SEPTEMBER 21ST - 30TH 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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  September 21st:
1894
A severe thunderstorm outbreak across Iowa and Minnesota killed 63 people and injured 253 others. Three tornadoes caused F4 damage and one caused F5 damage.A heavy chicken house, 16 by 16 feet in area, was picked up by a tornado and wedged between two trees. The hens were found the next day sitting on their eggs in the chicken house, with no windows broken, as though nothing had happened.

1924
A couple of tornadoes, one rated F4 and the other F5, tore paths of devastation through Eau Claire, Clark, and Taylor Counties in Wisconsin. The death toll was 18 and 50 people were injured.

1938
The Great New England Hurricane or “The Long Island Express Hurricane”, crossed Long Island at a forward speed in excess of 60 mph with a barometric pressure reading of 946 millibars or 27.94 inHg, the lowest pressure ever recorded in the northeastern U.S. and killed 600 people. The hurricane passed west of New Haven, CT through Massachusetts and Vermont. The hurricane smashed into Long Island and bisected New England causing a massive forest blow down and widespread flooding. Sustained winds of 121 mph with a peak gust to186 mph was recorded at the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, MA, and a storm surge of nearly 30 feet caused extensive flooding along the coast of Rhode Island. The hurricane, which lasted 12 days, destroyed 275 million trees. Hardest hit were Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Long Island, NY. The monster cyclone produced tremendous waves with its 150 mph winds, waves that smashed against the New England shore with such force that earthquake-recording machines on the Pacific coast clearly showed the shock of each wave. Providence, RI was inundated with a record 13.75 foot storm surge. Total damage was between $350 and $500 million dollars

1948
A hurricane struck near Everglades City, then moved northeast through Florida to emerge into the Atlantic near Jupiter. The lowest barometric pressure was 963 millibars or 28.44 inHg, and top winds were 122 mph. Three people were killed. A tornado, spawned by this hurricane, unroofed a small farmhouse and destroyed another near Homestead.

1950
A severe hailstorm hit Logansport, IN and created the worst destruction seen there up to that time. The hail two inches in diameter caused a million dollars in damage.

1954
Deeth, NV record a morning low of 12° and an afternoon high of 87° on this day, a U.S. record for temperature change caused only by diurnal local cooling and heating.

1969
Heavy rain in southwest Oklahoma through the 22nd, caused extensive flooding and damage to pasture and crop land. About 1,500 cattle were trapped by the high water, and many of them drowned. More than 10 bridges were washed out, and fences were removed by the floodwaters. Official rainfall measurements exceeded six inches in some locations, and an unofficial report of 11 inches in 11 hours was received from Hollister.

1987
Tropical Storm Emily, which formed in the Caribbean the previous afternoon, caused considerable damage to the banana industry of St. Vincent in the Windward Islands.

Unseasonably hot weather continued in Florida and the western U.S.  Borrego Springs, CA set a daily record high and was the hot spot in the nation with 110°.

Other daily records included: Redding, CA: 108°, Sacramento, CA: 100°, Fort Myers, FL: 96°, Vero Beach, FL: 93°, Miami, FL: 93°-Tied and Reno, NV: 90°-Tied.

1988
Thunderstorms produced high winds and locally heavy rain in the southwestern U.S.  One thunderstorm in west Texas produced wind gusts to 86 mph at Dell City completely destroying an airport hangar. A Cessna 150 aircraft housed within the hangar was flipped over and snapped in two.  

Thunderstorms produced large hail in east central Utah, while snow blanketed some of the higher elevations of the state.

1989
Hurricane Hugo slammed into the South Carolina coast about 11pm ET, making landfall near Sullivans Island with sustained winds of 135 mph. Sustained winds reached 85 mph at Folly Beach, SC, with gusts as high as 138 mph. Wind gusts reached 98 mph at Charleston, SC and 109 mph at Shaw AFB. The biggest storm surge occurred in the McClellanville and Bulls Bay area of Charleston County, with a storm surge of 20.2 feet reported at Seewee Bay on top of astronomical high tides. Shrimp boats were found one half mile inland at McClellanville. 30 buildings in downtown Charleston, SC were flattened. Hugo was responsible for 21 deaths in the U.S. and 28 in the Caribbean. A total of 420 people were injured and damage was estimated at $10 billion dollars, including $2 billion dollars damage to crops. Hugo was the strongest storm to strike the East Coast north of Florida since Hazel in October 1954.

1995
The earliest snow on record fell across southwest Kansas with most areas reporting 2 to 3 inches with isolated amounts up to 6 inches. This was the earliest snowfall ever recorded at the Dodge City Airport. This was also the only time there was measurable snowfall for the month of September. A total of 1.3 inches fell at the Dodge City Airport. Rochester, MN saw a trace of snow, their earliest such occurrence on record. Along with the snow, many areas reported record low temperatures. Miles City, MT fell to 19°, their coldest September temperature on record. Other daily record lows included: Valentine, MT: 11°, Chinook, MT: 13°, Chester, MT: 15°, Glasgow, MT: 15°-Tied, Boulder, MT: 16°, Havre, MT: 18°, Williston, ND: 18°, Bozeman, MT: 19°, Lewistown, MT: 19°, Livingston, MT: 19°, Helena, MT: 20°, Great Falls, MT: 20°, Cut Bank, MT: 20°, Butte, MT: 21°, Kalispell, MT: 22°-Tied, Rapid City, SD: 23°, Valentine, NE: 25°, Denver, CO: 27°, Billings, MT: 28°, Grand Island, NE: 28°, Dodge City, KS: 32°, Concordia, KS: 33°-Tied, Lincoln, NE: 35°, Kansas City, MO: 35°, Des Moines, IA: 35°-Tied, Topeka, KS: 36°-Tied, Springfield, MO: 37°-Tied and San Angelo, TX: 45°.

1998
Nine years after Hurricane Hugo struck Charleston, S.C., the city was inundated with 10 inches of rainfall in less than 8 hours causing major flooding. 

A weakened Hurricane Georges swirled through the islands of the northeastern Caribbean with winds of 115 mph. The storm had earlier been a very strong category 4 hurricane. The eye of the hurricane passed within two miles of St. Croix and crossed the entire island of Puerto Rico from east to west. Winds were estimated at 115 mph and up to 20 inches of rain fell.

2002
The worst tornadoes to strike Indiana in 12 years raked an area from the southwestern corner of the state to Indianapolis. At least 5 tornadoes were confirmed by the National Weather Service. Excellent warnings resulted in very low numbers of injuries and no fatalities. Most communities had at least 20 minutes lead time before the twisters struck.

2004
Hurricane-force winds battered the coastal communities of Salluit and Ivujivik on the Ungava Peninsula in Quebec Canada causing extensive structural damage.

2005
After raking the Florida Keys on the 20th, Hurricane Rita strengthened to a Category 5 storm over the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. By 11pm EDT, the central pressure dropped to 897 millibars or 26.49 inHg with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph.

2006
Downgraded Tropical Storm Gordon struck the northwest Spanish coast with wind gusts to 100 mph. The storm left nearly 30,000 homes without power.
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September 22nd:
The danger of sunburn is obvious when the sun is shining directly on you. 
But clouds, a beach umbrella, or water don't offer as much protection from the sun's harmful UV rays that cause sunburn and increase the risk of skin cancer as you might think.
 About 40% as much UV reaches shaded areas as in sunny areas. Thin clouds, on the other hand, allow up to 80% of the UV rays through. 
UV rays still maintain 80% of their strength even after penetrating one and one-half feet under water and maintain 70% to three feet under water.

1810
A tornado struck Fernhill Heath, Hereford & Worcester and had a path a half to a mile wide, the widest path ever reported in Great Britain.

1877
Father Benito Vines utilized his newly-established weather observation network across the Caribbean to issue an urgent hurricane forecast. He correctly predicted that a hurricane moving across the Caribbean would miss Puerto Rico but would strike Santiago, Cuba two days later.

1890
A severe hailstorm struck Strawberry, AZ. Five days after the storm, hail still remained in drifts 12 to 18 inches deep.

1934
Edmonton Alberta Canada experienced its greatest September snowstorm to date with: 8.7 inches.

1935
A destructive hailstorm covered a path extending at least 209 miles from the west-south-west from Newport Gwent to Mundesley Norfolk in Great Britain.

1939
A heat wave that started on the 18th and ended on this day preceded the arrival of a tropical storm called “El Cordonazo” in southern California. High temperature records of more than 95° occurred at San Diego each day, with the highest temperature reaching 106° on the 21st. It was 111° at Santa Ana on this day, the highest temperature on record for September, and the second highest temperature all-time. This also occurred the previous day on 9.21. Incredibly, 0.02 inch of rain fell on this second hottest day in history. Also on this date, the low temperature at Los Angeles was 84°, tying the highest minimum ever recorded. This also occurred on 9/30/1906.

1946
A trace of snow fell at Denver, CO. This marked the start of their longest snow season on record at 263 days through 6/11/1947 when a trace of snow fell.

1947
A Tropical Storm spawned three tornadoes in Hillsborough County in Florida during the afternoon and evening hours. Eight more tornadoes hit Marion and Duval Counties on the morning of the 23rd. In all, two injuries were reported but no fatalities.

