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.
 (Ref. Charlie Wilson Weather History) 

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July 11th:

1888
Colorado recorded their hottest temperature ever as the town of Bennett soared to 118°. 

Heavy snow reached almost to the base of Mt Washington, NH, and the peaks of the Green Mountains were whitened.

1909
A deadly, estimated F2 tornado moved ESE across the Simpson Park section of Big Stone City in South Dakota. A bus was thrown from the road and the driver was killed. Two homes and several barns were destroyed. As the tornado crossed the foot of Big Stone Lake, it tore apart a railroad yard and killed four of the 26 Armemian laborers who were living in box cars at Ortonville, MN. 19 people were injured.

A tornado in the eastern St. Louis metropolitan area in Missouri began as a waterspout on the Mississippi River, drove a steamer into a bridge. On land, the tornado destroyed several barns and damaged 15 homes and two factories in the west part of Alton.

1912
This was the end of longest heat wave ever at Boston, MA with 9 consecutive days at or above 90°.

1936
Unbelievable heat occurred across the Mid Atlantic states and the deadliest heat wave ever in parts of Canada. Ontario, Canada recorded its hottest temperature ever as the town of Atikokan hit 108°. On the same day in Manitoba, Winnipeg also reached 108°, the highest recorded temperature there since records began in the 1870's. St. Albans set Manitoba’s all-time record as they soared to 112°. 

In the United States, the all-time record high was set at Rochester, MN with 108°. Other daily record highs were set at Lincoln, NE: 109°; Peoria, IL: 108°; Rockford, IL: 108°, Grand Forks, ND: 108°, Decatur, IL: 107°, Moline, IL: 107°, Dubuque, IA: 107°,  Minneapolis, MN: 106°, St. Cloud, MN: 106°, Fargo, ND: 106°, Springfield, IL: 105°, Champaign, IL: 105°, Houghton Lake, MI: 105°, South Bend, IN: 105°, Springfield, IL: 105°, Lexington, KY: 104°, Cincinnati, OH: 104°, Columbus, OH: 104°, Flint, MI: 104°, Indianapolis, IN: 104°, La Crosse, WI: 104°, Tupelo, MS: 103°, Dayton, OH: 102°, Mansfield, OH: 102°, Williamsport, PA: 101°, Wilmington, DE: 101°, Charleston, WV: 101°, Toledo, OH: 101°, Detroit, MI: 101°, Rochester, MN: 101°, Allentown, PA: 100°, Harrisburg, PA: 100°, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC: 100°, Akron, OH: 100°, Youngstown, OH: 100°, Alpena, MI: 100°, Madison, WI: 100°, Milwaukee, WI: 100°, Avoca, PA: 99°, Cleveland, OH: 99°, Grand Rapids, MI: 99°, Green Bay, WI: 99°, Albany, NY: 98°, Lynchburg, VA: 98°, Chicago, IL: 97°, Rochester, NY: 96°, Syracuse, NY: 96°, Ste. St. Marie, MI: 96°, Duluth, MN: 92° and Beckley, WV: 91°.

1939
All-time record highs of 110°and 106°were set at Scottsbluff, NE and Kimball, NE, respectively, while Cheyenne, WY tied their all-time record high of 100°.  Sioux City, IA also tied their all-time record high with 111°.  Chadron, NE recorded its 3rd warmest day on record with a record high of 110°.  Other daily record highs included: Valentine, NE: 108°, Lincoln, NE: 107°and Williston, ND: 102°.

1945
Record chill occurred across parts of the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. Daily record lows included: Mansfield, OH: 40°, Muskegon, MI: 40° (their second lowest July temperature), Flint, MI: 41°, Grand Rapids, MI: 43°, Angola, IN: 45°, Toledo, OH: 46°and Milwaukee, WI: 47°.

1949
Thousands of fish, averaging 4 inches long fell onto a 10 acre field in Hastings, New Zealand.

1961
The Major League Baseball All Star game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco was buffeted by strong winds. The National League won the windy contest on record, 5-4 in 10 innings.

1970
Seminole County in Oklahoma was hit hard by severe weather during the evening hours. Thunderstorm winds, estimated between 90 and 100 mph, damaged several buildings and blew out several plate-glass windows. Up to 5 inches of rain was also reported producing isolated flash flooding.

1971
The Australian capital of Canberra recorded their coldest night on record as the low dropped to 14°.

1980
The hot summer of 1980 continued as upper level high pressure over the Missouri Valley dominated the central and southern U.S. Hot weather prevailed from the southeast to the Plains. Daily records included: Wichita, KS: 111°, Columbia, MO: 108°, Dodge City, KS: 108°, Topeka, KS: 107°, DFW Airport, TX: 107°, Macon, GA: 104°, Savannah, GA: 103°, Memphis, TN: 103°, Houston, TX: 103°, Columbus, GA: 102°, Paducah, KY: 102°, Atlanta, GA: 101°, Chattanooga, TN: 100°, Gainesville, FL: 99°, Oak Ridge, TN: 99°, Brownsville, TX: 99°and Daytona Beach, FL: 98°.

1981
Severe thunderstorms moved eastward across the entire length of South Dakota along the northern portion of the state. The storms produced large storms and an incredible amount of wind damage. Hail chicken egg size and up to 9 inches in circumference resulted in 100% crop loss in some areas. Many farmers reported that their crops were devastated by the storms winds and hail. Many trees were stripped of their leaves and large limbs were frequently lost. Winds exceeded 70 mph in many areas. Damage was so extensive that damage estimates were not even attempted.

1987
Severe thunderstorms produced strong winds and tornadoes across portions of southeast South Dakota. Downburst winds estimated at 80 mph produced a damage path about 24 miles long extending from 6 miles west of Parkston to near Alexandria (both in Hutchinson County). The strong winds heavily damaged several farm buildings and houses. The storm was also responsible for destroying two airport hangars, a small airplane, and numerous sheds.

A tornado touched down near Dell Rapids in northern Minnehaha County, South Dakota. The tornado, which just missed the town, was on the ground for 5 miles and lifted about 3 miles northeast of town. The tornado did destroy the barns, silos, and sheds that it did encounter.

Early morning thunderstorms produced wind gusts to 90 mph at Parkston, SD, and gusts to 87 mph at Buffalo, MN. Later in the day strong thunderstorm winds at Howard, WI collapsed a circus tent injuring 44 people.

1988
Thunderstorms produced heavy rain in southern Texas, with totals ranging up to 13 inches near Medina. Two men drowned when their pick-up truck was swept into the Guadalupe River, west of the town of Hunt.

Flash flooding on the Monongehela River in western Pennsylvania caused the river to rise 32 feet in less than 24 hours.

Many cities in the eastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. Downtown Baltimore, MD reported a record high reading of 102°for the second day in a row and Baltimore-Washington International Airport, MD hit 100°.  Other daily record highs included: Newark, NJ: 100°, Philadelphia, PA: 100°, Washington, D.C.: 99°, NYC-Central Park, NY: 98°, NYC-LaGuardia, NY: 98°, Dulles Airport, VA: 98°, Providence, RI: 97°, Bristol, TN: 95°, Bridgeport, CT: 94°, Islip, NY: 93°, Concord, NH: 92°and Binghamton, NY: 88°.

1989
Afternoon and evening thunderstorms produced severe weather from North Dakota to Indiana. Thunderstorms in North Dakota produced tennis ball size hail at Carson. Thunderstorms in Indiana produced wind gusts to 75 mph at Fort Wayne.

A few cities in the Southern Atlantic Coast Region reported record high temperatures for the date, including Lakeland, FL: 100°, Orlando, FL: 98°and Tampa, FL: 96°.

1990
The costliest hailstorm in U.S. history occurred along the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies. Estes Park to Colorado Springs were the most affected with baseball size hail that severely damaged roofs, on thousands of structures, battered tens of thousands automobiles, windows, signs, street lights and traffic signals, stripped paint and trim from buildings, punched holes in roofs, stripped trees, ripped up greens & fairways on golf courses, severely damaged aircraft at the Jefferson County airport and knocked out utilities to thousands of residents. Hardest hit was the Elitch Gardens Amusement Park where 47 people were injured.  Many of the injured were stranded on rides when power failed. Hail clogged storm sewers causing rain water to back up 3 to 6 feet deep on some roads in the town of Arvada. Several basements were flooded.  Denver was also hard hit with hail up to the size of baseballs. An F1 tornado caused heavy damage at Castle Rock.  Total damage was estimated at $625 million dollars.

1992
An isolated thunderstorm developed over northeast Nebraska and moved into west-central Iowa. Near Pender in Thurston County Nebraska, strong winds blew a porch off of a house and caused tree and power line damage. In addition, 15,000 acres of crops were damaged due to large hail. Wind damage also occurred as the storm moved into Onawa. Windows were blown out at a store in downtown Onawa and high winds downed trees about 6 miles northwest of Onawa. Golf ball size hail also produced crop damage in Monona County and 3.50 inches of rain fell in a short period of time.

1993
The Great Midwest Flood continued as flood waters came close the Des Moines, IA water treatment plant, leaving the city's 250,000 residents without water for 12 days.

