June   Happy June 1st  
1ST


1812
Apple trees at New Haven, CT did not blossom until the first of June, the latest such occurrence during the period beginning in 1794. Snow whitened the ground in Cleveland, OH and Rochester, NY.
(David Ludlum)

1903
A strong tornado just 50 to 75 yards in width killed many persons around the Gainesville, GA Cotton Mill. The tornado strengthened and widened near the end of its four mile path, killing 40 persons at New Holland, GA. A total of 104 persons were killed in the tornado.
(The Weather Channel)
(Ref. WxDoctor)

1919
Snowfall of almost a half inch fell at Denver, CO. This is their greatest 24-hour snowfall recorded in the month of June. Two temperature records were set: The low temperature of 32° was a record low for the date and the high of only 40° was a record low maximum. Cheyenne, WY recorded 1.6 inches of snow, which is one of only 6 times that at least one inch of snow has fallen at Cheyenne in June.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1934
June started off on a hot note as high temperatures surpassed the century mark across parts of the Midwest. Several locations tied or set record high temperatures for June including: Rockford, IL: 106°, Mather, WI: 105°, Hatfield, WI: 103°, Mondovi, WI: 102°, Chicago, IL: 102° and Grand Rapids, MI tied their June record high with 102°.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1945
Boston, MA recorded its coldest temperature of 41 °F for the month of June.
(Ref. NOAA Boston Weather Events)

1947
Air Force weather flights into Pacific typhoons commenced on this date.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1951
Billings, MT, Sheridan, WY and Miles City, MT recorded their all-time coldest June high temperatures of 36°, 38° & 40° respectively.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1956
Not good to be close to 5,000 lb. of dynamite when it explodes. Lightning “prematurely” exploded that quantity of dynamite at a MA turnpike construction site near Woronoco. 25 men were within 300 feet of the blast epicenter. 5 were hurt; amazingly, no deaths.
(Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA)

1969
For about three seconds, a brilliantly white and apparently spherical ball of fire occurred at tree-top height, vividly lighting the area near the Cabin John Bridge exit of the Capital Beltway in Maryland, just northwest of Washington, DC The eerie phenomenon was ball lightning from a thunderstorm.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1971
8 inches of snow fell at Rainier Park Ranger Station in Washington state at the 5,427 feet elevation level. This ended up as the final snowfall of the 1970-71 winter season and brought the seasonal snowfall total to 1,027 inches to set a new record for the U.S. Despite this huge amount of snow, even more fell in the 1971- 72 season.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1980
A man from Falmouth, ME was struck by lightning restoring his eyesight. The man had been blind and partially deaf since a truck accident in 1971.
(The Weather Channel)
(Ref. WxDoctor)

1981
Severe thunderstorms produced grapefruit size hail at Edmond, OK and some hail fell for as long as 20 minutes. Total damage in the Edmond area was up to $10 million dollars, as the hail destroyed the roofs and windows of many homes and autos. Softball size hail fell in Kingfisher, Blaine, and Logan Counties, while hail reached baseball size around Lake Lawtonka, in Comanche County.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1984
In Massachusetts, the Connecticut River reached its highest level since the hurricane flood of September 1938. The temperature at Apalachicola, FL tumbled to 48°, breaking the old record of 61° set in 1966.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1986
A large amount of hail fell across Central and Northeast New England. Four inch hailstones fell in Cumberland County, Maine. Six inches of hail accumulated at Naples, ME.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1987
Severe thunderstorms in the Upper Mississippi Valley and the Lower Ohio Valley produced wind gusts to 81 mph at Albert Lea Airport in southern Minnesota, and baseball size hail around Otterbein, IN, Sarona, WI, and Danville, IL. Two inches of hail totally destroyed 5000 acres of corn and soybean north of Danville.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988
Thunderstorms drenched north central Texas with torrential rains, with more than 14 inches reported in Comanche County. Afternoon thunderstorm in New Jersey and Pennsylvania produced wind gusts to 70 mph.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1989
Thunderstorms developing during the afternoon over the Southern Plains Region produced severe weather through the evening and the night spawning nine tornadoes. Thunderstorms produced wind gusts to 80 mph at Alpine, TX and baseball size hail at Balmorhea, TX Fluvanna, TX and in Borden County, TX.
(Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)