1961
Hurricane Esther made a near complete 350 mile circle south of Cape Cod, MA from the 21st to the 25th. The hurricane then passed over Cape Cod and hit Maine. Its energy was largely dominated over the Atlantic Ocean. However, heavy rains over Maine resulted in widespread local flooding of cellars, low roads, and underpasses.

1974
Canadian high pressure brought record chill from the upper Midwest to the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. Temperatures dropped below freezing for three consecutive nights damaging crops in areas. In Illinois, frost killed almost all of the soybean crop and 40% of the corn crop north of I-80. Total statewide damage was estimated between $200 and $400 million dollars.

Necedah and Mauston, WI recorded their coldest September temperatures on record with 18° and 20° respectively. 

Other daily record lows included: St. Cloud, MN: 18°, Grand Forks, ND: 20°, Fargo, ND: 23°, Duluth, MN: 23°, Sioux Falls, SD: 24°, Rochester, MN: 24°, Madison, WI: 25°, Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN: 26°, Waterloo, IA: 26°, Green Bay, WI: 27°, Ste. St. Marie, MI: 28°, Toledo, OH: 29°, Detroit, MI: 30°, Dubuque, IA: 31°, Rockford, IL: 31°, La Crosse, WI: 32°, Milwaukee, WI: 32°, Moline, IL: 33°, Omaha, NE: 34°, Chicago, IL: 34°, Flint, MI: 34°, Grand Rapids, MI: 34°-Tied, Peoria, IL: 35°, Columbus, OH: 37°-Tied, Concordia, KS: 38° and St. Louis, MO: 40°.

1975
Hurricane Eloise made landfall in the Florida panhandle with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph and a minimum central pressure of 955 millibars or 28.20 inHg. Panama City, FL reported a gust of 155 mph. Storm surge of 6 to 12 feet extended eastward to Port St. Joe, and tides 2 to 3 feet above normal were observed as far south as Tampa and Naples. The highest reported rainfall was 14.90 inches at Eglin AFB. Rainfall elsewhere to the west of the Apalachicola River ranged from 4 to 8 inches. Damage in northwest Florida was estimated at $150 million. About 20,000 people were evacuated in advance. Two weak tornadoes and several waterspouts were reported in the Panhandle. As the storm moved north, high winds and heavy rains led to power outages, damage and flooding. Parts of Alabama were without electricity for two weeks. The remnants moved through the Mid-Atlantic bringing flooding rains of 3 to 10 inches. Two miles south-southeast of Westminster, MD picked up 14.23 inches. The highest rainfall was a week before when Eloise passed north of Puerto Rico. Dos Bocas received 33.29 inches.

1983
Many cities from the upper Plains, Ohio Valley to the deep south reported record cold temperatures including: Williston, ND: 19°, Bismarck, ND: 23°, Rapid City, SD: 26°, Valentine, NE: 30°, Goodland, KS: 30°, Elkins, WV: 32°-Tied, Springfield, IL: 33°, Topeka, KS: 34°, Evansville, IL: 36°, Nashville, TN: 36°, Oak Ridge, TN: 36°, Pittsburgh, PA: 37°, Jackson, KY: 38°, Knoxville, TN: 38°, Huntington, WV: 38°, Lexington, KY: 38°-Tied, Wichita, KS: 39°, Paducah, KY: 39°, Bristol, TN: 39°, Waco, TX: 40°, Louisville, KY: 40°, Kansas City, MO: 40°-Tied, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC: 40°-Tied, Jackson, MS: 41°, Meridian, MS: 41°, Little Rock, AR: 42°, Memphis, TN: 42°, Shreveport, LA: 43°, Chattanooga, TN: 43°, Atlanta, GA: 43°, San Angelo, TX: 44°, Montgomery, AL: 44°, Dallas, TX: 45°, Dallas (DFW), TX: 45°, San Antonio, TX: 46°, Baton Rouge, LA: 46°, Austin (Bergstrom), TX: 47°, Mobile, AL: 47°, Lake Charles, LA: 48°, Columbus, GA: 48°, Austin (Camp Mabry), TX: 49°, Houston, TX: 49°, Pensacola, FL: 49°, Victoria, TX: 51°, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX: 53°, Del Rio, TX: 55°-Tied, Corpus Christi, TX: 56°, New Orleans, LA: 56° and Galveston, TX: 60°.

Birmingham, AL dropped to 39°, their earliest on record below 40°.

1987
Hurricane Emily, the first hurricane to move through the Caribbean in nearly 6 years, made landfall over the Dominican Republic late in the day, packing 125 mph winds.  Emily killed 3 people and caused $30 million dollars damage.  

A record high of 92° at Miami, FL was their 5th in a row.

Thunderstorms developed on this date through the 23rd in parts of southern California courtesy of the remnants of Hurricane Norma. A half to an inch fell in just a few hours.

Frequent lightning caused power outages, property damage and ignited a few small fires.

1988
An early morning thunderstorm produced baseball size hail at Plainview, in Hale County Texas. Late in the evening more thunderstorms in the Southern Plains Region produced wind gusts to 75 mph at Plainview and Crosby, TX.

1989
After thrashing Puerto Rico several days before, Hurricane Hugo made landfall at Charleston, South Carolina before midnight. The hurricane rapidly intensified just prior to landfall at 934 millibars or 27.58 inHg with sustained winds of 135 mph. The biggest storm surge occurred in the McClellanville and Bulls Bay area of Charleston County, with 20.2 feet reported at Seewee Bay on top of astronomical high tides. Winds gusted to 110 mph at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter even though the base is well inland. Hugo crossed into North Carolina, just west of Charlotte, at about 7am. Winds around Charlotte reached 69 mph with gusts to 99 mph. 80% of the power was knocked out to Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. Property damage in North Carolina was $210 million dollars and damage to crops was $97 million dollars. Overall, 82 people were killed by Hugo and damage was estimated at $10 billion dollars, making it the most costliest hurricane in history until Hurricane Andrew in August 1992.

Strong northwesterly winds ushered unseasonably cold air into the north central U.S., in time for the official start of autumn. Squalls produced light snow in northern Wisconsin.  Winds in Wisconsin gusted to 52 mph at Rhinelander.

1990
Seattle, WA set a record high with 92°. This record marked the 10th time in history since records were kept that the mercury reached 90° or more on a September day. This is also the highest temperature ever reached for so late in a year.

1995
A strong cold front pushed across the Midwest, bringing with it one of the earliest freezes on record. In Iowa, temperatures dipped to as low as 24° over the northwest and sub-freezing temperatures lasted nearly eight hours. Crop maturation was behind schedule so this freeze caused significant damage, with soybeans the hardest hit. About $195 million dollars worth of soybeans were lost. Drought had already taken its toll on the corn crop so the freeze did not aversely affect the corn too much.

Chicago, ILexperienced their earliest freeze on record as the mercury dipped to 32°.  The low of 29° tied the record low for the month of September at Dodge City, KS.

Further north, Jump River and Cashton, WI head their earliest measurable snowfall on record with 1.5 inches and 0.5 of an inch respectively. 

Other daily record lows included:

Rapid City, SD: 19°, Bismarck, ND: 20°, Aberdeen, SD: 20°, Valentine, NE: 23°, Fargo, ND: 23°-Tied, Huron, SD: 24°, North Platte, NE: 24°, Scottsbluff, NE: 24°, Grand Island, NE: 25°, Sioux City, IA: 25°, Norfolk, NE: 26°, Lincoln, NE: 27°, Concordia, KS: 29°, Goodland, KS: 30°-Tied, Omaha, NE: 31°, Topeka, KS: 31°, Des Moines, IA: 31°, Kansas City, MO: 31°, Dubuque, IA: 31°-Tied, Wichita, KS: 32°, Moline, IL: 32°, Columbia, MO: 33°, Springfield, MO: 33°, Fort Wayne, IN: 34°, Peoria, IL: 34°, Tulsa, OK: 37°, Indianapolis, IN: 37°-Tied, Columbus, OH: 37°-Tied, Amarillo, TX: 38°, Lubbock, TX: 40°, St. Louis, MO: 40°-Tied, Oklahoma City, OK: 41°, Midland-Odessa, TX: 42°, Abilene, TX: 44°, Wichita Falls, TX: 46°, El Paso, TX: 47°, Del Rio, TX: 48°, Austin (Camp Mabry), TX: 49°-Tied, Brownsville, TX: 55° and Corpus Christi, TX: 56°-Tied.

1998
Hurricane Georges moved across Hispaniola killing over 580 people, mainly due to flash flooding and subsequent mud slides in high terrain regions. Damage estimates from the storm exceeded $1 billion dollars.

2000
Heavy early season wet snow blanketed parts of the Rockies beginning the previous day.  Snowfall totals included: Roscoe, MT: 18 inches, Red Lodge, MT: 12 inches, Story, MT: 10 inches, Joliet, MT: 8 inches, Billings, MT: 6 inches, Sheridan, WY: 4 inches and Cheyenne, WY: 1.2 inches with more to follow the next day. The snow broke tree limbs and downed power lines.

No rain fell at the Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport in Texas from July 1st through this date as Texas recorded its driest July and August on record.

0.03 inches of rain fell on this date at Oklahoma City, OK. This ended the longest streak of consecutive days without even a trace of rainfall at 54 days breaking the previous record of 39 days.