1995
Winds gusted to 86 mph at Barstow, FL damaging several small airplanes and buildings.

1999
Thunderstorms developed over the Kern County deserts and in the Tehachapi Mountains in California causing heavy downpours and localized flash flooding. A spotter recorded 5 inches of rain at Tehachapi in under 4 hours. In Rosamond, half-inch diameter hail fell and trees and power lines were downed. 

Flash flooding at the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Base eroded some roads as 1.60 inches of measured rain fell in 45 minutes. A line of strong thunderstorms extending to the east from Barstow, moved slowly to the south producing heavy rain and gusty winds across the San Bernardino County desert. Travel along Interstates 15 and 40 were significantly affected as heavy rain reduced visibility to near zero in some spots and runoff covered sections of road.

2004
A severe thunderstorm struck Edmonton, Alberta Canada with 7.88 inches of rain and damaging hail that piled over 3 feet high in the streets. The storms caused tens of millions of dollars damage to the city's famous West Edmonton Mall. Tornadoes and funnel clouds were seen around the city.
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 July 12th:

The danger of sunburn is obvious when the sun is shining, but clouds and even water do not block all of the sun's ultraviolet rays that cause sunburn. About 40% of the ultraviolet radiation can reach shady areas as sunlit areas. Sunscreens are wise to use even when the day is cloudy.

1842
One of the most severe hurricanes in the history of the coastal Carolinas struck the Outer Banks of North Carolina on the evening of the 12th into the 13th. The entire village of Portsmouth was destroyed except for one building. The storm apparently passed inland near Norfolk, VA and caused massive flooding from Virginia into Pennsylvania.

1910
Cherrapunji in India's northeastern Meghalaya state, one of the rainiest places on Earth received 33 inches of rain on this date.

1926
A rare British Columbia tornado struck Lac La Hache destroying farm buildings and downing trees.

1928
Mexican aviator Captain Emilio Carranza, the 22 year old "Lindbergh of Mexico," was killed when his plane crashed deep in the southern Jersey Pinelands during a violent thunderstorm. The famous pilot had just flown a solo goodwill flight from Mexico to Washington, D.C., and had lunched with President Calvin Coolidge. Captain Carranza was embarking on a nonstop flight from Roosevelt Field on Long Island, NY to Mexico City. A memorial site, the 4th largest Latino historical site in the USA, stands in a remote wooded spot in New Jersey’s Wharton State Forest.

1936
The hottest three-day period in United States history occurred beginning on this date as the average temperature was 88.5°; the second warmest such period occurred three days earlier.

1951
This was the wettest month on record for the state of Kansas as the Kaw River flooded.  During the four days preceding the flood much of eastern Kansas and western Missouri received more than ten inches of rain. Flooding in the Midwest claimed 41 lives, left 200,000 people homeless, and caused $1 billion dollars property damage. Kansas City, MO was hardest hit. The central industrial district sustained $870 million dollars in property damage.

1969
Western Australia recorded its coldest night on record when the low at Booylgoo Springs dropped to 20°.

1975
A nearly stationary front north to south over Pennsylvania caused rain and thunderstorms over the region for 3 days beginning on this date. Amounts of two inches plus in 24 hours and 4 inches plus for the 3 days were common. In Pennsylvania, Perkasie reported 7 inches, Lansdale: 5.11 inches, West Chester: 6.94 inches through the 13th; and Schwenksville reported 6 inches in 30 hours.

1976
The Northern Territory in Australia recorded its coldest night on record when the low at Alice Springs dropped to 19°.

1980
Lightning struck a large broiler house in Branford, FL, and the ensuing fire broiled 11,000 nearly ready broilers. Firemen were able to save a few thousand chickens.

1983
Northern Ireland's hottest day on record occurred as the temperature reached 87° at Shaw's Bridge.

1984
Rain was not falling at the golf course in Tucson, AZ where a golfer was struck and killed by an isolated lightning bolt from a storm three miles away. His partner was also hit but not injured.

Hail and wind pounded Munich, Germany causing damage to 700,000 homes and 200,000 cars, estimated at more than $1 billion dollars.

1985
Lightning started a forest fire in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The dry conditions across the area made the area susceptible to the fire. The fire which turned out to be the biggest fire on record in the Black Hills National Forest burned 22,000 acres of land. Additional fires in Fall River County burned an additional 9,000 acres.

1987
Cool air invaded the Northern Plains Region. Sheridan, WY was among several locations to set a record low with 37°.

Thunderstorms developing along the cold front in the central U.S. produced 6.5 inches of rain at Fort Dodge, IA, and 2.5 inches in one hour at St. Joseph, MO.

1988
Evening thunderstorms produced severe weather over the Dakotas, including baseball size hail at Aberdeen, SD, and softball size hail near Fullerton, ND. Thunderstorms produced heavy rain in Arkansas and northeastern Texas, with 6.59 inches reported at Mesquite, TX in just an hour and 15 minutes. Garland, TX reported water up to the tops of cars following a torrential downpour.

1989
Early morning thunderstorms over eastern Kansas deluged McFarland with more than 6 inches of rain. Afternoon thunderstorms in Wyoming produced up to 18 inches of dime size hail near Rock Springs, along with torrential rains, and a three foot high wall of mud and water swept into the town causing more than $1.5 million dollars damage. Evening thunderstorms produced severe weather in Oklahoma and Arkansas, deluging Dardanelle, AR with 3.50 inches of rain in less than 20 minutes. About 70 cows were killed when lightning struck a tree in Jones County, Texas.

1992
Remnants of Hurricane Darby unleashed heavy rains over the Sierra Nevada and nearby foothills in California. Two to three inches of rain fell on a burn area above Oakhurst which resulted in flooding. Cars, homes and businesses were damaged, with two feet of water reported in some homes.

1993
Thunderstorms dumped up to 4 inches of rain in 30 minutes in the Pierre and Ft. Pierre areas in South Dakota. As golf ball size hail also pounded the area the runoff from the heavy rains piled the hail into drifts five feet high.

On the same day a severe thunderstorm dumped large hail and heavy rains in the Lantry area in Dewey County. The water which could not be absorbed by already saturated ground ran four to five feet deep through some buildings in town.

The island of Okushiri in Japan was devastated by a tsunami created by 7.8 magnitude earthquake in the Sea of Japan. 15 to 30 foot waves started crashing ashore within minutes after the tremor occurred, sweeping up people, vehicles and buildings. The maximum wave would be an astounding 90 feet tall. Everything in the tsunamis' path was obliterated. 239 people died. But the miracle was that the Japan Meteorological Agency's warning was issued in a timely and effective manner, and a far greater tragedy was averted.

1995
An intense heat wave affected much of the Midwest for a 4-day period beginning on this day. The worst effects of the heat were noted in the Chicago metropolitan area, where 583 people died from the heat. Temperatures across the area reached as high as 105°, overnight lows on falling to the upper 70s to low 80s. Dewpoint temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s created heat indicies peaking at 125°. Electricity and water usage reached record levels, causing periodic outages.

1996
Hurricane Bertha makes landfall near Wrightsville Beach, NC with maximum winds of 105 mph, but the storm surge dealt the most devastation. The U.S. Virgin Islands, along with North Carolina, were declared federal disaster areas. Surveys indicate that Bertha damaged almost 2,500 homes on St. Thomas and St. John. For many, it was a second hit in the ten months since Hurricane Marilyn devastated the same area. The primary effects in North Carolina were to the coastal counties and included storm surge flooding and beach erosion, roof damage, piers washed away, fallen trees and damage to crops. Over 5,000 homes were damaged, mostly from storm surge. Storm total rainfall amounts ranged from 5 to 8 inches along a coastal strip from South Carolina to Maine. Overall, as many as 12 deaths resulted with 8 in the U.S. and territories. Damage totaled $270 million dollars.

1998
The temperature at the Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport in Texas rose to 100°. Dallas saw the temperature go to 100° or hotter on 56 days during the summer of 1998. There were 39 nights that the mercury never dropped below 80°.

1999
Heavy thunderstorms hit the southern California Mountains and Deserts each day starting on the 11th and ending on the 13th. Rainfall rates included 1.65 inches in less than 30 minutes at Lake Henshaw, 1.57 inches in 20 minutes at Big Bear City, 1.4 inches in 30 minutes at Sugarloaf, 1.6 inches in 85 minutes at Forest Falls, one inch in one hour at Pine Cove, one inch in 25 minutes at Shelter Valley. One inch per hour rain rate occurred at Phelan. Two were killed and dozens were injured. Six homes were destroyed and many more were damaged. A twenty foot high wall of water moving at 45 mph moved

70-ton boulders at Forest Falls.  Buildings washed away at Jenks Lake. Disastrous flooding and mud slides occurred at Oak Glen, Big Bear City, and Apple Valley. Flooding hit the Yucca Valley area, Beaumont area and Palm Springs. Roadways were closed due to flash flooding. On this day a tornado hit six miles east of Julian in Shelter Valley, although recorded wind speeds nearby were 43 mph. Building and structure damage occurred, trees were uprooted and knocked over.

0.98 inches of rain fell in Victorville, the greatest daily amount on record for July.