1990
A violent F4 tornado hit Bakersville Valley in west Texas. The tornado killed two people and injured 21 others. It also removed 300 feet of blacktop asphalt from a paved road and rolled two 90-ton oil tanks a distance of three miles and put them 600 feet up the side of a mountain. Total damage was $35 million dollars.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1991
DCA low temperature is 74° tying a record high minimum then and eighth consecutive record high minimum tied or broken.
(Ref. Washington Weather Records - KDCA)

1996
A man skydiving southwest of Las Vegas, NV inadvertently crossed paths with a dust devil causing his parachute to collapse about 30 feet above the ground. The man died from injuries sustained in the resulting fall.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1999
A tornado with an intermittent damage path, damaged 200 homes, businesses, and other buildings in the southern portion of St. James, MO. Of these, 33 homes were destroyed along with the St. James Golf Course clubhouse and two Missouri Department of Transportation buildings. The tornado then moved east, south of the downtown St. James area and intensified. F2 to F3 damage occurred with a 200 to 300 yard damage path. Several homes and farm buildings were severely damaged or destroyed. Further north, severe thunderstorms produced many tornadoes around central Illinois. The most intense tornado touched down in Montgomery County south of Farmersville, and moved into southwest Christian County. One person was killed, when a semi-trailer was overturned at a rest area on I-55. Across eastern parts of the state, high winds up to 70 mph caused damage to trees, power lines, and some buildings. The Mattoon area also reported flooding from these storms, producing $3 million dollars damage.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2002
The high temperature at Denver, CO equaled or exceeded 90° for 13 consecutive days equaling the 5th longest such streak on record. The record of 18 consecutive days was set during the summer of 1901.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2003
Thunderstorm activity well to the northeast of the Eddy and Lea County plains induced a strong mesohigh and associated outflow winds which evolved into a classic kabob wind and dust storm. Radar and surface observations indicate the outflow originated as a complex of weak and disorganized storms moved across the area northeast of Roswell, some 50 miles away from northern Eddy County. Thertesia Automated Weather Observing System measured a wind gust of 74 MPH. Real-time reports, along with subsequent photographs provided by the county emergency manager, indicated a large wall of dust associated with the leading edge of the damaging winds. Power poles were blown down as the winds swept across the west side of Carlsbad, at least 60 to 70 miles south of the parent thunderstorms.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2012
At least 11 tornadoes touched down in Maryland and Virginia during (June 1, 2012 Friday's) storms, according to the latest figures.
(Ref. Washington. Post) A severe thunderstorm with a confirmed EF1 tornado, high damaging winds and very heavy rains caused white-out conditions on Friday afternoon, June 1, 2012 in the Finksburg 2NW area. This was the same thunderstorm that affected Mt. Airy and Gamber earlier. Attached are a few photos of the damage. I also have some maps of the damage area NW of Finksburg, Maryland. My rainfall at Manchester 1SW as of 11pm was 3.07" . Storm total was 3.13 inches. No wind damage at Manchester 1SSW. By Ref. : Herb Close
(Ref. write up by Herb Close)
(Ref. Pictures by Herb Close)
(Ref. Infor. NWS)
(Ref. Infor. NWS)


June  
2ND


1889
GREAT POTOMAC FLOOD-WATER AS HIGH AS EVER BEFORE - A great flood on the Potomac River in Washington, DC took out a span of Long Bridge and flooded streets near the river. The flood stage reached was not again equaled until 1936.
(David Ludlum)

1897
A minimum of 43 °F is the lowest June temperature ever recorded in Washington, DC.
(Ref. Washington Weather Records - KDCA)

1907
Richmond, VA had a high temperature for the day of 55 °F making it the coolest June day on record (records since 1897).
(Ref. Richmond Weather Records - KRIC)