2006
An unusually powerful storm system affected much of the central U.S. bringing an out of season and rare September outbreak of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes to portions of Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas and Kentucky. Supercell thunderstorms developed early Friday afternoon over portions of the Missouri and northern Arkansas, moving quickly eastward across the mid Mississippi valley leaving paths of damage, and in some cases destruction, in their wake as they spawned numerous tornadoes. In the National Weather Service Springfield area of responsibility one tornado touched down producing F1 intensity damage in the town of St. James in northeastern Phelps County.

A strong tornado, which contained peak winds near 160 mph, struck between Joppa and the Metropolis airport in extreme southern Illinois. The damage path started about a mile from the Ohio River, where F1 winds uprooted numerous trees. The tornado then strengthened to F3 intensity, destroying a log home. The roof and an exterior wall of the well-constructed log home were blown about a half mile. Four mobile homes were destroyed, along with other structures. Another tornado moved into far southwest Illinois from Missouri, where it had been at F4 intensity; it produced F2 damage across portions of Jackson County, with estimated winds around 150 mph. In northeast Illinois, a tornado briefly touched down on the Loyola University campus in Chicago, then moved onto Lake Michigan.

2007
Severe thunderstorms developed across parts of the San Joaquin Valley in California during the afternoon and evening hours. Nickel size hail was reported with a storm 8 miles east of Hanford, CA. Another dropped dime size hail that covered a roadway in Squaw Valley along with some minor flooding. As many as eight waterspouts and countless more funnel clouds were seen in one hour along the coast of Orange and San Diego Counties. Two waterspouts came ashore. One at Cardiff blew over tents. Another came ashore at Newport Beach.
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September 23rd:
1551
The Grand Harbor in Valetta, Malta was hit by a waterspout causing extensive damage. A shipping armada in the harbor about to go into battle was destroyed killing at least 600 people.

1722
A powerful hurricane struck the northern Gulf Coast, causing tremendous damage from Mobile, AL to New Orleans, LA.  The newly established capital of New Orleans was heavily damaged.  This storm was also responsible for Mobile, AL being moved to its present location from its original site which was 27 miles north of the mouth of the Mobile River.

1815
The "Great September Gale" moved through New England on a path similar to, but just to the east of the Hurricane of 1938.  The storm made landfall on Long Island, NY and again at Old Saybrook, CT where winds of 100 mph was reported.  Extensive structural damage was done, Providence, RI was flooded, and 6 people were killed.  This hurricane is rivaled only by the Great Hurricane of 1938 in New England history.

1827
The "Padre Ruiz Hurricane" named for a priest whose funeral was taking place in the church at Santa Barbara, Santo Domingo struck the island.  There was tremendous loss of life and destruction.  

1903
Bakersfield, CA dropped to 31°, their earliest below freezing temperature.

1904
Charlotteburg, NJdropped to 23°, setting a state record for the coldest reading for so early in the season.

1933
The earliest measurable snow on record fell at Snowshoe, WV.

1964
Gale-force winds and driving precipitation, including freezing rain, brought down an oil drilling rig at Brooks, Alberta Canada. Falling pipe crushed a work hut, injuring four people.

1983
Canadian high pressure covered much of the country bringing record cold.  Record lows included: Norfolk, NE: 27°, Waterloo, IA: 28°, Topeka, KS: 29°, Sioux City, IA: 31°, Lincoln, NE: 31°, Des Moines, IA: 32°, Sterling (Dulles Airport), VA: 33°, Concordia, KS: 33°, Springfield, IL: 33°-Tied, Cincinnati, OH: 34°, Kansas City, MO: 34°, Omaha, NE: 34°-Tied, Asheville, NC: 35°, Springfield, MO: 35°, Chicago, IL: 35°-Tied, Lynchburg, VA: 36°, Richmond, VA: 37°, Raleigh, NC: 37°, Bristol, TN: 37°, Cleveland, OH: 37°, Evansville, IN: 37°-Tied, Greensboro, NC: 38°, Wichita, KS: 38°, Philadelphia, PA: 40°, Baltimore, MD: 40°, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC: 40°, Knoxville, TN: 40°, Charlotte, NC: 41°, Columbia, SC: 43°, Birmingham, AL: 43°-Tied, Montgomery, AL: 44°, Columbus, GA: 45°, Tulsa, OK: 45°, Augusta, GA: 46°, Wallops Island, VA: 46°-Tied, Wilmington, NC: 47°, Macon, GA: 47°, Wichita Falls, TX: 47°-Tied, Tallahassee, FL: 48°-Tied, Cape Hatteras, NC: 49°, Savannah, GA: 49°, Mobile, AL: 49°, Charleston, SC: 50°-Tied and New Orleans, LA: 55°.

A thunderstorm downburst caused a timber blowdown in the Kaibab National Forest north of the Grand Canyon in Arizona.  200 acres were completely destroyed, and scattered destruction occurred across another 3,300 acres.  Many trees were snapped off 15 to 30 feet above ground level.

1984
An early season snowstorm brought more than a foot of snow to some locations in the northern Plains and Rockies. Amounts of 6 to 12 inches were common over Harding and Perkins Counties as well as portions of Meade and Butte Counties in South Dakota. Camp Crook in Harding County reported 14 inches. Roads in these areas were covered with snow and slush and became icy. It was the snowiest September day on record at Sheridan, WY and Billings, MT with 12.9 inches and 6.2 inches respectively. Other snowfall totals included: Broadus, MT: 12 inches, Columbus, MT: 10 inches, Nye, MT: 10 inches, Clearmont, MT: 10 inches, Hysham, MT: 8 inches, Red Lodge, MT: 7 inches, Bridger, MT: 5 inches, Joliet, MT: 4 inches and Pryor, MT: 4 inches.

1988
Thunderstorms developing along a cold front in the south central U.S. produced severe weather in Oklahoma during the afternoon and early evening hours.  Thunderstorms produced softball size hail near Noble and Enterprise, and baseball size hail at Lequire and Kinta.  A tornado near Noble, OK destroyed a mobile home injuring one person.

1989
17 cities in the north central U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date, including Devils Lake, ND with a reading of 22°.  Jackson, KY reported a record low of 41°during the late afternoon.  

Strong northwesterly winds ushering cold air into the central and northeastern U.S. gusted to 55 mph at Indianapolis, IN. Winds along the cold front gusted to 65 mph at Norfolk, VA, and thunderstorms along the cold front deluged Roseland, NJ with 2.25 inches of rain in 1 hour. The temperature at Richmond, VA plunged from 84°to 54°in

2 hours.  Snow and sleet was reported at Binghamton, NY.

1995
Fort Wayne, IN reported its earliest frost on record as the morning low plunged to 29°.  Springfield, IL recorded their earliest 32 temperature on record.

1996
A lightning strike from a severe thunderstorm damaged or destroyed 19 boats at Hobbs Hollow Marina on Table Rock Lake near the town of Viola, MO. Damage was estimated at $500,000 dollars.

1998
In a remarkable span of 35 days from August 19th until September 23rd, 10 named tropical cyclones formed in the Atlantic; 4 of which made landfall in the United States.

2000
The first snowstorm of the season brought heavy snow to parts of the Rockies. While the heaviest snow fell north of Denver, CO, 6 inches was reported at Boulder, 4 inches at Castle Rock and Morrison, CO.  Denver, CO received just 0.2 inch as most of the precipitation fell as a cold rain.  The foothills west of Denver received 5 to 10 inches.  Further north, Cheyenne, WY received an additional 6.4 inches of snow bringing the storm total to 11.8 inches.  Scottsbluff, NE received 5.7 inches of snow over two days.  Behind the storm, Shirley Basin, WY dropped to 2°.

The Dallas/Fort Worth Airport in Texas recorded 0.01 inches of rain just before midnight on this date.  This ended the longest streak of consecutive days without rainfall at the site of 84 days.  The previous record was 58 days.  Relief would finally arrive in October as beneficial rainfall fell.

2002
Tropical Storm Lili formed just south of Barbados in the Windward Islands.  This was the eighth named storm to form in the Atlantic this month, a record for number of named storms in any month for the Atlantic.

2005
Topeka, KS was drenched with 5.61 inches of rain for its greatest daily rainfall on record.

2009
A massive dust storm swept 725 miles across the outback to engulf Sydney, New South Wales Australia producing a red hue across the region. Wind gusts topped 60 mph as the storm transported an estimated 5,000 metric tons of dust, spreading it into the southern region of Queensland. A pall of red dust blown in from the Outback clogged the skies over Sydney diverting international flights, disrupting public transport and prompting a spike in emergency calls from people suffering breathing difficulties.
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24th:
Tornadoes and Hurricanes get all the press for their destructive powers, but floods actually carry a higher death toll. Floods are the United States biggest weather killer... over 100 people a year die in floods. Around 60% of flood victims are caught in their cars and most of those perish while trying to drive through water that is flowing across the road.

1888
The earliest frost of record hit the southern states, covering South Carolina, Georgia and, northern Florida.

1924
It wasSwitzerland's wettest day on record as 14.13 inches of rain fell at Mosogno.

1926
Riverside Ranger Station at Yellowstone Park in Montana recorded a low temperature of -9°. This was the lowest ever recorded in the United States in the month of September. Severe freezes were widespread over the northwestern U.S. causing great crop destruction. In Washington State, Spokane County experienced their earliest snow of record. Harney Branch Experiment Station in Oregon reported a temperature of 2°to establish a state record for the month of September.