Thunderstorms formed in a southwest to northeast band during the evening from the Lucerne Valley through the northwest part of the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Training Center and across I-40 into the Devils Playground. Estimated rainfall amounts ranged from 1.5 to 2.5 inches across the area. Law enforcement officials reported sections of road swept away along State Route 247 between Lucerne Valley and Landers. State Route 62 in the vicinity of Joshua Tree was also flooded in places as were other secondary roads. The most significant event occurred at approximately 10:20 pm PDT when flash flood waters caught a light armored vehicle on the Marine Corps training grounds. One man was thrown from the vehicle and swept away by the swift current. His body was found shortly thereafter and he was later pronounced dead at the base hospital.

2002
Strong thunderstorm winds blew through Kingman, AZ destroying 16 homes and damaging 36 others. Most of the damaged and destroyed homes were mobile homes in the Kingman Shadows subdivision. Four people received minor injuries from flying debris. Several power lines were also blown down knocking out power to an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 people.

2004
Hail up to the size of softballs fell in and around Onaka, SD damaging vehicles, farm equipment, and homes. Lightning struck a home in Britton starting a fire in the attic, which resulted in significant damage to the home. High winds along with hail up to the size of baseballs caused some structural, vehicle, crop, and tree damage in and around Astoria, SD and Toronto, SD.

More than 20 inches of rain fell in the Niigata Prefecture in Japan over the week ending on the 18th, nearly one-fifth the annual average.

2005
Beginning on this date, Reno, NV endured a record string of 9 straight days with temperatures above 101°.

2007
Heavy monsoon-related rainfall produced landslides that kill at least 26 people in western Nepal.
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July 13th: 
Floods kill an average of 140 people per year in the United States making it the number one severe weather killer. About 60% of these victims are caught in cars or trucks that were driven into water flowing across a road. Here's why: Water weighs about 62 pounds per cubic foot. The weight and speed of moving water give it plenty of momentum. For each foot the water rises, it pushes on a car with an astounding 500 pounds of force. Therefore buoyancy, in effect, will make a car weigh 1500 pounds less for each foot the water rises. Water only two feet deep can carry most cars away.

1788
Two hailstorms about 12 miles apart produced unusually long swaths of damage from Touraine, France, to parts of Belgium.  One path was 10 miles wide by 420 miles long; the other path was 5 miles by 500 miles. A thousand communities in France sustained heavy damage.

1895
A tornado struck Cherry Hill, NJ killing three people and causing $50 thousand dollars damage. The same storm moved into the Harlem and Woodhaven areas of New York City killing one person, and finally ended as a waterspout over Jamaica Bay.

1936
Michigan recorded its hottest temperature ever as the town of Mio hit 112°. The state high temperature record was also broke as Wisconsin Dells, WI soared to 114°. 

Grand Rapids, MI hit 108°, their highest temperature ever. Six out of the seven days from July 8th to July 14th were above 100°. Other all-time records were set at: Eau Claire, WI: 111° and Wausau, WI: 107°. Other daily record highs included: New Hampton, IA: 110°, Viroqua, WI: 108°, Flint, MI: 108°, Houghton Lake, MI: 107°, Angola, IN: 106°, Alpena, MI: 106°, Medford, WI: 104°, Fort Wayne, IN: 104° (Fort Wayne also recorded their warmest low temperature of 80°), Houghton, MI: 104° and Escanaba, MI: 100°.

Springfield, IL set a record high with 108°. Nighttime didn't provide much relief, as the temperature only fell to 84°, their warmest night ever. From the 4th through the 15th, the high in Springfield was at least 100°. The average temperature during the entire month was 86.2°, the warmest July on record.

Fort Francis tied Ontario, Canada’s high temperature record at 108°.

1951
The worst flooding since 1903 in Topeka KS produced the highest Kansas River stage in Topeka history at 41.3 feet. Massive, widespread, and unprecedented damage occurred across North Topeka. The river was above flood stage for 10 straight days, breaking dikes and resulting in the evacuation of 24,000 people. Nearly 7,000 Topeka buildings were damaged or destroyed. A railroad locomotive was washed down the river when a bridge collapsed. Very heavy spring rains continued into June and July, pushing all rivers to very high levels.

1955
Hundreds of homes and businesses in Las Vegas, NV are damaged by floodwaters that were 4 feet deep in the Twin Lakes subdivision. Property damage is estimated at $3 million dollars. Heavy rain associated with strong thunderstorms in the Valley Vista area of Mohave County, AZ lead to street and highway flooding.

1964
Clouds, rain and a cool northeast wind holds the high temperatures in the upper 50s to mid 60s across West Michigan. The high of 59° at Grand Rapids, MI was only the second time in over a hundred years of record that the temperature did not reach 60° on a July day. Early morning lows dropped in ot the lower and middle 30’s across parts of the northern Plains.

1975
An F2 tornado hit Seabrook, NJ, unroofing a school and a frozen food packaging plant. F1 tornadoes touched down in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and Cecil County, Maryland. Dover, DE, was deluged with 8.50 inches of rain to establish a 24 hour record for the state.

1977
Lightning struck a key electrical transmission line in Westchester County in southeastern New York State plunging New York City into darkness. Looting resulted in a billion dollar loss.

1980
It was a hot day across the Deep South as the scorching summer of 1980 continued. Memphis, TN set their all time record with 108°. Macon, GA topped out at 108° and Atlanta at 105°. Newington, GA sweltered as the mercury soared to 110°. Birmingham, AL experienced their hottest day of the heat wave with a reading of 106°. Temperatures in Birmingham exceeded 100° for 7 days. Dallas, TX recorded readings of 100° or greater on 69 days from June 23rd to September 6th; 42 consecutive days. At least 1,700 people died due to the heat in the summer of 1980 with agricultural losses $20 billion 1980 dollars.

1989
A thunderstorm at Albany, GA produced 1.40 inches of rain in just 40 minutes, along with wind gusts to 82 mph.

Afternoon highs of 114° at Phoenix, AZ, 110° at Tucson, AZ, and 98° at Corpus Christi, TX, equaled records for the date.

Greenwood, MSreported 55.65 inches of precipitation to date, twice the amount normally received by mid July.

1990
43 members of a 45 climber mountaineering team died as an avalanche buried their camp on 23,406 foot Peak Lenin in Russia.

1993
Heavy rains of 3 to 5 inches in an hour caused flooding of streets and roads at Dodge City, KS. A total of 15 cars were washed down 3rd Avenue with seven cars being piled up on top of each other at 3rd Avenue and Vine Street. People had to be rescued

from their cars. Wyatt Earp Boulevard was also flooded. Standing water of one and a half to two feet was reported in southwestern Dodge City. In south central Kansas, heavy rains in Kiowa County caused widespread flooding and as much as 8 inches of rain was reported in portions of the county. The Rattlesnake Creek was out of its banks throughout the county and was reported to be as wide as five miles near the Edwards county line.  Railroad tracks were washed out south of Kiowa County Lake. The water subsided around 5am the next day.

Advertisement 
Major flooding on the Mississippi River produced a record river crest at Quincy, IL of 32.3 feet; eclipsing the old record of 28.9 feet set in April 1973. At mid-month, only 5 of 28 bridges that cross the river into Illinois were open.

Barrow, AK, set their all time record high of 79°.

1995
Many daily record high temperatures and three all time record highs were recorded as the deadly July 1995 heat wave continued unabated from the Midwest to the Atlantic coast. All time highs set included: Genoa, WI: 109°, Milwaukee, WI: 108°, La Crosse, WI: tied at 108°, Chicago, IL: 106°, Necedah, WI: 104°, Trempealeau, WI: 103°, Decorah, IA: 102° and Guttenberg, IA: 102°.  Heat indices soared to well over 120° in many areas and close to 130° at Chicago, IL & Cedar Rapids, IA as dew point temperatures were in the upper 70’s to low 80’s. 553 people died in Chicago alone from the heat.

1996
A weakening Tropical Storm Bertha moved north-northeast from Wilmington, NC, passing 45 miles south of Dover, DE then by Atlantic City, NJ and up to Long Island Sound, NY. In New Jersey, wind gusts reached 63 mph in Harvey Cedars, 60 mph in Seaside Park, 55 mph in Cumberland County, and 43 mph at Atlantic City. Some minor back bay tidal flooding occurred in Cape May County, and only Monmouth Beach suffered severe beach erosion, with 60 feet of the 120 feet wide beach at the south of the borough disappearing. Philadelphia, PA received a 4-day total rainfall of 4.31 inches, with 1.87 inches falling on the 13th and 2.15 inches on the 14th. 6.59 inches fell at Estelle Manor, 4.56 inches at Folsom, 4.14 inches at Belleplain, 4 inches at the Cape May Courthouse, 3.78 inches at Hammonton and 2.07 inches at Margate, all in New Jersey. No serious damage was reported, but a surfer drowned at Ocean Beach, NJ, on the 12th. Further south, in separate incidents, two people drowned in rip currents along unguarded sections of Miami Beach, FL.

A severe thunderstorm produced hail up to an inch and a half in diameter at Cheyenne, WY which resulted in about $4 million dollars in damage.

2002
Winds up to 80 mph swept through Kingman, AZ damaged or destroyed dozens of homes. Four people were also injured from flying debris. In Chloride, winds were estimated at 100 mph which caused significant damage, uprooting trees and knocking out power.