1917
The temperature at Tribune, KS dipped to 30 degrees to establish a state record for the month of June.
(The Weather Channel)

1946
Boston, MA recorded its coolest high temperature of 50 °F for the month of June.
(Ref. NOAA Boston Weather Events)

1949
A tornado northeast of Alfalfa, OK circled an area one mile in radius.
(The Weather Channel)

1951
Cheyenne, WY recorded their all-time coldest temperature on record for the month of June with a low of 25°. Scottsbluff, NE recorded a tenth of an inch of snowfall, which remains the latest day of the season on record that measurable snow has fallen in Scottsbluff. The latest in a season that a significant snow (two inches or more) occurred in the lower elevations of the South Dakota Plains occurred when Newell reported two inches of new snow.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1967
A minimum of 40 °F is the lowest June temperature ever recorded in Richmond, VA.
(Ref. Richmond Weather Records - KRIC)

1970
5.01 inches of rain fell in 24 hours at Buffalo, NY to establish an all-time record for the location.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1978
The high temperature in Needles, CA was 100°. This began a record streak of 97 consecutive days with the high temperature reaching 100 degrees or hotter.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1985
Lightning struck a house, broke a bedroom window, and jumped to a metal frame bed. A man was killed but his wife was unharmed by the lightning.
(The Weather Channel)

Record early season heat occurred in the southeast U.S. The mercury climbed to a scorching 106° at Charleston, SC, shattering the all-time high temperature of 103° last set on 6/30/1959. At Savannah, GA, a high reading of 104° made it the hottest temperature ever recorded for the month of June.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1986
On the heels of a record heat wave, the overnight temperature at Sault Ste Marie, MI dropped to a chilly 28°. Light frost was observed on the ground as well as some ice on puddles.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1987
Thunderstorms spawned seven tornadoes in West Texas and six tornadoes in Illinois. Thunderstorms in Illinois produced wind gusts to 70 mph at McComb and Mattoon. Thunderstorms in southern Texas produced 5.5 inches of rain south of Seguin and up to eight inches of rain in Washington County.
(Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)

1988
Severe thunderstorms in Texas and Oklahoma produced hail more than three inches in diameter near Stilwater, OK, and softball size hail in Jones County of north central Texas. Baseball size hail and 70 mph winds caused an estimated 100 million dollars damage around Abilene, TX.
(National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1989
Thunderstorms produced severe weather across much of the south central U.S. through most of the day and night. Thunderstorms spawned a dozen tornadoes, and there were 123 reports of large hail and damaging winds. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 78 mph at Russell, KS, and baseball size hail was reported at Denver, CO, Cuthbert, TX, and in Reeves County, TX. Afternoon thunderstorms in southern New England produced wind gusts to 120 mph at Fitchburg, MA causing five million dollars damage.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1990
A two-day outbreak of tornadoes in the central U.S. produced 66 twisters, including 12 in Illinois. In Illinois, two violent F4 tornados moved across mainly rural areas of southeast Illinois; a third traveled 94 miles across southeast Illinois and southwest Indiana, causing extensive damage. In Edgar County, one tornado damaged six buildings near Grandview, and another tornado began an 11 mile track near Horace, damaging several farms. Overall, 7 of the tornadoes were rated F4 on the Fujita scale. Indiana was the hardest hit with 37 tornadoes and eight deaths. This outbreak was the largest outbreak since the Super-Outbreak of April 3-4, 1974.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1996
Hail as large as four inches in diameter pummeled the western third of Gaines County, Texas destroying an estimated 80,000 to 90,000 acres of crops that included cotton, peanuts, and peppers. Total crop damage was estimated at $17 million dollars. The windshield of a Seminole Fire truck was broken by the large hail while the firemen were out spotting the storm.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1997
Rocky Mt in Franklin County, VA a lightning strike slightly injured a person in a parking lot.
(Ref. Lightning - Virginia Weather History)