1939
A thunderstorm on this day dropped 6.45 inches in six hours at Indio, CA. This preceded “El Cordonazo” or “The Lash of St. Francis”, an actual tropical storm.
 For the entire storm, which started on this day and ended on the 26th, four inches of rain fell across the deserts and mountains as a dying tropical cyclone moved across Baja California into southwestern Arizona. 
This was the second tropical cyclone to impact California during this month. A strong El Niño may have contributed to the activity. 
The tropical storm produced 50 mph winds over the ocean and estimated seas of 40 feet. September rain records were set at Los Angeles with 5.66 inches and 11.6 inches at Mt. Wilson.
 45 people died from sinking boats and harbors were damaged. Total damage was estimated at $2 million dollars. Californians were generally unprepared and were alerted to their vulnerability to tropical storms. 
In response, the weather bureau established a forecast office for Southern California, which began operations in February of 1940.

1950
A smoke plume from forest fires in western Canada covered much of the eastern U.S. through the 30th. Daylight was reduced to nighttime darkness in parts of the Northeast. The color of the sun varied from pink to purple, blue, or lavender. Yellow to grey-tan was common.

1956
Hurricane Flossy made its second landfall on the Northwest Florida coast near Fort Walton Beach, after brushing the coast near Pensacola with maximum sustained winds near 90 mph and a 6 foot storm surge. The storm spread hurricane conditions along nearly the entire coast from Pensacola to Panama City. Several tornadoes were spawned damaging many buildings. 16.30 inches of rain fell at Gulf Shores, AL. 15 people died.

1972
Lightning struck and killed a man near Waldport, OR, as he was carrying 35 sticks of dynamite.

1982
The remnants of Hurricane Olivia re-curved northeastward across Southern California with rainfall up to 4 inches in the mountains starting on this day and ending on the 26th. This occurred during the strong El Niño of 1982-83.

1984
Behind a strong cold front, Bismarck, ND had a record early season snowfall of 5 inches, their heaviest September snowfall. Along with the snow came record cold temperatures across parts of the northern Rockies. Billings, MT recorded their coldest September temperature of 22° followed by an afternoon high of just 31°. Other daily record lows included: Sheridan, WY: 13° and Casper, WY: 22°. Ahead of the front, along with dramatically warmer temperatures, by as much as 40 degrees+, upper level dynamics were in place for severe weather. Crawford and Vernon Counties in Wisconsin reported baseball sized hail and 3 inch diameter hail was reported in La Crosse County, Wisconsin with this same cluster of storms.

1985
The central pressure of Hurricane Gloria bottomed out at 919 millibars or 27.13 inHg in the western Atlantic near 24.5N / 70.5W. No previous hurricane on record in this part of the Atlantic had ever been this intense. Winds at the time as recorded by a reconnaissance aircraft were measured sustained at 156 mph. The media immediately declared Gloria the "killer storm of the century" and basically had the entire East Coast of the U.S. preparing for atmospheric armageddon.

1986
A very strong wind storm plowed across parts of the Colorado Rockies. The city of Boulder was hardest hit. There, the National Center for Atmospheric Research reported peak winds of 131 mph. This is thought to be the highest wind gust there for the month of September. A wind gust of 118 mph was clocked on Davidson Mesa and 92 mph near Niwot. Gusts between 70 and 80 mph were common across Boulder where as many as 90 large trees were uprooted. Many toppled on to cars. Structural damage occurred along with downed power lines and traffic lights. Wind gusts of 87 mph at the Jefferson County Airport damaged two planes.

Unseasonable rainfall hit San Diego County on this day and on 9.25: 1.04 inches fell in San Diego, 5.14 inches in Palomar Mountain, 2.07 inches in Julian, 1.88 inches in Mt. Laguna, 1.61 inches in Lemon Grove, 1.58 inches in Pt. Loma, 1.57 inches in Vista, and 1.47 inches at San Diego State University. Flooding occurred in low roadways in Mission Valley.The California Angels’ home game at Anaheim Stadium against the Cleveland Indians was rained out.

An unusually strong F2 tornado touched down near Vina, CA. A mobile home was destroyed and 11 other buildings was damaged or demolished. 50 acres of walnut orchards were flattened as well.

1988
Thunderstorms developing along a stationary front produced large hail and damaging winds across the southeastern U.S., with reports of severe weather most numerous in North Carolina. Golf ball size hail was reported at Tick Creek and a number of other locations in North Carolina.

1989
Many cities from the Rockies to the Appalachians reported record low temperatures for the date. Low temperatures of 34°at Jackson, KY, 36°at Midland-Odessa, TX and 38°at Abilene, TX, established records for the month of September. The low of 36°at Midland smashed their previous record by 13 degrees. Fayetteville, AR and Springfield, MO reported their earliest freeze on record.  

Other daily record lows included: Marquette, MI: 25°, Green Bay, WI: 28°-Tied, Dubuque, IA: 29°, Waterloo, IA: 29°, Moline, IL: 30°, Topeka, KS: 31°, Flint, MI: 31°, Springfield, MO: 32°, Fort Wayne, IN: 32°-Tied, Dodge City, KS: 33°, Columbia, MO: 33°, Detroit, MI: 33°, Peoria, IL: 33°, Springfield, IL: 33°, Wichita, KS: 34°, Youngstown, OH: 34°-Tied, Louisville, KY: 34°-Tied, Amarillo, TX: 35°, Kansas City, MO: 35°, Chicago, IL: 35°-Tied, Oklahoma City, OK: 36°, Fort Smith, AR: 36°, Tulsa, OK: 37°, Lubbock, TX: 38°, Wichita Falls, TX: 38°, San Angelo, TX: 39°, Little Rock, AR: 42°, Waco, TX: 46°, Shreveport, LA: 47°, Dallas (DFW), TX: 49°, Del Rio, TX: 51°, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX: 52°-Tied and Galveston, TX: 57°.

Thunderstorms produced torrential rains in northeastern Florida. Localized heavy rain of up to 11.40 inches caused flooding in downtown Jacksonville. Two motorists died when their vehicles were swept into storm ditches.

1997
Heavy rain and thunderstorms developed on this day and ended on the 26thin southern California. Moisture came from the remnants of Hurricane Nora, which had moved up the Gulf of California and weakened over Yuma, AZ, giving that city more rainfall in three hours than for a normal entire season. Rainfall totals were 5.50 inches at Mt. San Jacinto, 4.70 inches Mt. Laguna, 4.41 inches Mt. San Gorgonio, 3 to 4 inches at several other locations in mountains, 3.07 inches in Twentynine Palms, 1.5 to two inches at Coachella and Borrego Valleys, 2.88 inches in Hemet, and one to two inches in many inland areas. Flooding occurred in Palm Springs, Borrego Springs, and Spring Valley. Traffic deaths also resulted.

Heavy rains drenched the Whitianga area of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand with torrential rains of 9.8 inches in 24 hours, the heaviest in 25 years. Tremendous flash flooding resulted.

1999
A powerful windstorm blew across Vancouver and Southwestern British Columbia Canada leaving approximately 100,000 people without power.

2000
Cheyenne’s greatest September snowstorm on record ended on this day after dropping an additional 6.4 inches of snow bringing the storm total to 11.8 inches. Scottsbluff, NE received a storm total of 5.7 inches of snow over two days.

Along with the snow came record cold.  Record lows included: ShirleyBasin, WY: 2°, Lander, WY: 17°, Ely, NV: 21°, Pocatello, ID: 22°, Aberdeen, SD: 23°, Huron, SD: 23°, St. Cloud, MN: 24°, Duluth, MN: 26°, Denver, CO: 29°, Goodland, KS: 30°, Dodge City, KS: 33°-Tied and Grand Junction, CO: 35°.

Through the 26th, a vicious spring cold snap brought snow, hail, thunderstorms and gale force winds to the North Island in New Zealand. Ski slopes at Mt Ruapehu reported snow drifts up to 9.8 feet.

2001
It was just 13 days after the 9/11 terrorist attack when the Emergency Action Notification System sounded in Washington D.C. Many people immediately thought the alert was for another attack, but it was actually for a tornado warning. The dramatic severe weather statement from the National Weather Service at Sterling, VA was that a tornado had been sighted near the Pentagon.

Record heat occurred across parts of Alberta, Canada. Lethbridge reached 96°; breaking their old record by 9 degrees.

2006
The Antarctic ozone hole spreads over 11.4 million square miles, equaling the record for the single-day largest area of depletion.
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September 25th:
In both human and economic terms the Great Flood of 1993 was the most devastating in modern U.S. history.
 It was a catastrophe across portions of 9 states with losses estimated up to $20 billion dollars. Some amazing numbers linger from the floods. 
Over 50,000 homes were damaged or destroyed forcing the evacuation of some 54,000 people. In all the floods took 50 lives. 
Water level records were set at 49 places on the Missouri River system and at 43 places on the upper Mississippi River system. 
The flood was notable for its duration as well as its size. Flooding began in March with record floods beginning in May and continued into September.