2004
A violent tornado quickly developed across Woodford County, Illinois during the mid afternoon. This tornado was at F4 intensity as it demolished a manufacturing plant four miles west of Roanoke. Although 140 people were inside at the time, all escaped injury by reaching storm shelters a few minutes before the tornado's arrival. Steel beams and metal siding from the plant were found approximately three quarters of a mile east in a farm field. Four farmsteads east of the plant were severely damaged or destroyed.

2006
Tropical Storm Bilis tracked across northern Taiwan before making landfall in southeastern China's Fujian province with maximum sustained winds near 65 mph. The storm caused at least 575 deaths in Fujian, Guangdong and Hunan provinces and direct economic losses totaled near $3.3 billion U.S. dollars.

2008
A streak of 24 consecutive days (ending August 5th) of 90° or higher began on this date at Denver, CO. This shattered their previous record of 18 days established in 1901 and 1974.
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July 14th:
1911
Asia's greatest 24-hour rainfall occurred from this date through the 15th as Baguio, Luzon in the Philippines received 46 inches.

1936
Extreme heat prevailed across the central U.S. as severe drought raged from Texas to the Dakotas. Record high temperatures were established in sixteen states that summer, including readings as high as 120°in the Great Plains Region. On this particular date, afternoon highs for 113 stations across the state of Iowa averaged 108.7°. 

All-time record highs were set at: Rockford, IL: 112°, Mondovi, WI: 110°, Richland Center, WI: 110°, Rochester, MN: 108°, Hatfield, WI: 108°, La Crosse, WI: 108°, Lancaster, WI: 108°, Grand Meadow, MN: 106°, Fort Wayne, IN: 106° and Mather, WI: 106°. Collegeville, IN recorded the state's hottest day on record as the mercury soared to 116°.

1954
Illinois recorded its hottest temperature ever as East St. Louis hit 117°. Missouri also set their high temperature record with 118° at Warsaw and Union.  St. Louis, MO: 115°, Pana, IL: 115°, Jacksonville, IL: 114°, Virden, IL: 114°, Decatur, IL: 113°, Columbia, MO: 113°, Quincy, IL: 112°, Springfield, IL: 112°, Mattoon, IL: 111° and Champaign, IL: 109°. 

1960
An F2 tornado around noon moved through Salem and Gloucester counties in New Jersey from near Carney's Point, Jefferson, and Sewell. Homes were damaged and a large barn destroyed. 6 people were injured in Gloucester County.

1966
Bakersfield, CAset a record low maximum of 90°. This is the only day of the entire year where Bakersfield has always had a high temperature of at least 90°in every year since records began in 1893.

1970
A line of severe thunderstorms raced across southeast South Dakota into northwest Iowa causing extensive damage. The line of thunderstorms produced widespread high winds and large hail. The hail averaged quarter to hen egg size although some areas received stones the size of softballs and winds in excess of 70 mph were not uncommon. Apparently, the most extensive damage from the storms extended from Mitchell through Parker to near Beresford. Spotty areas reported 100% crop damage. In Lincoln County, the hail caused an estimated $8 million dollars in crop damage and $2 million dollars in property damage. In the town of Marion the hail was so large that it actually punched holes in some roofs.

Northwest Iowa didn't fair much better as the storms caused $5 million dollars in crop damage in Sac County. The storm was labeled the worst in 65 years in Sac County as 70 to 100 mph winds tore through the area. Amazingly enough almost every home in Sac City was damaged by the storm. Numerous structures also lost their roofs in Sioux county. Several fatalities in both South Dakota and Iowa were directly related to the severe weather.

1987
Severe thunderstorms in Iowa produced eight inches of golf ball size hail near Grafton, completely stripping corn stalks. Hail caused more than $1 million dollars damage to crops in Worth, Mitchell, Ada and Crawford County.

Unseasonably cool weather prevailed in the Great Plains Region. Eight cities reported record low temperatures for the date, including Duluth, MN with a reading of 37°.

1989
Afternoon and evening thunderstorms produced severe weather from eastern New Mexico to central Nebraska. One hundred soldiers were injured by flying debris and collapsing tents during a thunderstorm near Trinidad, CO. Thunderstorms in Colorado produced wind gusts to 77 mph at La Junta, CO.

Early morning thunderstorms produced torrential rains over parts of Louisiana, with 7.50 inches at Carencro, and 5.85 inches at Morgan City.

1993
Windsor, Ontariorecorded a heat indextemperature of 122°, the highest ever reported in Canada.

1995
Chicago/Midway Airport, IL recorded its hottest temperature reading ever with 108°. Other all-time record highs: Sparta, WI: 105° and Blair, WI 105° (tied – 8/23/1948).  Record highs for the date included: Toledo, OH: 104°, Mauston, WI: 103°, South Bend, IN: 100° and Owen, WI: 99°. Grand Rapids, MI set an all-time record low maximum of 81°.

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The mercury hit a record high of 100° at Boston, MA. This was only the 22nd time in their history the temperature was at or above the century mark and the first time since 7/21/1977 when the temperature hit 102°.

1998
Rescuers searched for victims and survivors of flash flooding from the night before in parts of Tennessee. The training thunderstorms dumped 7 inches of rain in 6 hours in and around Lawrenceburg, TN. Bridges were washed out and vehicles swept away. At least two people were killed.

Tallahassee, FL picked up more rain in two hours than it had in the past four months.

2000
A tornado in Pine Lake, Alberta Canada killed 12 people and injured 140 others. This tornado was North America's deadliest of 2000 but Canada's first killer tornado since 1987.

2002
The all-time record high at Billings, MT was set with 108°; the highs the previous two days were 107° and 106°.

Lightning started a fire in the Spring Mountains in Nevada that would be named the Lost Cabin Fire. The fire burned 4,340 acres and threatened 460 residences, 13 commercial properties, and 200 outbuildings. The fire was contained a week later on July 20th with no injuries or lost structures.

2005
Death Valley, CA recorded 6 consecutive days beginning on this date through the 19th with high temperatures above 125°. Borrego Springs, CA set a daily record high of 118° and Big Bear Lake, CA with 93°. 

2006
Severe thunderstorm produced grapefruit size hail near Colstrip, MT; nearly an hour later an 82 mph wind gust was observed at Miles City, MT.

2009
A tornado moved through portions of Swift and Pope Counties in west central Minnesota where two turkey barns and several outbuildings were destroyed, with extensive tree damage throughout the entire path. Maximum damage was EF2 with estimated winds of 111-119 mph. In the town of Swift Falls, two residences were damaged along with two garages that were destroyed. The tornado produced minor crop damage northeast of Swift Falls.
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July 15th:
1885
The first of three damaging tornadoes hit 7 miles north-northeast of Highmore, SD and moved to the northeast. Two small homes were destroyed before the funnel turned to the east, then northeast and north before lifting. This tornado was estimated to have F2 strength and was seen in all directions for 20 miles. The second tornado appeared to be motionless 3 miles east of Harrold, and then moved east to Holabird where it destroyed two homes and dissipated. A third tornado, this one with an estimated F3 strength, formed to the west of Highmore and moved east into town, then lifted about 4 miles east of town. Three homes were destroyed and about 20 other buildings were damaged at Highmore. A farmer was killed two miles east of town. Losses totaled about $55,000, which included many new buildings, including a church and a skating rink.

1901
Marquette, MI set their all-time record high with 108°.

1916
A dying South Atlantic Coast storm produced torrential rains in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Altapass, NC was drenched with 22.22 inches of rain, a 24 hour rainfall record for the state. Flooding resulted in considerable damage, particularly to railroads.

1936
Perhaps the hottest night ever recorded in the U.S. outside of the desert Southwest, occurred at Lincoln, NE when the minimum temperature fell to only 91°. The citizens of that city spent the night outdoors trying to sleep on the lawn of the state capitol.

All-time record highs were set at Quincy, IL: 114°, Peoria, IL: 113°, Lincoln, IL: 113° and Rockford, IL: 112°.  Champaign, IL hit 107°. This stood as their all-time record until 1954.

1954
The temperature at Balcony Falls, VA soared to 110°to establish the state’s high temperature record. Roanoke, VA set their all-time high temperature record with 106°.

1976
Thunderstorms caused 76 mph winds at Washington, D.C.’s National Airport and the highest since 98 mph winds were recorded in Hurricane Hazel in October 1954.

1980
Minneapolis, MN was plagued by severe thunderstorms that produced hail and tornadoes. Nearly 100,000 people were without power. Damage totaled over $43 million dollars.

Memphis, TN set their all-time record high temperature record with 108°. Albany, GA also set their all-time record high with 107°.

1981
Daytona Beach, FLset their all-time record high with 102°.

1983
The Big Thompson Creek in Colorado flooded for the second time in seven years, claiming three lives, and filling the town of Estes Park with 8 to 10 feet of water.

1987
Unseasonably cool weather spread into the south central and eastern U.S. Many cities reported record low temperatures for the date, including Houghton Lake, MI with a low of 37°. The high temperature for the date of 58° at Flint and Grand Rapids, MI was their coolest on record for July.

1988
Many cities east of the Mississippi River reported record high temperatures for the date. Charleston, WV established an all-time record high with a reading of 103°, and Chicago, IL hit 102°; a record 5th day of 100° heat for the year. Jump River, WI set their July high temperature record with 98°.