JUNE 2, 1998 Violent Tornado:
Frostburg, Maryland on June 2, 1998 at 9:45 PM - This was part of a killer outbreak of tornadoes that moved southeast from Pennsylvania. The tornado entered Garrett County, Maryland striking the town of Finzel. It then moved up and over Big Savage Mountain in Allegany County and ripped through the northern portion of Frostburg. It reached its peak strength as it crossed the ridge. Winds were estimated between 210 and 250 mph (F4 on the Fujita Tornado Damage Scale). This was the first tornado to "officially" be rated a "F4" in the State of Maryland. The National Weather Service adopted the Fujita Damage Scale in 1973. The total damage path of the Frostburg tornado was over 25 miles long (8 miles in Allegany County) and up to a half mile wide. Along most of its path it was producing winds over 125 mph (F2 or stronger). The damage path was continuous as it moved up and down over 2000-foot mountain ridges. The fact that no one was killed in Maryland was attributed to 5 to 10 minutes warning that was well communicated to people in Frostburg over television, radio, scanners, telephones and sirens. People took quick action to move to their basements. A mother and child rode out the storm as it destroyed their house hiding under a table in the basement. They were shaken but unharmed. A jacket from Frostburg homes was found 25 miles away. A diploma was found near Winchester, Virginia, 60 miles away and a bill was found near Sterling Virginia (about 100 miles away).
Frostburg Tornado Link

A supercell thunderstorm produced a long-lived tornado that was on the ground for about 48 miles. The tornado began near Mount Pleasant, PA and then tracked southeast into Maryland. It hit Finzel in Garrett County first, rose up and over Big Savage Mountain in Allegany County and headed for Frostburg. The tornado traveled up and down over several mountain ridges and valleys varying intensity between F2 and F3. Its intensity peaked at a low end F4 in Frostburg. Frostburg sits up on the Allegany Plateau at an elevation of around 2000 feet and the homes hit the hardest were exposed on the ridge tops to the tornado=s full force. A fire crew from the Frostburg Fire Department saw the tornado coming over Big Savage Mountain. They were posted there after the 911 Center was given the tornado warning. The warning was issued about 10 minutes before the tornado arrived. It appeared as three funnels...a multi-vortex tornado. They put the word out over the radio as they headed for cover. The tornado hit the northern outskirts of the city and continued east to Eckhart Mines. Eckhart Mines had heavy damage to both homes and businesses. The tornado crossed over Route 40 just east of Clarysville. It crossed Interstate 68, traveled over Dan’s Mountain, flattening more trees. On the other side, the tornado ended just before hitting some residences along Route 53 about 2 miles north of Cresaptown. In all, 29 homes were destroyed, 29 homes had major damage, 67 homes had minor to moderate damage. Threes businesses were damaged and one was destroyed. Frostburg Elementary School had heavy damage and a church was also damaged. Thousands of trees were destroyed.

2001
An F2 tornado cut a seven mile path through London, KY, hitting the downtown area and a shopping mall. According to eyewitnesses, the tornado remained stationery over the parking lot of the mall for four minutes. A huge chunk of pavement from the parking lot was removed and blown over 100 feet. The tornado also struck a baseball complex. Teams hid in the concession stand and one in a dugout, where parents shielded the little leaguers with their bodies. Only 10 injuries, none of them life threatening, were reported from the tornado.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2003
Cool air settled in across parts of the upper Midwest. Chicago, IL dropped to 38°; setting a new record low for the date and Rockford, IL tied their record low for the date with 41°.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2004
Wright, Kansas:
Strong straight-line winds derail 68 empty grain cars of a Burlington Northern-Santa Fe train just west of Wright.
(Ref. WxDoctor)

2008
Several supercell thunderstorms rolled southeast from northwest South Dakota into central South Dakota, bringing large hail, damaging winds, and flash flooding during the late afternoon and evening hours. The large hail, up to baseball size, and high winds killed a large number of birds, pheasants, and rabbits. The large hail also knocked out many windows and damaged the siding of buildings and homes in both Stanley and Hughes counties. Very heavy rain of over 3 inches caused flash flooding in many parts of Pierre into the early morning hours. A Federal Disaster Declaration was issued for Hughes and Stanley Counties, mainly for the flooding.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