1585
A severe storm in Hay, Herefordshire, Great Britain tore apart houses, barns, stables and pulled out huge trees by the roots.

1848
The Tampa, FL area was hit by a major hurricane. The pressure plunged to 28.18 inches and the storm surge reached 15 feet. The army post in the area was wiped out.

1926
The coldest temperature ever recorded in Scottsbluff, NE for the month of September occurred on this with a low of 14°, while Chadron, NE recorded their lowest September temperature with 15°.

1934
Cut Bank, MT hit a low temperature for the day of -4°, the second lowest temperature ever occur in the state in September. Heavy snow accompanied the cold with 32 inches falling at Glacier National Park.

1942                                                                                                                                                                                       The earliest snowfall on record occurred at Fort Wayne, IN when a few flurries fell. A trace of snow fell again on the 27th. These are the only two September snowfalls on record at Fort Wayne. It was also the earliest snowfall for South Bend, IN as 1.2 inhes fell. Springfield, ILreported a few flurries, marking the only time it has snowed there in September, since weather records began in 1879. Further north, Peoria reported a full inch of snow, the earliest snowfall on record and a record total for the month of September.
0.3 inches of snow fell in Rochester, MN. This is their earliest measurable snowfall.

1953
The center of Hurricane Florence hit the northwest Florida coast between Valparaiso and Panama City near midday with wind maximum sustained winds near 80 mph with gusts to 90 mph and heavy rainfall. The Pensacola Weather Bureau Office reported winds of up to 75 mph early the next morning. The storm passed inland over a sparsely settled area of Florida and this probably accounts for the rather small amount of damage. In Franklin and Okaloosa Counties the Red Cross estimated that 273 homes were destroyed, 145 other buildings damaged, and three destroyed. A fishing trawler, the "Miss Tampa" was reported missing in the storm's wake.

1962
The remnants of Tropical Storm Claudia dumped up to 7 inches of rain in the desert west of Tucson, AZ, causing severe flooding.

1970
Drought in Southern California climaxed and hot Santa Ana winds blew starting on the 25th and ending on this day. Winds peaked at 60 mph at Cuyamaca. The winds sparked the Laguna Fire, one of the largest in California history. Eight people were killed, 400 homes were destroyed, and 185,000 acres were burned. In all, the fire consumed whole communities of interior San Diego County. Half a million acres were burned and caused $50 million dollars in damage.

1984
Sheridan, WY recorded their coldest September temperature on record when they fell to 6°. 21 inches of snow fell at Sheridan between the 23rd and the 27th. This made it their snowiest September on record.

Other record lows included: Cheyenne, WY: 17°, Casper, WY: 20° and Rapid City, SD: 24°.

1987
Hurricane Emily crossed the island of Bermuda during the early morning. Moving northeast at 45 mph, Emily produced sustained winds of 85 mph wind gusts to 115 mph at Kindley Field. The $35 million dollars damage inflicted by Emily made it the worst hurricane to strike Bermuda since 1948.

Parts of Michigan and Wisconsin experienced their first freeze of the season.  

Snow and sleet were reported in the Sheffield and Sutton areas of northeastern Vermont at midday.

1989
Many cities in the south central U.S. & New York reported record low temperatures for the date, including Topeka, KS with a reading of 33°and Binghamton NY with a low of 25°.

Other daily record lows included: Springfield, MO: 36°, San Angelo, TX: 37°, Columbia, MO: 37°-Tied, Fort Smith, AR: 38°, Islip, NY: 40°, Oklahoma City, OK: 41°-Tied, Midland-Odessa, TX: 42°, Waco, TX: 43°, Dallas (DFW), TX: 44°, Wichita Falls, TX: 44°, New York (Kennedy Airport), NY: 45°, Dallas, TX: 48°, Houston, TX: 50°, San Antonio, TX: 50°, Del Rio, TX: 51°, Victoria, TX: 51°, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX: 53°and Corpus Christi, TX: 57°.

Showers and thunderstorms in the southeastern U.S. drenched Atlanta, GA with 4.87 inches of rain, their 6th highest total on record for any given day.

1996
An early season snowstorm brought the season’s first snow to the Front Range eastern foothills in northern Colorado. Heavy snowfall totals included: 8 to 12 inches near Conifer, 7 inches at Floyd Hill, 6 inches at Bailey & Chief Hosa and 4.7 inches at Denver. 

Heavy rain fell in the Blackwell area of north-central Oklahoma beginning the previous day through this date, causing many roads to be closed. National Weather Service radar estimated that more than three inches of rain fell in less than 90 minutes in central Kay County, late in the evening. The two day rainfall in Blackwell totaled 9 inches.

1997
Tropical Storm Nora spread inland across Arizona, southern California and southern Nevadabringing rain as far north as the central San Joaquin Valley. Storm totals ranged from a trace to close to 1.50 inches. Some parts of Las Vegas seen up to 1.30 inches of rain causing some street flooding. Nora is only the second storm on record since 1900 to cross the state boundary of California while classified as a tropical storm.

1998
By the 5pm ET advisory, 4 hurricanes were spinning simultaneously in the Atlantic basin: Georges, Ivan, Jeanne, and Karl. That was the first time this had happened since 1893.

After moving along the north coast of Cuba the previous day, Georges crossed the Florida Keys, heading into the Gulf of Mexico. The storm had re-intensified with winds of 105 mph when it made landfall near Key West, FL midday.

1999
Low daily temperature records were shattered around the Northwest Territory in Canada as arctic air settled in. Dawson City plummeted to -10°, smashing the old record by 21 degrees.

2004
Jeanne after performing a complete loop over the open Atlantic headed westward, strengthening to a Category 3 hurricane and passing over the islands of Great Abaco and Grand Bahama in the Bahamas. Jeanne made landfall later on this date in Florida just 2 miles from where Frances had struck 3 weeks earlier, near Port St. Lucie with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph and a minimum central pressure of 950 millibars or 28.05 inHg. Building on the rainfall of Frances and Ivan, Jeanne brought near-record flood levels as far north as West Virginia and New Jersey before its remnants turned east into the open Atlantic. Rainfall amounts generally ranged up to 8 inches with locally higher amounts. The highest total was reported at Kenansville, FL with 11.97 inches. Storm surge generally ran as high as 6 feet. The highest sustained surface wind reported was 91 mph at the Melbourne National Weather Service Forecast Office. Some of the highest winds gusts reported: Fort Pierce, FL: 128 mph, Vero Beach, FL: 122 mph, Orlando, FL: 77 mph, Palm Beach, FL: 69 mph, Sanford, FL: 69 mph, Pompano Beach, FL: 67 mph, Daytona Beach, FL: 63 mph and Jacksonville, FL: 63 mph.

Jeanne is blamed for at least 3,000 deaths in Haiti with about 2,900 in Gonaïves alone, which was nearly washed away by floods and mudslides. Final property damage in the United States was $6.9 billion dollars.
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September 26th:
1900
A tornado struck the Niagara Peninsula in Merritton, Ontario Canada, during the late afternoon. The storm resulted in 5 deaths, many injuries and hundreds of thousands of dollars of property damage.

1936
The heaviest snowfall ever recorded in September and the heaviest for so early in the season dumped 16.5 inches on downtown Denver, CO and 21.3 inches at the Denver Airport. The 15 inches measured from 6pm on the 27th to 6pm on the 28th is their greatest 24-hour September snowfall. The storm produced property damage estimated at $7 million dollars.

1942
A severe freeze was experienced across the upper Plains and Midwest from the 26th to the 28th. The temperature at Parshall, ND dropped to a record low of 4° on this date. 

Winona, MN dropped to 25°, their coldest September temperature. Also on this date, snow fell across parts of Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. Locations recording their earliest measurable snowfall included: Caledonia, MN: 5 inches, Fayette, IA: 1 inch and La Crosse, WI: 0.2 of an inch. Snow fell in early morning, mostly melting as it fell.

1950
Smoke particles from large forest fires burning in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada crossed from the northeastern U.S. into northwestern Europe due to strong upper-level winds that lead to the widespread appearance of a very rare blue moon event. The pollutant cloud base was around 12,000 feet high and the top from 20,000 to 25,000 feet.

1953
The center of Hurricane Florence hit the northwest Florida coast between Valparaiso and Panama City near midday with wind maximum sustained winds near 80 mph with gusts to 90 mph and heavy rainfall. The Pensacola Weather Bureau Office reported winds of up to 75 mph early the next morning. The storm passed inland over a sparsely settled area of Florida and this probably accounts for the rather small amount of damage. In Franklin and Okaloosa Counties the Red Cross estimated that 273 homes were destroyed, 145 other buildings damaged, and three destroyed. A fishing trawler, the "Miss Tampa" was reported missing in the storm's wake.

1955
Only four reconnaissance aircrafts have ever been lost during hurricane hunting missions. On this date, the only one ever lost in the Atlantic basin ”Snowcloud Five” went down while investigating Hurricane Janet and was never heard from again. Seven crew members were lost.