A tornadic thunderstorm moved out of Omaha into southwest Iowa. Three tornadoes ripped through the northern part of Council Bluffs, IA injuring 88 people and damaging over 1,000 homes. There were 18 homes completely leveled and 21 apartments damaged. Numerous businesses in Council Bluffs were severely damaged. Outages from power line damage affected about 20,000 customers. One tornado blew a 40 car freight train off its tracks. Total damage was done to a 700 square block area in Council Bluffs totaling $43 million dollars.

1989
Thunderstorms drenched Kansas City, MO with 4.16 inches of rain, a record for the date. 2.50 inches fell in just one hour. 

Afternoon thunderstorms in South Carolina deluged Williamstown with 6 inches of rain in 90 minutes, including 4 inches in little more than 30 minutes.

1995
A Mesoscale Convective Complex crossed the Adirondack Mountains and much of eastern New York during the early morning hours and bolted southeast, producing a very damaging derecho. 
The Adirondack Derecho was produced by thunderstorms which rose to heights of 70,000 feet, moved at forward speeds of 70 mph, produced winds to 106 mph and causing as many as 3,000 lightning strikes per hour. 
Across western New York, thunderstorm winds caused widespread damage, downing trees and wires. Hardest hit were the counties of Jefferson and Lewis where states of emergency were declared.
In some cases, these structures were tossed hundreds of feet and debris was scattered over a half mile away. Permanent structures suffered considerable roof damage. 
Power was knocked out in all of Jefferson and Lewis counties for at least 12 hours, and in some cases, for days. The North Country was declared a disaster area by the Governor of New York State.
 Thousands of trees covering over one million acres were blown down in the Adirondacks. Five people were killed.

The temperature reached 106° at Danbury, CT, the state's hottest day on record.

1998
22 of 26 reporting stations in Florida reported measurable rain with two inches at Lakeland and one inch at Fort Myers, giving firefighters some much needed assistance in their battle against wildfires.

1999
Calgary, AlbertaCanadadropped to 37° with snow flurries and winds gusting to 43 mph.

2001
Seoul, South Korea recorded its heaviest rain since 1964 as 12.21” of rain fell at a rate of nearly 4 inches per hour. 40 people were killed.

2003
The Phoenix Sky Harbor in Arizona recorded a record low maximum temperature of 96°. This is the highest low temperature in Phoenix’s history.

A rock face on the Matterhorn in Switzerland collapsed due to melting ice at a height of 11,220 feet.

2004
An intense thunderstorm deluges the Peterborough area in Ontario Canada during the early morning hours. Official rainfall totals range from 3.94 inches at the airport to 9.45 inches at Trent University, most of the rain fell in less than five hours.

2006
Kelly Ranch/Usta set South Dakota’s all-time high temperature record with 120°. Pierre and Rapid City, SD sets their new all-time daily maximum temperature records with 117° and 111° respectively. Chadron, NE also set their all-time record high with 112°.  Alliance, NE reported their second hottest day on record with 107°. Denver, CO set daily record highs on this date and the 16th with 101° and 103° respectively. 

2007
Extreme temperatures across central Hungary reached historic levels as temperatures peaked as high as 107°. Hungarian health officials blame the heat for the deaths of 500 sick or elderly people.
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July 16th:
1916
Beginning on the 15th ending on this date, North Carolina registered its record maximum 24 hour precipitation record as 22.22 inches fell at Altapass.

1941
Lillooet and Lytton set British Columbia, Canada’s all-time high temperature mark with 112°.

1969
An unusual tornado touched down at Churdan, IA and moved west-northwest slowly after touchdown.

1979
The strongest and most destructive tornado known in Wyoming history struck Cheyenne.  The F4 tornado initially touched down just northwest of the airport and proceeded to move east over residential areas along Buffalo Ridge. A young boy was killed while 57 others residents were injured. Approximately 140 homes were destroyed along with the local elementary school, while approximately 200 other homes were damaged.  Total damage was $22 million.

1980
Millions of dollars in damage was done by a strong microburst and blinding rain that hit the south side of Chicago, IL during the morning. Winds were estimated to be as high as 100 mph in the microburst. Further west, the same storm system produced a tornado near the town of Hampshire, destroying two silos containing 48,000 pounds of corn.

Severe thunderstorms moved rapidly across the region during the late afternoon causing widespread damage. Bensalem, PA reported a wind gust of 102 mph. Philadelphia, PA measured a sustained wind speed of 47 mph with a gust to 70 mph. Thousands of trees were uprooted or broken apart, falling on automobiles, houses and other buildings. Up to 24 people were injured, mostly the result of flying debris, such as glass from blown out windows, portions of buildings or roofs, and falling or blowing limbs or trees. Hail up to the size of golf balls fell, and heavy downpours caused up to 3 inches of rain in spots.

1983
The overnight low in Washington, D.C. only dropped to 84°, their warmest minimum temperature reading ever.

1984
This was a wild day across parts of northeastern South Dakota, southwestern Minnesota and northwestern Iowa as a line of thunderstorms moved southward bringing tornadoes, strong winds and hail. A trailer was destroyed by winds of 70 mph in Palo Alto County at Emmetsburg. In Jackson County of southwest Minnesota, a tornado struck two farm sites and caused minor damage to the homes and more extensive damage to the outbuildings. This tornadic cell then moved southward into Dickinson and Emmet Counties of northwest Iowa, but no damage was reported in these areas. Much of the rest of southwest Minnesota saw high thunderstorm winds and hail flatten corn and bean crops. In Sioux Falls, SD high winds gusted to 64 mph causing some tree damage. Further south in Yankton and Clay Counties winds gusted to 75 mph causing property damage to grain bins. The damage then continued across the Missouri River in Cedar and Thurston Counties of northeast Nebraska.

1986
A plane carrying executives from Holland to Muskegon, MI crashed while landing in heavy fog. The pilot had descended below approach minimums and the plane struck two trees about two miles short of the runway. Three people were killed, including the pilot. Three others were injured.

1987
Showers and thunderstorms in the southwestern U.S. ended a record string of 39 consecutive days of 100 degree heat at Tucson, AZ. A thunderstorm at Bullhead City, AZ produced wind gusts to 70 mph reducing the visibility to near zero in blowing dust. Southerly winds gusting to 40 mph pushed temperature readings above 100 degrees in the Northern Plains. Rapid City, SD reported a record high of 106°, following a record low of 39°just three days earlier.

1988
Many cities in the eastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date.  Highs of 96° at Bluefield, WV and 104°at Charleston, WV were all-time records, and afternoon highs of 98° at Binghamton, NY, 99° at Elkins, WV, and 103°at Pittsburgh, PA, tied all- time records. Highs of 104° at Baltimore, MD and 105°at Parkersburg, WV were records for July, and Beckley, WV equaled their record for July with a high of 94°.  Martinsburg, WV was the hot spot in the nation with a reading of 107°.  

1989
Showers and thunderstorms developing along a stationary front drenched the Mid- Atlantic Coast States with heavy rain, causing flooding in some areas. More than five inches of rain was reported near Madison and Ferncliff, VA.

Hot weather prevailed in Texas. San Angelo reported a record high of 106°.

1993
The Great Midwest Flood continued as all bridges across the Mississippi River between Burlington, IA and St. Louis, MO; a stretch of 212 miles were closed by the flooding and would be shut down until the 20th.

Across eastern South Dakota from the 16th through the 18th, flooding continued to wreak havoc. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 7 inches fell across portions of the northeast resulting in devastating flooding. Several dams and many roads were washed out in Marshall County. The heavy rains resulted in flooded farmland, roads, and basements. In the towns of Groton and Claremont at least 90% of the homes had water in the basements and city streets were breaking apart due to the weight of the water and water undermining the roads.

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An emergency dike broke near Milbank which sent water into the town. The breach forced the evacuation of over 200 people as 120 mobile homes and over 25 houses were affected by floodwater.

1995
A Mesoscale Convective Complex crossed the Adirondack Mountains and much of eastern New York during the early morning hours and bolted southeast, producing a very damaging derecho. The Adirondack Derecho was produced by thunderstorms which rose to heights of 70,000 feet, moved at forward speeds of 70 mph, produced winds to 106 mph and causing as many as 3,000 lightning strikes per hour. Across western New York, thunderstorm winds caused widespread damage, downing trees and wires. Hardest hit were the counties of Jefferson and Lewis where states of emergency were declared. In some cases, these structures were tossed hundreds of feet and debris was scattered over a half mile away. Permanent structures suffered considerable roof damage. Power was knocked out in all of Jefferson and Lewis counties for at least 12 hours, and in some cases, for days. The North Country was declared a disaster area by the Governor of New York State. Thousands of trees covering over one million acres were blown down in the Adirondacks. Five people were killed. Otis, MA recorded a wind gust of 92 mph. Small tornadoes were reported at Greenfield and Huntington, MA.

1998
A dramatic and mysterious cooling of waters in the northeast Gulf of Mexico killed fish and chilled swimmers along the beaches of the Florida Panhandle. Coastal water temperatures from near the Alabama line to Panama City, FL., plunged suddenly from the upper 80s to the low 70s, the kind of surf temperatures that could be expected off of Cape Cod in mid-July. The clear, cold water killed all fish life with its extraordinarily low levels of dissolved oxygen. The best scientific hypothesis was that the cold water has up-welled from the DeSoto Canyon about 30 miles off of the Panhandle.