A lightning safety rule is to suspend outdoor activities for 30 minutes after the last observed lightning or thunder. Near Pauline, KS, a woman went out for a walk as soon as the rain from a severe storm ended. She was injured when lightning hit across the street.
(Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA)


June  
3RD


1860
Comanche, Iowa:
Iowa's infamous Comanche Tornado, likely an F5 storm, kills 92 and injures 200. Every home and business is destroyed. It was one of the most damaging group of tornadoes ever to strike the US and resulted in more farm fatalities than any other tornado except for the Tri-State tornado. (Ref. WxDoctor)

Several tornadoes struck northern Illinois killing 100 people and injuring 220 others. The death toll included 23 people on a raft which was destroyed as a tornado moved across the Mississippi River. The twisters destroyed numerous businesses and farms and even threw several homes into the Mississippi River where 10 occupants drowned.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1887
A tornado or waterspout touched down on the Wabash River, about 5 miles north of its mouth with the Ohio River. Three people drowned when a boat was overturned at Old Shawneetown.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1921
A cloudburst near Pikes Peak, CO killed 120 people. A twenty-five foot crest of the Arkansas River, killing 70 persons, flooded Pueblo County. Fourteen inches of rain was reported at Boggs Flat, where a hard surface road through nearly level country was washed out to a depth of seven feet.
(The Weather Channel)

1951
Sheridan, WY dropped to 27°; their coldest June temperature on record. Denver, CO received a trace of snow.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1959
Thunderstorms in northwestern Kansas produced up to eighteen inches of hail near Salden during the early evening. Crops were completely destroyed, and total damage from the storm was about half a million dollars. Hail fell for a record eighty-five minutes. The temperature dropped from near 80 degrees prior to the storm to 38 degrees at the height of the storm.
(David Ludlum)

1975
Pompano Beach, Fla. - A 9-year-old girl was struck and killed by lightning while walking home from school during a thunderstorm.
Scottsbluff, NE - A bolt of lightning killed two men working in a beet field four miles east of Scottsbluff.
(Ref. Lightning-The Underrated Killer.pdf)

Severe thunderstorms erupted across central sections of South Dakota. During the evening hours the storms stretched from the southern border to the northern border of the state and were packing strong winds and large hail. In several areas, including Mobridge, hail as large as baseballs did damage to crops, homes, and vehicles and in some areas piled up to two feet deep. Strong thunderstorm winds also uprooted trees, and damaged numerous farm buildings. Numerous funnels and small tornadoes were observed, including three in Charles Mix County. Other tornadoes touched down near Elk Point, SD, four miles southeast of Le Mars and in McNally southeast of Hawarden.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1980
The Grand Island, NE area was plagued by a slow moving supercell thunderstorm that produced 7 tornadoes over a 3-hour period. One of the twisters was an F4 while 3 others rated as F3’s. Five fatalities and 193 injuries resulted from the storm. Damage exceeded $300 million dollars.

Damaging thunderstorms marched across southeastern Pennsylvania during the afternoon accompanied by high winds. Reading reported a wind gust to 70 mph and Allentown gusted to 69 mph. Thousands of trees were felled. One man was killed when a tree fell on his pick-up truck in Philadelphia. Many roads were completely blocked by fallen trees.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1981
The worst tornado to ever hit Denver, CO struck Thornton. Coming from the same thunderstorm, the Thornton tornado tore a swath through the heart of the city. 87 homes were destroyed and 110 others sustaining at least moderate damage. In all, 600 homes in a 100 block area sustained some damage. The twister also hit shopping centers, several restaurants and other buildings. Seven of the 42 injured were serious. The storm was strong enough to snap lamp posts in half and drive a 6-inch slab of wood two feet into the ground. Damage was estimated up to $50 million dollars.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1987
Six days of flooding in South Texas culminated with five to six inch rains from Bexar County to Bandera County, and five to nine inches rains in Gonzalez and Wilson Counties. Total crop damage was estimated at 500 million dollars.
(Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)