Meanwhile, Category 4 Janet moved west-northwest in the Caribbean south of Jamaica.  By days end, maximum sustained winds had increased to 150 mph. Janet continued to intensify reaching maximum sustained winds of 175 mph late on the 27th. The cyclone weakened slightly still making landfall near Chetumal, Mexico with wind gusts to 175 mph recorded before the instruments were destroyed. Janet would emerge in the southern Bay of Campeche as a much weaker Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 105 mph late on the 28th. Janet only managed to strengthen slightly thereafter to 110 mph before making landfall between Veracruz and Nautla, Mexico. Janet rapidly weakened to remnant low later on the 30th. Janet killed over 680 people and caused an estimated $48 million dollars in damage.

1959
Typhoon Vera ravaged Honshu, Japan's largest island leaving over 5,000 dead, more than 40,000 injured, 1.5 million homeless and 40,000 homes destroyed. It is Japan's greatest storm disaster.

1963
Record heat blasted most of the west coast. It was the hottest day on record west of mountains in San Diego County, California. The high temperature of 111° on this day established an all-time record high for San Diego. It was 95° at 8am. El Toro, CA hit 113°, the hot spot in the nation for the date. Other records included: El Cajon, CA: 112°,  Santa Ana, CA: 110° (their highest temperature on record for September), Long Beach, CA: 110° (their highest temperature on record for September), Los Angeles (LAX), CA: 110° (their highest temperature on record for September), Yuma, AZ: 110-Tied, Downtown Los Angeles, CA: 109° (their highest temperature on record for September), Imperial Beach, CA: 109°, Carlsbad, CA: 108°, Oceanside, CA: 107°, Santee, CA: 107°, Chula Vista, CA: 107°, San Diego State University, CA: 107°, Lemon Grove, CA: 107°,  La Mesa, CA: 107°, Escondido, CA: 107°, Fresno, CA: 107°, Bakersfield, CA: 107°, Sacramento, CA: 104°, Medford, OR: 104°, Stockton, CA: 100°, Coronado, CA: 96°, Bishop, CA: 95°, Boise, ID: 93°, Burns, OR: 91° Reno, NV: 91° and Ely, NV: 86°. In southern California, crops were damaged and animals were killed. Surf temperature dropped from 70° to 64° in one day due to the increased upwelling caused by offshore winds. Santa Ana winds gusted to more than 50 mph in the mountains of San Diego County.

1970
On this date through the 29th, Santa Ana winds brought fires to Los Angeles County, California, and points south and east. Los Angeles with 105° at the Civic Center and Long Beach hit 103° on the 27th was hottest since 1963. Over 500,000 acres burned, along with 1000 structures. 20 firemen were injured.

1971
The Project Stormfury experiments, in which scientists attempted to weaken the strength of a tropical cyclone by seeding its clouds was conducted on Hurricane Ginger in the Atlantic east of Florida with inconclusive results.

1978
Tropical Storm Paul made landfall in western Mexico. Rains from this system ranged from 5-15 inches in a 24 hour period. The Rio Grand River swelled up to 25 feet in some places or 12 feet above flood-stage.

1979
In the midst of a hot September for Death Valley, CA, the afternoon high was 104°for the second of three days, the coolest afternoon highs for the month.

1985
Hurricane Gloria weakened briefly while moving from northeast of the Bahamas to just off the southern North Carolina coast by days end. Gloria peaked the previous day with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph and a minimum central pressure of 920 millibars or 27.17 inHg. Gloria weakened during this date to 90 mph at 06z and 12z before regaining strength intensifying to 100 mph by days end. 

1986
Five to eight inches of rain fell during the overnight hours causing widespread street flooding across Lake and McHenry Counties in northern Illinois. Water was up to six feet deep in places and forced the evacuation of 70 residents. In metro Chicago, 1 to 2 inches of rain fell in just 30 minutes flooding expressways briefly covering low places with 1 to 3 feet of water. 

1987
Freezing temperatures were reported in the Northern and Central Appalachians, and the Upper Ohio Valley. Record lows included: Concord, NH: 27°-Tied, Islip, NY: 40°and Bridgeport, CT: 43°-Tied.

Temperatures soared into the 90s across South Dakota. Pierre, SD reported an afternoon high of 98°.

1988
Unseasonably warm weather prevailed across Florida producing record highs for the date including: Fort Myers: 95°-Tied, Apalachicola, FL: 92°and Vero Beach, FL: 92°.

1989
Rain spread from the southeastern states across New England during the overnight hours. Cape Hatteras NC reported measurable rainfall for the 14th straight day, with 15.51 inches of rain recorded during that two week period.

Phoenix, AZ reported a record high of 108°, and a record 134 days of 100 degree weather for the year while afternoon temperatures were only in the 40s over parts of northwest Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.

1994
September 25th through September 27th saw the northern portion of Canada's Northwest Territories experienced a ferocious blizzard. Winds were clocked at 87 mph at Alert and a school at Clyde River was closed because of flying debris.

1998
Record warm weather across the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley fueled a severe weather outbreak as a cold front arrived during the late afternoon. A severe thunderstorm produced softball-sized hail in Clare County which smashed skylights, dented automobiles, and damaged roofs and antennas. Damage was estimated at up to half a million dollars. Record highs for the date included: Toledo, OH: 92°, Columbus, OH: 92°, Detroit, MI: 91°, Cleveland, OH: 91°, South Bend, IN: 91°-Tied, Flint, MI: 90°, Chicago, IL: 90°, Grand Rapids, MI: 89°, Lansing, MI: 89°, Jackson, KY: 87°and Mansfield, OH: 87°-Tied.

2005
The remnants of Hurricane Rita merged with low pressure and brought record-breaking rainfall across Quebec, Canada. Deschambault topped the list with a one-day rainfall total of 4.9 inches.
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September 27th:

1816
A black frost over most of New England killed un-ripened corn in the north resulting in a year of famine. This happened in association in “the year without a summer”.

1906
The Pensacola-Mobile Hurricane made landfall in Alabama with a pressure of 977 millibars or 28.84 inHg, but caused tremendous damage in the Pensacola area in Florida. The storm surge was close to 10 feet. The entire waterfront was inundated; train service in and out of the city was completely paralyzed. Muskogee Wharf, belonging to the L&N Railroad Co., was broken in two in the middle, and the tracks on either side of the Main Creek were washed away, including 38 coal cars. The greatest damage was along east Main Street, the south side of which was completely washed away. 34 people were killed at Pensacola. This was the worst storm to hit the area in 170 years.

1942
Snowflakes flew across parts of Lower Michigan as temperatures fall to the lower 30s and only rose into the 40s during the day. Fort Wayne, IN reported a trace of snow on this date and two days prior. These dates remain the only two September snowfalls on record at that location.

1948
The low temperature of 43 degrees in Las Vegas, NJ sets their all-time coolest September reading.

1955
The U.S. Weather Bureau's station on Swan Island in the western Caribbean was destroyed as Hurricane Janet passed very close to the island. Winds gusts were estimated to have reached 200 mph. Janet made landfall at Chetumal, Mexico early on the 28th where winds were sustained at 175 mph and the pressure dropped to 914 millibars or 27.00 inHg. Over 500 people were killed and damage exceeded $40 million.

1956
Hurricane Flossie formed in the Gulf of Mexico moved northeast into the Florida panhandle then crossed the southeastern states as a tropical storm, exiting at Cape Hatteras, NC. The Delaware Breakwater measured a gust to 70 mph.

1958
Hurricane Helene passed just off the North Carolina coast. Wilmington had sustained winds of 88 mph with a peak gust of 135 mph, a record and recorded 8.29 inches of rain.  Cape Fear was battered by sustained winds of 125 mph with gusts to 155 mph. This was a near miss however as the eye remained about 20 miles offshore and thus the tides were not excessive. Total damage was $11 million dollars.

1959
A tornado 440 yards in width traveled 20 miles from near Hollow, OK to western Cherokee County in Kansas. Although a strong tornado, it was very slow moving, and gave a tremendous warning roar, and as a result no one was killed.

1983
Extreme cold covered the Yukon Territory with temperatures as low as -17°, shattering the previous low temperature records for the month.

A lightning caused grass fire burned 25,000 acres northwest of Reliance, SD during the evening hours. At its peak, the fire was four miles wide by ten miles long.

1984
Tropical Storm Isidore made landfall near West Palm Beach during the morning hours. From there it moved slowly to near Orlando in the evening, then recurved to the northeast and crossed over Jacksonville and out to sea the next day. The highest wind gust was 73 mph near St. Augustine. Rainfall of 5 to 7 inches in north Florida caused local flooding.

Heavy snow fell across parts of the Plains and Colorado Foothills. Snowfall totals ranged from 2 to 5 inches across the Plains with up to a foot in the higher elevations in the Foothills. The main problem caused by the storm was thousands of power outages caused by snapped tree limbs falling on power lines. Some cars were damaged by falling trees and limbs. The snow also caused flight delays at Denver where just over 5 inches of snow fell. The high temperature the next day in Denver only managed to make it to 34°, a record low maximum for the date and equaled the all-time September record up to that time.

