40% of the soy beans and 41% of the oat crop was lost. Additional crop damage during August totaled nearly $700 million dollars. For the summer, crop damage was estimated at around $3.5 billion dollars in Iowa alone. 

1989
Thunderstorms developing along a stationary front spread severe weather from Minnesota to Indiana. Thunderstorms in Minnesota produced baseball size hail near Saint Michael and Hutchinson, and drenched Moose Lake with 9 inches of rain in 6 hours. 
Tucson, AZ hit 100° for a record 79th time in the year, surpassing the record established the previous year.

1991
Portland, ME ended up with 15.22 inches of rain for the month, setting a new all-time monthly rainfall record for any month. The old record was 13.50 inches set in November 1983.

1992
This was one of the coolest summers on record for the state of South Dakota. The cool weather resulted in crop losses estimated at $38 million dollars mainly east of the Missouri river.

1993
Hurricane Emily raked the North Carolina Outer Banks. Winds reached 98 mph at the Cape Hatteras Weather Service Office along with 7.51 inches of rain. Another anemometer in the area recorded a wind gust to 107 mph. Water levels reach 10.5 feet above normal in the sound north of Buxton. The water reached 8.5 feet in the villages of Frisco and Hatteras. Diamond Shoals Coastal Marine Buoy was in the eye and recorded a low pressure of 964 millibars or 28.47 inHg. After the eye passed, sustained winds hit 103 mph with a peak gust of 148 mph.

1997
The driest August on record followed the 3rd wettest July at Mobile, AL. Only 1.04 inches of rain fell at the Mobile weather office for the month. The previous low total was 1.26 set way back in 1884. Despite the dry August the summer months of June, July and August will go into the books as the 11th wettest with a 3 month total of 28.05 inches, the bulk of which fell during July with 18.52 inches.

1997 was only the third year in recorded history that no tropical storms occurred in August. Other years included 1941 and 1961.

1999
Residents of the low-lying North Carolina Outer Banks were on the run for a second time as unpredictable Hurricane Dennis continued to perplex weather forecasters by lumbering back toward the coast after heading out to sea the day before. As the hurricane retrograded, blocked by high pressure, gale force winds and 14 foot seas pounded the coast. Roads were under water along Hatteras Island. At least 7 inches of rain fell in Brunswick County, North Carolina.

2001
Major urban flooding occurred after a slow moving thunderstorm passed over the city of Odessa. Water depth of over two feet flooded many intersections with 20 vehicles reported to have water up to the windows.

2003
Victoria, British Columbia Canada experienced its driest summer on record as 0.77 inches was reported at the airport. Gonzales Heights only recorded 0.32 inches during the same time period. 

2004
179 tornadoes occurred for the month in the U.S. to set a new record for most tornadoes in August.

2005
Rains from former Hurricane Katrina set several August daily rainfall records in Quebec, Canada. 2.91 inches fell at Montreal's P.E. Trudeau Airport and 2.91 inches at Quebec City.

On this date through 9/3, Typhoon Talim made landfall in Taiwan late in the day with sustained winds near 120 mph. The typhoon shut down businesses, schools and financial markets and caused 1.48 million power outages. Total fatalities on the Chinese mainland reach at least 129.

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