Four tornadoes in Virginia and Quantico, Virginia got 2.40 inches of rain in one-hour. Potomac, MD got 1.50 inches in 30 minutes.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1988
Early morning thunderstorms in southern Texas produced wind gusts to 86 mph at Port Isabel and wind gusts to 83 mph at South Padre Island. Unseasonably hot weather prevailed from the Southern Plateau Region to the Northern High Plains. Fourteen cities reported record high temperatures for the date.
(Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)

1989
Thunderstorms developing over the Southern Plains Region during the afternoon hours produced severe weather into the night. Thunderstorms spawned eleven tornadoes, and there were 169 reports of large hail and damaging winds. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 80 mph at Newcastle, OK and Wilson, OK. Softball size hail was reported at Monahans, TX, Childress, TX and Groesbeck, TX. Monahans, TX reported six million dollars damage. Five inches of rain deluged Geronimo, OK.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1990
Deep low pressure across the upper Great Lakes brought strong southwest winds to the extreme western end of New York. Peak gusts of 63 mph at Niagara Falls and 59 mph at Buffalo were recorded.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1993
Early morning severe thunderstorms dumped huge hailstones across northern Oklahoma. Hail up to 6 inches in diameter in Enid went through roofs of homes, damaged three jets at Vance Air Force Base, and did $500,000 in damage at a car dealership. Winds gusts reached 70 mph at Vance Air Force Base as well. Hail damage to the wheat crop was estimated at $70 million dollars.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1995
Nottoway County, VA - A man suffered second degree burns when lightning struck him as he stood near an outside basement entrance.
(Ref. Lightning - Virginia Weather History)

1997
It was a chilly day in the East. The high temperature at Philadelphia International Airport, PA was only 59°, tying a record-low maximum for the date set back in 1881. The mercury at Middletown, PA only rose to 58°, breaking the record-low maximum for the date of 59° set back in 1915. Washington, DC only reached 58°, breaking the old record-low maximum of 59° set back in 1915. At Williamsport, PA, the high temperature of 52° tied the old record-low maximum, which was set in back in 1945. Central Park in New York City only reached 61°.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2002
An impressive heat burst at Amarillo, TX caused the temperature to jump to 90° at 3:21 am. The heat burst was accompanied by winds of 55 mph.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2016
Parts of the Richmond area had very heavy rain. Glen Allen had only a trace of rain but the Richmond International Airport had 3.63 inches. The Airport had only one daily record for June. The record was for the highest daily rainfall for June 3rd of 3.63 inches. It is also interesting that only one other June day has had more precipitation occur which was on June 18, 1972 from Tropical Storm Agnes with 3.91 inches. Sandston had 3.70 inches and Disputanta had 5.46 inches for the 3rd and by the end of the month had an incredable 12.78 inch total for June.

This is a map of rain totals on the 3rd but reported on the 4th-(Ref.CoCoRaHS is an acronym for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network.)


June  
4TH


1814
A severe weather outbreak occurred across portions of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. The tornado in Wabash County was reportedly a mile wide, and crossed into Indiana. Damage from this tornado in forested areas was reportedly still visible in 1876.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1825
A hurricane struck Long Island, NY leveling trees and causing damage to ships. The early season hurricane, which originated around Cuba, caused major damage along the Atlantic coast from Charleston, SC to New York City. Many were lost at sea.
(David Ludlum)