1985
Hurricane Gloria, a much media-hyped hurricane for the time, passed over the Hatteras Weather Service Office on the outer banks of North Carolina early on this day. 
A pressure of 947.5 millibars or 27.98 inHg was recorded at the office. Gloria then raced north-northeastward and made landfall near Fire Island on Long Island, NY and then crossed the Connecticut coastline very close to Bridgeport. Wind gusts exceeded 115 mph on Long Island. Winds gusted to 109 mph at Chatham, MA and to 100 mph on top of Blue Hill in Milton, MA. While passing the Delmarva, 80% of the boardwalk at Ocean City, MD was destroyed and Philadelphia, PA reported a wind gust of 52 mph. The tide at the Cape May Ferry Terminal tide gage located along the Cape May Canal near the outlet to Delaware Bay, in New Jersey rose to a record 9.1feet above mean lower low water. Severe tidal flooding begins at 8.7 feet.18 fatalities occurred and total damage was around $1 billion dollars. Many people in Connecticut were without power for nearly 2 weeks.

A record early season snowstorm struck the central Rockies and the upper Plains region.  The storm left up to 19 inches of snow along the Colorado Front Range and as much as a foot of snow in the Plains.

Residents of south central South Dakota received an early taste of winter as up to 18 inches of snow piled up in the Winner area. Most areas received 3 to 6 inches. Some snow amounts included 10 inches around Burke, 6 inches in Winner and 5 inches at Martin. The storm didn't cause very many travel problems, but greatly hampered the harvesting of the summer crops.

1987
While those at the base of Mount Washington, NH enjoyed sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s, the top of the mountain was blanketed with 4.7 inches of snow, along with wind gusts to 99 mph, and a temperature of 13°.  

Severe thunderstorms developed along a cold front in the south central U.S. A thunderstorm west of Noodle, TX produced golf ball size hail and wind gusts to 70 mph.

Tons of mud and rock were loosened by a week of heavy rain on Sugar Loaf Mountain near Medellin, Colombia South America. 60 homes were in the path of the ensuing mud slide, in which at least 183 people died.

1988
Thunderstorms developing ahead of a cold front produced large hail in southeastern Wyoming during the afternoon, with tennis ball size hail reported at Cheyenne. Strong winds ushering the cold air into the north central U.S. gusted to 59 mph at Lander, WY.

1989
Strong Canadian high pressure centered over lower Michigan was responsible for freezing temperatures across the Great Lakes Region and the Ohio Valley. Record lows included: Houghton Lake, MI: 21°, Marquette, MI: 25, Alpena, MI: 25, Ste. St. Marie, MI: 26, Muskegon, MI: 27, Grand Rapids, MI: 29, Moline, IL: 33, South Bend, IN: 34 and Jackson, KY: 43.

Thunderstorms in the western U.S. produced wind gusts to 58 mph at Cody, WY and 50 mph at Salt Lake City, UT.

1998
A microburst occurred and was centered about 4 miles north of Pratt in south central Kansas. The area extended 3 miles northwest through southwest with the greatest

damage at the Pratt airport. Five buildings had considerable damage, 7 with major damage and 18 had minor damage. Debris was carried for miles. A John Deere tractor had a 16 foot long 2 by 4 impaled into the engine compartment. The microburst also caused extensive damage to the Lake Arrowhead Resort area 5 miles southwest of Isabel in south central Kansas. Several boats were destroyed and part of a roof was taken off a cabin. A garage under construction was completely destroyed. There were also six, very large-mature cottonwood trees uprooted along with heavy damage to the remainder of the trees in the area.
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No Events Listed For Sept 28th

 September 29th:

1893
Albuquerque, NM recorded a 24 rainfall record when 2.25 inches fell.

1896
A major hurricane struck Cedar Key, FL, inundating the keys with a 10 foot storm surge. Headlines read, "Cedar Key Crushed," and "Town Almost Wiped Out." Famous for its cedar trees, the Keys featured several major pencil manufacturers that were wiped out by the storm. Moving rapidly to the north-northeast then north, the cyclone passed west of the Washington, D.C. area bringing wing gusts in excess of 60 mph.

1915
A severe category 4 hurricane struck southeastern Louisiana and produced winds to 140 mph in Terrebone Parish. The pressure dropped to 952 millibars or 28.11 inHg. 90% of the buildings were destroyed in the parish. 275 people were killed and $13 million dollars in damage was done.

1925
The world record for a 3 minute rainfall total was set in Haughton Grove, Jamaica where 1.75 inches of rain fell.

1927
An outbreak of tornadoes from Oklahoma to Indiana caused 81 deaths and $25 million dollars damage. A tornado, possibly two, cut an 8-mile long path across St. Louis, MO to Granite City, IL killing 72 people, injuring 550 more and causing $22 million dollars in damage. The F4 tornado tore apart 200 city blocks of St. Louis, MO. The damage path at times was a mile and a quarter wide. The storm followed a similar path to tornadoes which struck in 1871, 1896, and 1959.

1938
A tornado hit Charleston, SC at 8am and did $2 million in damage. A total of five tornadoes hit the city between 6:45am and 9am, killing 32 people. One of the tornadoes passed from James Island, over the Ashley River, to just west of the Fort Sumter Hotel, causing extensive damage on Market & Broad Streets.

1959
Hurricane Gracie made landfall near Beaufort, SC with a central pressure around 950 millibars or 28.05 inHg. Beaufort recorded sustained winds of 97 mph with a peak gust to 138 mph. 10 people were killed in South Carolina and Georgia. As a weakening Gracie moved through the Mid Atlantic area on the 30th, she spawned an F3 tornado at Ivy, VA which killed 11 people.

Two people drowned when a huge wave knocked them into the water at the l63rd Street Beach at Miami, FL.

An early season winter storm produced 28 inches of snow at Colorado Springs, CO.

1965
Mobile, AL was inundated with 16.85 inches of rain during the overnight hours into the morning of the 30th as Tropical Storm Debbie neared the Gulf Coast. The flooding resulted in $25 million in damage in the Mobile area.

1971
The Indian state of Orissa was struck by a powerful cyclone that produced a tidal wave off the Bay of Bengal. 10,000 people died.

1976
Thunderstorms struck the central and southern San Joaquin Valley in California with up to 2.5 inches of rain in some areas. Dramatic lightning displays were seen along with hail the size of marbles. Lightning knocked out power to several thousand customers and also struck two F106 airplanes causing slight damage. The heavy rain also caused structural damage and flooded homes, business and streets. 

1983
Heavy rains began in central and eastern Arizona which culminated in the worst flood in the history of the state. 8 to 10 inches of rain caused severe flooding in southeastern Arizona which resulted in 13 deaths and $178 million dollars damage. President Reagan declared 8 counties of Arizona disaster areas.

A hailstorm at Sydney, Australia destroyed most local crops with golf ball-sized hail.

1985
Denver, CO had a morning low of 17°, which set a record low temperature for the month of September. The afternoon high of 29° set the all-time record low maximum for the month. Grand Island, NE received 2 inches of snow their earliest snow on record.

Other record lows included: West Yellowstone, MT: 3°, Wisdom, MT: 3°, Livingston, MT: 10°, Butte, MT: 10°, Red Lodge, MT: 11°, Dillon, MT: 11°, Boulder, MT: 11°, Valentine, MT: 14°, Cheyenne, WY: 14°, Bozeman, MT: 15°, Joliet, MT: 18°, Cut Bank, MT: 18°, Helena, MT: 19°, Kalispell, MT: 19°, Pocatello, ID: 19°, Sheridan, WY: 20°, Missoula, MT: 20°, Great Falls, MT: 21°, Havre, MT: 21°, Colorado Springs, CO: 22°, Lander, WY: 23°, Columbus, MT: 24°, Spokane, WA: 24°, Yakima, WA: 24° Billings, MT: 26°, Clayton, NM: 26°, Pueblo, CO: 27°, Olympia, WA: 30°-Tied, Lewiston, ID: 31°-Tied, Amarillo, TX: 32°-Tied and Grand Junction, CO: 33°.

1986
Severe thunderstorms moved across central Illinois, causing damage along a 55 mile path. Two tornadoes occurred, but most of the damage was caused by high winds. Hundreds of structures were damaged or destroyed, including a large microwave tower near Lexington. Total damage was around $4.2 million dollars.

A week of violent weather began in Oklahoma which culminated in one of the worst flooding events in the history of the state. A series of microbursts occurred from southwest Oklahoma City to Del City, OK damaging 17 businesses and 127 homes, resulting in more than $1 million dollars in damage.Thunderstorms produced 4 to 7 inches of rain from Hobart to Ponca City, OK and another round of thunderstorms that evening produced 7 to 10 inches of rain in north central and northeastern sections of the state.

A 25 yard wide F1 tornado moved southeast off of Lake Ontario and literally looped back onshore and around the house between Lyndonville and Shadigee, NY and then swirled back to Lake Ontario.

1987
A slow moving cold front produced rain from the Great Lakes Region to the Central Gulf Coast. A late afternoon thunderstorm produced wind gusts to 62 mph at Buffalo, NY.

Warm weather continued in the western U.S. Redding, CA set a record high with 102°.  Other record highs included: Medford, OR: 96°, Portland, OR: 89°, Eugene, OR: 86°-Tied, Astoria, OR: 84°, Quillayute, WA: 81° andSeattle, WA: 79°.

1988
High pressure brought freezing temperatures to parts of Vermont and New York State. Binghamton, NY set a record low of 34°. The high pressure system also brought cold weather to the Central Rocky Mountain Region. Alamosa, CO reported a record low of 18°and Gunnison, CO was the cold spot in the nation with a morning low of 5°.