Death Valley/Furnace Creek, CA reached 127°.  This is only one degree lower than their record high of 128° since 1913. Death Valley/Greenland Ranch had five daily maximums ranging from 129° to 134° in July, 1913, but these extremely high observations are not supported by the maximums at surrounding stations during the same period. Trustworthy readings of 128° were attained in Death Valley in July 1972, and in June 1994.  In June, 1994, a park ranger measured 131° at Badwater in Death Valley with a sling psychrometer. Badwater is typically a few degrees hotter than Furnace Creek on summer afternoons. Other memorable readings from this very hot day: 126° at Bullhead City, AZ. Las Vegas, NV reached 116°, just one degree shy of its all-time maximum of 117°.

Daily records: Borrego Springs, CA: 118°, Escondido, CA: 102°.

Fresno & Bakersfield, CA experienced their latest first 100-degree day on record.  On the same day, Tehachapi, CA hit 100° for the first time since 7/26/1980.

2002
Typhoon Halong twice made landfall near Tokyo, Japan but by-passed the city. The combination of winds and rains injured nine people, damaged over 150 homes and triggered landslides.

2005
Casper, WY tied their daily record high at 104°.  Denver, CO soared to a record of 102°.  This record high was broken the next year.

2006
The mercury at Valentine, NE soared to 113° establishing a new record high for the date.  Denver, CO broke their high temperature record set just the previous year with 103°.
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July 17th:
1934
One of the worst heat waves in the history of the nation commenced. During the last two weeks of the month extreme heat claimed 679 lives in Michigan, including 300 in Detroit alone.

1941
A prolonged heat wave over Washington State finally came to an end. Lightning from untimely thunderstorms was responsible for 598 forest fires.

1942
Early morning excessive rain deluged parts of north-central Pennsylvania. A total of 30.80 inches fell in 4.5 hours along parts of the Pennsylvania/New York border. 15 people were killed damage was set at $10 million dollars. Smethport, PA received 34.3 inches in a 24-hour period, setting the state record.

1943
Col. James Duckworth became the first person to fly an airplane into a hurricane. Duckworth took his AT-6 trainer right into the eye of a category 1 hurricane off the Texas coast.

1952
Thunderstorms helped the temperature at Key West, FL to dip to 69°, to equal their July record established on 7/1/1923.

1957
On a warm and sunny day at Wilmington DE, with a high of 86°, a dust devil suddenly appeared. It tore the roof off one house, and stripped shingles from a neighboring house. A TV aerial was toppled, and clothes were blown off clothes lines.

1978
Severe thunderstorms ripped across southwest sections of South Dakota. One storm which dumped hail larger than golf balls and had winds which exceeded 80 mph was labeled as one of the most destructive to strike several western counties. Bennett County alone lost 20,000 acres and 600,000 bushels of unharvested winter wheat. The storms also did considerable property damage. Total price tag for the storms was near $28 million dollars.

1980
The maximum temperature ever recorded in Atlanta GA was 105 °F on this date.
The maximum temperature ever recorded in Macon GA  was 108 °F on this date.
 The high of 110 degrees at Newington GA was just two degrees shy of the state record. 

(Extreme Weather pp. 22, 273, by Christopher C. Burt) 

1981
Severe thunderstorm winds ripped a 10,000 square foot hole in a 90 foot high pavilion at Sea World in Orlando, FL. The storm panicked a crowd of 550 tourists. One death occurred due to injury and heart attack and 15 people were injured. The canopy was made of fiberglass and Teflon, designed to withstand 120 mph winds.

1984
Corpus Christi, TX set a record high of 99° and also a record low of 70°.

1985
An F1 tornado touched down, 10 miles east of Raymond, SD destroying two cattle sheds and several buildings. A garage was moved off its foundation. Heavy rains, strong winds and hail up to 2.75 inches in diameter produced considerable damage to farm buildings between Raymond and Garden City. Rainfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches caused additional crop losses from erosion. A thunderstorm near Kennebec produced wind gusts to 80 mph and small hail was observed. A few trees were uprooted and numerous branched were downed. Several car windows were broke from wind and small hail. A half inch of rain fell in 10 minutes, filling ditches. A damage path from wind and hail continued to Clear Lake, to south of Gary and into Minnesota to the east of Canby. Winds gusted to 70 mph and hail ranged from one to almost two inches in diameter. In Clear Lake, four businesses were damaged and power poles were downed. One building had the fiberglass siding and roofing torn off. A second building had a metal roof blown off. Highway 77, south of Clear Lake was impassable due to hail on the ground.

1987
Slow moving thunderstorms caused flooding on the Guadalupe River in Texas resulting in tragic loss of life. A bus and van leaving a summer youth camp stalled near the rapidly rising river, just west of the town of Comfort, and a powerful surge of water swept away 43 people killing 10. Most of the others were rescued from tree tops by helicopter.

An unseasonable cold core upper level storm system produced snow showers across the higher elevations of Yosemite National Park in California with up to 4 inches in some areas. 

Further south, measurable rain was reported down to San Diego. 

1988
Several cities in the eastern U.S., and others in California, reported record high temperatures for the date. Downtown San Francisco CA, with a high of 103°, obliterated their previous record high of 82°. Philadelphia, PA reported a record five straight days of 100 degreeheat, and Baltimore, MD reported a record eight days of 100 degree weather for the year.

1989
Thunderstorms produced severe weather from South Dakota to Lousiana, with 126 reports of large hail and damaging winds during the day and night. Thunderstorms in Nebraska produced hail four inches in diameter in Frontier County, and at North Platte, causing millions of dollars damage to crops in Frontier County. Thunderstorms in Oklahoma produced wind gusts to 90 mph at Peggs. Tahlequah, OK was drenched with 5.25 inches of rain.

1993
Heavy rains of 3 to 7 inches fell in Grant County, South Dakota resulting in the overflow of Lake Farley into the city of Milbank. The dam held, but an emergency dike broke during the evening releasing water into residential streets and a trailer court in Milbank. This forced evacuation of at least 200 people. Damage included 120 mobile homes and 26 houses being affected by floodwaters. In addition, a man died when his pickup truck hit a wash out on a gravel road south of Milbank and was swept into the floodwaters of a nearby creek.

All-time monthly record rainfall established already at Concordia, KS as rainfall records continued to fall across the Midwest during the Great Mississippi Flood of 1993. Total rainfall so far was 13.26”; this broke the old record of 11.19”. On this date, two inches of rain fell in 12 minutes in parts of Montgomery County, Iowa. 12 inches fell in just three hours near Bamboo, WI.

1994
Atlanta, GA experienced 14 days in a row with rain; tying a record. The entire month of July had 17.71 inches, the wettest month ever in the Georgia capital.

1997
Tropical Storm Danny strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico off of the Louisiana Coast and moved slowly toward land. This marked only the third time in 126 years that four tropical storms had formed so early in the season (1886, 1959 were the other years). The storm would eventually stall over Mobile Bay, dumping incredible amounts of rain on the Alabama coast.

2003
One inch of snow fell at Denali National Park Headquarters in Alaska, the first occurrence of measurable snow ever recorded in July.

A heat wave affected much of Europe with daily temperatures between 90°-101° across France and Switzerland southeastward across the Mediterranean region from early to mid July.

2005
A strong heat ridge produced record high temperatures across the Southwest. 

Needles, CA reached a high temperature of 125°, recording their hottest temperature ever.

Other daily records included: Palm Springs, CA: 121°, Borrego Springs, CA: 120°, Yuma, AZ: 117°, Las Vegas, NV: 116°, Phoenix, AZ: 116°, Kingman, AZ: 113°, Tucson, AZ: 111° and Winslow, AZ: 105°.

2007
During the evening thunderstorms began forming over parts of northeast Iowa and southwest Wisconsin and continued well through the overnight hours dumping nearly 10 inches of rain from far northern Clayton County, Iowa into Crawford and Grant Counties in Wisconsin. Significant flash flooding developed during the overnight hours in drainage areas. Mud and rock slides were also common given the steep terrain in that area. Some rainfall totals included: McGregor, IA: 9.47 inches, Marquette, IA: 8.09 inches, Prairie du Chien, WI: 7.31 inches, Ion, IA: 4.89 inches, Burton, WI: 3.52 inches, Millville, WI: 2.99 inches, Lancaster, WI: 2.60 inches and Guttenberg, IA: 2.57 inches..
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July 18th:
July is typically the hottest month of the year across much of the U.S., but does it ever get very hot in Barrow, Alaska? Barrow's all time record high of 79° was set in July of 1993, but the average July high temperature is only 45°. In addition as the warmer air tries to usher in, the sky is only clear 7.7% of the time in July and Barrow averages 206 days of fog per year. Due to the cold temperatures, Barrow is typically very dry as only 4.7 inches of liquid precipitation falls on average.

1889
A cloudburst in West Virginia along the small creeks in Wirt, Jackson and Wood County claimed 20 lives. Rockport, WV reported 19 inches of rain in two hours and ten minutes that Thursday evening; a U.S. record. Tygart Creek rose 22 feet in one hour, and villages were swept away on Tygart, Slate, Tucker, and Sandy Creeks.