It raked Norfolk with "undiminished violence" for 27 hours from the morning of the 3rd, as the storm passed by to the east. The wind came in "flaws". Trees were uprooted. At noon on the 4th, stores on the wharves were flooded up to five feet in depth. High winds howled through Washington, DC. Along with a cold rain, winds leveled crops. The storm then moved northeast past Nantucket on the 5th. An account of the storm was given by Ann Waller Tazewell, wife of the then governor of Virginia in a letter to her son. She describes the storm as such
"....The rain commenced on Friday morning (3rd), and continued pretty steadily all day, at night the wind blew so hard that this house rocked considerably. I was so much alarmed as to be unable to sleep but very little - I thought of my flowers, but could not expect anyone so much as to look after my cows or anything, as the rain fell in torrents, and the wind came in flaws, which made it like thunder yesterday (4th) the storm continued until five in the evening, there was a strong northwest wind all day, and the highest tide I ever saw in my life. The wind and tide together tore down all our enclosures at the other lot, upset our cow-house and then dashed it to pieces, tore up some of the wharf logs, upset the Temple there, and drifted it into the flower garden. We sat at the front windows witnessing the destruction all the time it was going on. Our front lot was two thirds covered by the tide. Some vessels that we saw pass rapidly by, were driven ashore at the Hospital Point (Portsmouth)........" Ann Tazewell later compares the storm to the great gale of September 1821 in this following passage: " ....Such a storm was never experienced here before, by anyone that I have heard speak of it. It is thought to have been far worse than the September gale of 1821. " Mrs. Tazewell's letter also mentions that they could not prepare dinner since the tide level was even with the kitchen floor. An account of the storm as given by the Norfolk and Portsmouth Herald described the storm as such. .....It is uncommon to hear of violent storms and hurricanes on any part of our extensive coast in the month of June; but we have to notice a visitation of stormy weather, which commenced about 9 o'clock on Friday night (3rd), rarely if ever equaled within the life span of the oldest inhabitant. The storm of the 3rd of September 1821 was perhaps more violent but it only lasted three or four hours, while this storm continued with undiminished violence, from the hour we have stated until 12 o'clock on Saturday night (4th), or about 27 hours. The wind at the commencement of the storm was northeast and so continued until about 12 o'clock on Saturday, when it began to haul gradually to the northwest and westward, and held up at southwest.... According to this account, the tides in this storm were higher than those in the September gale of 1821.
(Ref. for June Storm of 1825)

1860
Iowa's "Comanche Tornado", with wind speeds estimated in excess of 300 mph was unquestionably one of the worst experienced by early settlers, with nearly a million dollars damage.
(The Weather Channel)

1877
A tornado of F4 intensity touched down just west of Mt. Carmel, IL and moved east northeast, devastating the town. 20 businesses and 100 homes were damaged or destroyed. At least 16 people, and as many as 30, were killed, with 100 others injured.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1885
Pittsburgh, PA & Cleveland, OH received up to 10 inches of rain that caused serious flooding.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1892
A rare June snowfall occurred at Cheyenne, WY with 8 inches reported also in 1937 Cheyenne, WY reported 3 inches of snow.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1945
Several locations in the upper Midwest had their coldest June temperatures on record. La Crosse, WI and Waukon, IA dropped to 32°. This was their latest spring freeze and coldest June temperature. Other locations recording their coldest June temperature were Mondovi, WI: 29° and Richland Center, WI: 31°.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1958
An F4 tornado tracked 32 miles through St Croix and Dunn Counties in Wisconsin, killing 20 people and injuring 110 others.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1982
A four-day storm began over New England, which produced up to 14 inches of rain in southern Connecticut breaching twenty-three dams and breaking two others. Damage was estimated at more than 276 million dollars.
(David Ludlum)

1984
7 inches caused the Bad River to rise over 23 feet in six hours at Fort Pierre. Flash flooding resulted as a dam, 17 miles west of Fort Pierre gave way and added to the flood damage.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1985
The temperature reached a stifling 102° at Lakeland, FL, setting a new high for the month of June as well as establishing a new all-time high for any month. The previous high for June was 100° set most recently on 6/17/1981. The previous all-time hottest day occurred on 7/21/1942 with a reading of 101°.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1987
Early morning thunderstorms in south Texas produced 6.5 inches of rain at Hockheim, and five inches at Hallettsville in just a few hours.

Afternoon thunderstorms in Virginia deluged northern Halifax County with 5.5 inches of rain in two hours. Thunderstorms produced wind gusts to 76 mph at Dusty WA, and wind gusts to 88 mph at Swanquarter, NC.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

Preston, MN recorded their coldest June temperature ever when they dropped to 31°.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1988
A dozen cities in the eastern U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date, including Atlantic City, NJ with a reading of 40 degrees.