1989
Many cities in the Northern Plateau and Northern Plains region reported record high temperatures for the date including:  Phoenix, AZ: 106°, Miles City, MT: 94°, Boise, ID: 92°, Sheridan, WY: 91°, Grass Range, MT: 90°, Townsend, MT: 90°, Valentine, MT: 90°, Grand Junction, CO: 89°, Billings, MT: 89° and Pocatello, ID: 89°. The high of 100°at Tucson, AZ marked their 51st record high of the year, and their 92nd day of 100 degree weather.

1991
Snow began in Caribou, ME during the evening ending early the next morning with 2.5 inches accumulating.

2005
Strong winds as high as 56 mph and heavy rain hit parts of southern and eastern Quebec leaving almost a quarter of a million residents without power. New maximum hourly winds speed records are recorded at both Dorval and Gaspe. The hardest hit region was the Richelieu Valley, south of Montreal, but winds also cause blackouts north of Montreal.

2006
Several waterspouts were observed on Lake Michigan. One was about 5 miles offshore of Holland, MI while another was sighted just offshore of Saugatuck, MI. This waterspout approached the coast and may have come onshore, but no damage was reported.
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September 30th:

Floods kill more people in an average year than do tornadoes or hurricanes. Of the over 100 people that die on average 60% of those are in their cars. Flowing water and moving cars don't mix. Water typically moves at 6 to 12 miles an hour in a flood.

The weight and speed of the flowing water give it more momentum than many think. For each foot the water rises it pushes on a car with another 500 pounds of force. More importantly, water is quite buoyant. Essentially, a car weighs 1500 pounds less for each foot of water flowing across a road. Water only two feet deep will carry away most cars.

1835
Northern New England and southern Quebec were hit by an early season snowstorm.  Kilkenny, NH received 6 inches and Hatley, Quebec recorded 10 inches.

1882
Central Park in New York City, NY concluded its wettest month ever with 16.85 inches of rain.

1921
Four inches of rain fell on the deserts of southern California as a result of a dying tropical cyclone that crossed Baja California and moved into southwestern Arizona. 1.23 inches fell at San Diego, their greatest September rainfall on record for the month. 

1932
The remnants of a weakening tropical cyclone produced rainfall of 4.38 inches at Tehachapi, CA in 7 hours causing flash floods on the Auga Caliente and Tehachapi Creeks resulting in 15 deaths. Las Vegas, NV reported 1.10 inches of rain.

1943
A tropical storm that formed southwest of Bermuda moved to the northwest and into the Delmarva Peninsula overnight October 1 then dissipated in extreme northeastern Maryland as a depression. Atlantic City, NJ measured a gust to 78 mph and Cape Henry, VA gusted to 72 mph.

1959
A tornado spawned by Hurricane Gracie in Ivy, VA took the lives of 11 people. The estimated intensity was an F3, which is unusually strong for a tornado formed by a hurricane.

1961
An early season snowfall occurred over the Northern Plains with the greatest total of 4 inches falling in the New Ulm- Mankato area in Minnesota. Austin, MN had their earliest measurable snowfall with half an inch. Omaha, NE had its first September snow in 70 years.

1971
Hurricane Ginger was a storm with no place to go. Since its formation on September 5th, it had been wandering around in the western and central Atlantic Ocean until landfall near Morehead City, NC on this date. It never was a particularly strong hurricane at any point with winds peaking at 105 mph but it was a hurricane for 20 days and was tracked until October 5th when it finally dissipated after moving back out over the western Atlantic. Ginger was tracked as a tropical system for 27 days, second as time as a tropical system only to Storm #3 of 1899 that was a tropical system for 27.75 days in the Atlantic Basin. The 20 days as a hurricane set a new record as well.

1975
Lightning killed a 15 year old high school football player during practice. Fifteen players and three coaches were injured. Thirty to 50 players were on the field at the time. A light rain had just ended and there were no signs of lightning.

1977
A thunderstorm brought Springfield, IL some of its heaviest short-term rainfall totals on record. 1.05 inches of rain fell in only 5 minutes. The 10-minute total was 1.42 inches, which grew to 1.5 inches by the end of the 15-minute period. Later in the day, severe thunderstorms produced $20 million damage in far east-central Illinois, around Danville; 30,000 acres of crops were destroyed by hail.

The temperature at Wichita Falls, TX soared to 108°to establish a record for September.

1979
This was the eighth day of 29 consecutive days when no measurable rain fell at Chicago, IL. The only measurable rain for the month came on the 1st with 0.01 inches. This was their driest September on record. Rockford, IL only received 0.05 inches of rain; their driest month ever.

1985
An early season snowstorm covered much of the Arrowhead Region of Minnesota with 7 to 9 inches of snow. Some snow depths reported for the event, which ended the next day, were 7 inches at Babbitt and Aurora, 7.5 inches at Isabella, and 8.5 inches at Poplar Lake. 

Canadian high pressure built in behind the storm and strong cold front to bring record lows for the date. Record lows for September included: Laramie, WY: -2°, Cheyenne, WY: 8° and Dodge City, KS: 29°.

Daily record lows included: West Yellowstone, MT: 4°, Butte, MT: 13°, Bozeman, MT: 15°, Alamosa, CO: 15°, Lewistown, MT: 17°, Casper, WY: 17°, Sheridan, WY: 18°, Havre, MT: 19°, Missoula, MT: 20°, Lander, WY: 20°, Miles City, MT: 21°, Great Falls, MT: 22°, Kalispell, MT: 22°, Billings, MT: 23°, Choteau, MT: 23°, Colorado Springs, CO: 25°, Denver, CO; 25°, Clayton, NM: 28°-Tied, Grand Junction, CO: 32°and Lubbock, TX: 35°.

1986
Thunderstorms, which had inundated northern sections of Oklahoma with heavy rain, temporarily shifted southward producing 4 to 8 inches rains from Shawnee to Stilwell. Baseball size hail and 80 mph winds ripped through parts of southeast Oklahoma City, and thunderstorm winds caused more than half a million dollars damage at Shawnee.

1987
Afternoon thunderstorms in Michigan produced hail 1 inch in diameter at Pinckney, and wind gusts to 68 mph at Wyandotte. A thunderstorm in northern Indiana produced wet snow at South Bend.

Many cities in the northwestern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date, including: Redding, CA: 104°, Sacramento, CA: 99°, Fresno, CA: 99°, Medford, OR: 98°, Quillayute, WA: 90°, Portland, OR: 88°, Eugene, OR: 88°-Tied, Astoria, OR: 86°, Olympia, WA: 83°-Tied and Seattle, WA: 81°.

1988
Unseasonably warm weather prevailed over Florida, and in the western U.S. The afternoon high of 94°at Fort Myers, FL was their 10th record high for the month.

Record highs were tied at Fresno, CA: 99°and Medford, OR: 98° while a record high of 108° was recorded at Borrego Springs, CA.

1989
Many cities reported record high temperatures for the date, as readings soared into the upper 80s and 90s from the Northern and Central Plains Region to Minnesota. Bismarck, ND reported a record high of 95°and the temperature reached 97°at Broadus MT.

Other record highs included: Tucson, AZ: 101°, Scottsbluff, NE: 94°-Tied, Valentine, NE: 94°-Tied, Miles City, MT: 93°, Rapid City, SD: 93°-Tied, Aberdeen, SD: 92°, Huron, SD: 92°, Pueblo, CO: 92°, Sheridan, WY: 91°-Tied, Townsend, MT: 86° and

Colorado Springs, CO: 84°-Tied.

Afternoon thunderstorms developing along a cold front produced wind gusts to 60 mph at Wendover, UT.

1992
The past month was the coldest September ever recorded in interior Alaska. Fairbanks averaged a frigid 31.7° which was 13.2° below normal and the first below freezing September ever. Beginning on the 9th and on every day for the rest of the month, a new record low was set for either low minimums or low maximums, or both. On this date, the city plunged to 3° to set a new all-time record low for September. Snowfall for the month totaled 24.4 inches which was more than three times the previous record for September.  The late summer snows never melted. Plant foliage, still green, was frozen into place and week long power outages were widespread as whole trees bent over onto power lines due to the weight of the heavy snow.

A total of 16 tornadoes occurred during the entire month of September. This was the largest number of tornadoes occurring during the month of September in the latter half of the 20th century.

1999
Black ice conditions caused a 90 vehicle pileup in Calgary, Alberta Canada closing Deerfoot Trail for 20 hours.

2001
Phoenix, AZ had an average temperature for the month of 92.2°, the city's hottest September on record.

2002
September is usually the most active month, but no one expected what happened this September. A record 8 named tropical cyclones occurred during the month, compared to the average of 3 to 4.

2003
With a trace of snow hitting the ground, Grand Rapids, MI recorded its earliest occurrence of measurable snowfall, beating the old mark by a week.

2004
Driven mostly by outbreaks from Hurricanes Frances and Ivan, 279 tornadoes were recorded for the month, by far the most tornadoes ever to occur in September in the U.S.

West Palm Beach, FL had its wettest month on record with 29.40 inches. Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne contributed most to the total.

2006
A rare F1 tornado struck North Berwick, ME, causing damage to roofs, windows.  Damaged totaled $125,000.
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