1936
This day marked the end of the hottest period on record for La Crosse, WI. From the 5th through the 18th, temperatures climbed to 90° or better everyday, and at or above 100° eight times. During this time six record temperatures were set and the average high temperatures for the period was 101.0°.

1941
Fort Smith, Northwest Territories Canadareported the territories hottest temperature on record as they reached 103°.

1942
A record deluge occurred at Smethport in northern Pennsylvania, with 30.7 inches in just six hours. The downpours and resultant flooding in Pennsylvania were devastating. The following U.S. records were set at Smethport: rainfall in three hours: 28.50 inches, rainfall in 4 hours and 30 minutes: 30.70 inches and 12-hour rainfall: 34.30 inches.

1955
The United Kingdom's wettest day on record occurred as 10.99 inches of rain fell in 24 hours at Martinstown, Dorset. Two people were killed.

1970
A tropical depression formed east of the Yucatan Peninsula. As the system developed into Tropical Storm Becky, it provided National Hurricane Center forecasters their first opportunity to study the evolution of a tropical cyclone with the aid of time-lapse movies of ATS (Applications Technology Satellite) photographs in real time, or, The Movie Loop. Becky moved into the Florida panhandle as a tropical storm.

1972
Heavy rain, unofficially measured at 10 to 11 inches, fell in the Mooreland and Mutual areas of Woodward County Oklahoma. The heavy rain caused severe soil erosion, but crop damage was minimal, as wheat already had been harvested.

1986
One of the most "photogenic" tornadoes touched down in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis, MN during the late afternoon. The very slow moving tornado actually appeared live on the evening news by way of an aerial video taken by the KARE-TV helicopter crew. The tornado, unlike most, was quite the Prima-Donna, staying visible to tens of thousands of persons for 30 minutes. It was moderate in intensity, with winds of 113-157 mph, and caused $650,000 dollars damage.

1987
A rare cold air mass for mid-summer descended on the western U.S. Several cities reported record low temperatures for the date, including Alamosa, CO with a reading of 38°. The low of 52° at Bakersfield, CA was a record for July. Borrego Springs, CA fell to 56° and Palomar Mountain, CA dropped to 39°, their lowest temperatures on record for July. This also occurred two and three days later on 7/20 and 7/21.

Up to 8 inches of snow covered the Northern Sierra Nevada Range of California from a storm the previous day. During that storm, winds gusting to 52 mph at Slide Mountain, NV produced a wind chill reading of -20°. Susanville, CA fell to 17° the previous day, Blue Canyon, CA dipped to a July record of 36°, and the high of only 44° at Klamath Falls, OR smashed their previous record for July by 10 degrees.

1988
Sweltering heat continued in California, with record highs of 127° at Death Valley, 112°at Sacramento and 111° at Redding.

Late afternoon and evening thunderstorms in the Central Plains Region produced baseball size hail at Kimball, NE, wind gusts to 79 mph at Colby, KS, and 6 inches of rain near Lexington, NE.

1989
Thunderstorms produced severe weather in Oklahoma, northern Texas and Arkansas during the afternoon into the evening. Thunderstorms produced baseball size hail at Stamford, TX, and wind gusts to 92 mph near Throckmorton, TX.  

Record heat continued in the southwestern U.S.  Phoenix, AZ reported a record high of 115°, and 111°at Midland, TX was second only to their all-time record high of 112°established 16 days earlier.

1991
Approximately 580 square miles of trees were toppled by winds in excess of 110 mph at the Pukwash Forest, Northwest Territories Canada, but there was no evidence of any tornadic activity. The damage path was roughly 12.5 miles wide and 47 miles long.

1992
On this date through the 18th, Thunderstorms crossed Wayne County in western New York State dumping heavy rains over already saturated grounds and swollen streams. Rainfall amounts exceeded six inches in two hours on the 17th. Three homes were severely damaged in Marion and Sodus as basements filled with water. In some places, mudslides occurred and the shoulders of roads had been washed away. Also, thousands of dollars worth of potato and onion crops were ruined.

1993
In south central Kansas, heavy rains in and around Stafford County caused flooding of the normally dry Antelope Creek. Flooding of roads and streets began in Radium during the morning hours. Some sandbagging was done in the town. After 4 pm the Antelope Creek overflowed its banks and contributed to more flooding in the Radium area. The flooding continued until the morning hours on the 19th. Basements were filled with water in some homes. This was the worst flooding in Radium since the spring of 1973.  Flooding continued until about 9 am on the 19th. Large areas of the Quivira Waterfowl Refuge were flooded also.

1994
A monsoonal flow fueled scattered severe thunderstorms over southern Clark County, Nevada. The thunderstorms produced strong winds and heavy rain in Pahrump, Overton, Henderson, Nellis Air Force Base, and Las Vegas. The strongest wind gust of 78 mph was at Nellis Air Force Base and was also the fastest wind speed ever recorded at that site. Numerous structures were damaged in Henderson, Pahrump, and the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Several small airplanes were damaged at local airports, with one plane totally destroyed. A $4 million dollars sign belonging to the Las Vegas Hilton was destroyed. At the time, the Las Vegas Hilton sign was billed as the world’s tallest free-standing sign at 362 feet. Debris from the sign fell on several cars, causing some damage, but no injuries. However, flying debris from broken windows and damaged structures did cause numerous minor injuries throughout the Las Vegas metropolitan area. 200,000 people were without power after the storm, some for over 48 hours.

1996
An F5 tornado struck Oakfield, WI during the evening, injuring 17 people and destroying 47 of the 320 homes in the town. Damage estimates totaled over $40 million dollars. In addition, 56 homes as well as numerous businesses and churches sustained heavy damage.

A massive rainstorm in north central and northeast Illinois led to widespread flooding. Aurora reported 16.91 inches of rain, establishing a state record for the most rain in a single day. Other heavy totals included 13.60 inches at Joliet, 9.24 inches in Wheaton, 8.09 inches in DeKalb, and 7.82 inches at Elgin.

On this date through the 21st, Canada endured its first billion dollar disaster as torrential rains and floods triggered a surge of water, trees, rocks and mud that killed 10 people and forced 12,000 residents to evacuate in the Saguenay River Valley in Quebec.

1997
Hurricane warnings were posted along the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Alabama as Hurricane Danny headed toward shore, first brushing southeastern Louisiana where tropical storm force winds and high tides caused severe erosion. Grand Isle, LA recorded a wind gust to 95 mph shortly before midnight. 100 mph winds and torrential rains, downed power lines, damaged or sunk boats and left flooding in its wake.

Thunderstorms developed ahead of a strong cold front and brought high winds and large hail to the western southern tier, Niagara frontier and Genesee Valley in western New York State. The high winds downed trees and power lines and caused minor structural damage. A 74 mph gust was recorded in Orchard Park. Hail, as large as golfballs, damaged crops in Niagara and Orleans counties. Crops affected included apples, peaches, pears and cherries. Several fires were reported as a result of lightning strikes. The heavy rains that accompanied the storms resulted in minor urban flooding.

1998
Edwards Air Force Base in California set their all-time record high of 115°.

2003
Miles City, MT set their all-time high temperature record with 113°. Highs of 100° or higher occurred 6 times between the 12th through the 19th.

2006
A heat wave across Europe sent temperatures at Bordeaux, France to 102°.
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July 19th:

1886
The third hurricane to cross the state of Florida in one month caused serious damage from Cedar Key to Jacksonville. Three early season hurricanes striking Florida made the Hurricane Season of 1886 one of the busiest on record.

1926
Hong Kong, Chinarecorded 21 inches of rain in 24 hours.

1935
Boston, MArecorded their highest one minute wind velocity: northwest at 52 mph.

1949
It took three minutes for a tornado to cross Cheneville, Quebec Canada demolishing the small village. 

1960
Cow Creek and Greenland Ranch in Death Valley, CA reported morning lows of 102°. The afternoon high at Greenland Ranch was 124°, and 126° at Cow Creek. The coolest low for the entire month for both locations was 82°. Idyllwild, CA set a daily record high with 97°.

Boise, ID recorded their hottest day on record as the high peaked at 111°.

1972
The record coldest July temperature was tied at Billings, MT at 41° (also occurred 7/4/1972). The high for the day was a chilly 47°, the only occurrence of a July high temperature less than 50°.

1974
A severe thunderstorm with winds to 80 mph and up to two inches of rain washed out four to five foot deep sections of roadway in Lake Havasu City, AZ. Three people in a station wagon died as it was carried 3,000 feet down a wash by a ten foot wall of water.

1977
88 years after the Great Johnstown flood, the supposedly "flood proof" city of Johnstown, PA was struck again with a wall of water as the earthen Laurel Run Dam gave way in the face of 12 inches of rain in 7 hours. 77 people were killed, countless people injured and $424 million dollars in damage was caused by the swirling flood waters.

1985
Strong thunderstorms produced very heavy rainfall in the mountains and the adjacent desert in southern California. A mudslide at the top of the Palm Springs Tram trapped 150 people, all but 31 were rescued by helicopter. The 31 spent the night because the helicopter was grounded due to unsafe winds. The 15 minute slide was a debris flow carrying huge rocks and timbers. A thunderstorm plunged a light aircraft to the ground atMormon Rocks, killing a family of three. Flooding was reported “all over” in the Morongo Basin. A tornado at Needles, CA hit a mobile home park and injured six. It leveled four mobile homes and damaged 14 others. 1.50 inches of rain fell at Palomar Mountain, the greatest daily amount on record for July. 2.36 inches fell in Cuyamaca, flooding Paso Picacho Campground.

1987
Several cities in the western and the southeastern U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date, including Winnemucca, NV with a reading of 33°. Other record lows included: Flagstaff, AZ: 34°, Idyllwild, CA: 34°, Palomar Mountain, CA: 50° and Borrego Springs, CA: 64°.

Afternoon and evening thunderstorms produced severe weather in New York State and New Jersey. High winds and hail two inches in diameter injured two people and caused considerable damage to crops in the Pine Island area of central New York State.

1988
Thunderstorms in Nebraska produced more than five inches of rain at Red Cloud, including 2 inches in just 15 minutes.  

Torrid temperatures continued over California, with record highs of 116° at Redding and 115°at Red Bluff.

1989
Early morning thunderstorms in the Lower Mississippi Valley produced 5.50 inches of rain south of Alexander, AR in just 90 minutes, and flash flooding which resulted claimed the life of one person. Thunderstorms in Indiana produced 4.95 inches of rain in twelve hours east of Muncie.

Several cities in the southwestern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date, including Phoenix, AZ with a high of 116° and Las Vegas, NVwith a reading of 115°.

1994
This was a season of unusually strong hurricanes in eastern and central Pacific. Hurricane Emilia was first of three Category 5 hurricanes with winds of 160 mph. The other two Category 5 hurricanes were Hurricane Gilma: 7/21 - 7/31: top winds of 160 mph and record breaking Hurricane John: 8/11 – 9/10: top winds of 175 mph.

1997
Hurricane Danny lashed the Alabama Gulf Coast with winds of 80 mph as the storm stalled over the southern end of Mobile Bay, dumping 30 inches of rain on Coastal Mobile and Baldwin Counties. 36.71 inches of rain fell during the storm at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (25.98 inches of which fell in just seven hours). The incredible rainfall caused extensive flooding. Two people were killed in preparations for the storm. A four story condominium complex under construction in Gulf Shores, AL was leveled by the storm.

2005
Las Vegas, NV tied their all-time record high temperature of 117° and set their all-time record high minimum of 95°. The average temperature of 106° made this the hottest day ever in Las Vegas. Other daily record highs included: Victorville, CA: 115° and Big Bear Lake, CA: 91°.

Beginning on this date through the 23rd, the high temperature climbed above 100° with readings of 101° on the 19th, 105° on the 20th, 104° on the 21st and 102° on both the 22nd and 23rd. Record highs were set all five days. The 105° reading on the 20th was not only a record for the date, it was the highest reading for July and tied their all-time record high (8/8/1878). The five day period equaled the record for the most consecutive days of 100° or more first set from 7/4 through 7/8/1989. The demand for high electric power exceeded the supply and rolling blackouts occurred.  

2006
A severe weather outbreak occurred across portions of the middle and upper Mississippi River valley. Originating in southern Minnesota during the morning, it curved southeast into eastern Iowa then moved across central and western Illinois during the mid to late afternoon. By early evening, it had curved southwest and moved across the St. Louis area, where it did extensive damage and left a half million people without power. Wind gusts near Bunker Hill, in southern Macoupin County, were reported to be 90 mph.

Charlwood, England set the hottest temperature ever recorded in Britain in July with 97°.
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July 20th:
What's the driest city in the United States?
 It’s Yuma, AZ where they receive a paltry 2.65 inches of precipitation a year. 
Second driest city is Las Vegas, NV at 4.19 inches a year.

1913
40.73 inches of rain fell in 24 hours at Funkiko, Japan.

1915
An all-time record high temperature of 115° was set at Yosemite Valley at the National Park Headquarters, California (around 4,000 feet elevation). This was the warmest day in a streak of 7 consecutive days of 110° or higher at Yosemite Valley from the 19th through the 25th.

1919
Ontario Canada's hottest day on record occurred as the town of Biscotasing soared to 108°.

1921
Montana registered its record maximum 24 hour precipitation as 11.50 inches of rain fell at Circle.

1930
The temperature at Washington D.C. soared to an all-time record of 106°. The next day Millsboro reached 110° to set a record for the state of Delaware.  

July 1930 was one of the hottest and driest summers in the U.S., particularly in the Missouri Valley where severe drought conditions developed.

1934
The temperature at Keokuk, IA soared to 118° to establish a state record.

1946
The temperature at Medford, OR soared to an all-time high of 115° to begin a two week heat wave. During that Oregon heat wave the mercury hit 100° at Sexton Summit for the only time in 40 years of records.

1953
22 inches of hail fell during a severe thunderstorm northeast of Dickinson, ND.

1965
18.18 inches of rain at Edgarton set Missouri’s 24 hour rainfall record.

1973
Nunavut Canada's hottest day on record occurred as the town of Arviat hit 93°.

1976
South Australia recorded their coldest night on record as Yongala dropped to 17°.

1986
Savannah, GA tied their hottest day on record as the mercury soared to 105° (7/12/1879).

The temperature at Charleston, SC was 104° for the second day in a row to tie their all-time record high.

1987
Thunderstorms produced severe weather across Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Thunderstorms produced wind gusts to 87 mph at Mosinee, WI, and strong thunderstorm winds capsized 26 boats on Grand Traverse Bay drowning two women. Thunderstorms produced 9 inches of rain at Shakopee, MN, with 7.83 inches reported in six hours at Chaska, MN. Thunderstorms in north central Nebraska produced hail as large as golf balls in southwestern Cherry County, which accumulated to a depth of 12 inches.

1988
The temperature at Redding, CA soared to an all-time record high of 118°.

Showers and thunderstorms produced much needed rains from New England to southern Texas. Salem, IN was deluged with 7.2 inches of rain which resulted in flash flooding.

1989
Showers and thunderstorms in the Mid-Atlantic Coast Region soaked Wilmington, DE with 2.28 inches of rain, pushing their total for the period May through July past the previous record of 22.43 inches. Heavy rain over that three month period virtually wiped out a 16.82 inch deficit which had been building since drought conditions began in 1985.

Thunderstorms in central Indiana deluged Lebanon with 6.50 inches of rain in 12 hours, and thunderstorms over Florida produced wind gusts to 84 mph at Flagler Beach.

Early morning thunderstorms in the Lower Mississippi Valley produced 5.50 inches of rain south of Alexander, AR in just 90 minutes, and flash flooding which resulted claimed the life of one woman. Thunderstorms in Indiana produced 4.95 inches of rain in twelve hours east of Muncie.

Several cities in the southwestern U.S. reported record high temps for the date, including Phoenix, AZ with a high of 116° and Las Vegas, NV with a reading of 115°. The low that night at Phoenix was 93°.

1993
Heavy rains caused flash flooding in the Black Hills of South Dakota. 2.5 inches of rain fell within 30 minutes causing flash flooding in the Lead/Deadwood area and the northern Black Hills. Rocks and mud were washed across roads and highways as creeks overflowed. Several businesses in Lead reported water damage and, at least, a dozen homes had flooded basements. The rapid runoff from the rains also caused numerous mudslides. The mudslides were as deep as three feet on area highways and even washed out a few roads.

1994
Seattle, WA recorded their hottest day ever at 100°.

1997
32.54 inches of rain fell at Dauphin Island Sea Lab during the slow passage of Hurricane Danny. This set Alabama’s record 24-hour maximum precipitation record. In total 36.74 inches of rain was dumped by Danny here, 26 inches of which fell in just 7 hours the previous day.

1998
Severe thunderstorms moved into the Las Vegas Valley and nearby Lake Mead in Nevada bringing wind gusts in excess of 60 mph and heavy showers which dumped between 1.50 and 2.25 inches of rain overnight. Several marinas on Lake Mead suffered extensive wind damage and numerous roads were washed out. In the Las Vegas Valley, heavy rain and flooding produced the majority of damage. Major flooding began during the early morning hours and kept washes filled for several hours with numerous swift water rescues performed during the period. Rapidly accumulating water and a clogged drainage system caused the roof of the Palace Station Hotel and Casino to collapse, causing millions of dollars in damage. A few hours later, the same hotel and casino caught fire when it was struck by lightning.

2004
Two New Mexico State Police officers were struck by lightning in Portales while helping motorists on a flooded road during a thunderstorm.

A heat wave reached its peak at Tokyo, Japan as the daily temperature soared to 103°, the hottest day since official records began being kept in 1923.

In Kiskunhalas, Hungary, the temperature soared to a record 107°.

2005
Hurricane Emily made landfall in northern Mexico. When the central pressure fell to 929 millibars and its sustained winds reached 160 mph on the 16th, Emily became the strongest hurricane ever to form before August, breaking a record set by Hurricane Dennis just six days before. It was also the earliest Category 5 hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin (beating Hurricane Allen's old record by nearly three weeks) and the only Category 5 hurricane ever recorded before August.

2007
A tornado ravaged the southern Poland city of Czestochowa, ripping the roofs off farmhouses and destroying cars.

2008
A rare early morning thunderstorm hit the Coachella Valley in California. In Cathedral City, 1.25 inches fell in just 30 minutes. 15 to 20 businesses and several homes were damaged.
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