Fifteen cities in the north central U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date, including Glasgow, MT and Havre, MT with readings of 102 degrees.
(The National Weather Summary)

1989
Thunderstorms produced severe weather from the Southern Plains Region and the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Southern Atlantic Coast Region during the day and into the night. Just four tornadoes were reported, but there were 87 reports of large hail and damaging winds.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1993
Lynchburg had 70 mph winds, 95% of city lost power, 21 million damage. Severe thunderstorms were widespread from Missouri and Arkansas eastward to the Mid Atlantic states with more than 260 reports of severe weather, including over two dozen tornadoes. An early morning mesoscale convective complex over southern Missouri and north Arkansas moved eastward and evolved into a vicious derecho, traversing eastward across Kentucky in excess at 80 mph at one point. Wind gusts reached 100 mph near Elizabethtown, KY. Damage was widespread. 30 homes and mobile homes suffered major damage in Butler County. Over 75% of the roads in the county were blocked due to downed trees. 4.5 inch diameter hail fell at Smith Mountain Lake, VA. Total damage from the high winds at hail in Virginia was $60 million dollars, with $21 million of that occurred in the city of Lynchburg. 3.5 inch inch diameter hail was reported in Davie County in North Carolina.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1998
The temperature at Williston, ND dropped to 26° to establish a monthly record for June. Neillsville, WI also reported their coldest June temperature as they dropped to 22°. The mercury dropped to 24° in Tower, MN as winter made one last call across the northern Plains. 2 to 3 inches of snow fell in portions of South Dakota and 7 inches fell in portions of Wyoming.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2000
“…the tree just literally exploded.” Lightning hit a pine tree in Cedar Rapids, IA; entered a home; destroyed the water meter/fuse box. Tiles fell off the bathroom wall; appliances quit working; neighborhood windows shattered. Most of the tree landed on the house.
(Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA)

2002
An individual in Fancy Gap, VA was injured slightly by lightning.
(Ref. Lightning - Virginia Weather History)

2009
Fairbanks, Alaska:
On this date Fairbanks temperature hits a high of 83°F.
(Ref. WxDoctor)

Larry was installing a dishwasher. Lightning struck a water main outside of the home several doors down and traveled through the water pipe. Read the full story at the following Ref.
(Ref. A Lightning Survivor)


June  
5TH


1805
A group of tornadoes tracked from southeast Missouri across the southern third of Illinois, and may also have moved into Indiana. These moved across the Mississippi River about 20 miles downstream from St. Louis, MO. Fish were reportedly "scattered all over the prairie" on the Illinois side of the river. Some pine tree tops, not native to that area of Illinois, were believed to have been blown in from at least 50 miles away.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1859
Frost was reported from Iowa to New England. The temperature dipped to 25 degrees in New York State and up to two inches of snow blanketed Ohio. The cold and snow damaged the wheat crop.
(David Ludlum)

1908
Helena, MT was deluged with 3.67 inches of rain to establish their all-time 24-hour rainfall record. (4th-5th)
(The Weather Channel)

1916
A tornado struck the town of Warren AR killing 83 persons. There were 125 deaths that day in a tornado outbreak across Missouri and Arkansas.
(David Ludlum)

1917
Residents near Topeka, KS reported disk-shaped hailstones six to ten inches in diameter and two to three inches thick. The hailstorm was accompanied by a tornado.
(The Weather Channel)

A tornado causing F4 damage killed 16 and injured 68 in Boone and Audrain counties in Missouri.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1925
Earliest 100° in Washington, DC.
(Ref. Washington Weather Records - KDCA)

1945
Unusually cold air moved in to parts of the upper Midwest. Chicago, IL dropped to 37° after setting a record low the previous morning with 35° while Rockford, IL dropped to 35° on both mornings. Both 35 degree readings established June record lows.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1975
Franklin, Tenn.--A farmer was struck and killed by lightning while baling hay during the approach of a thunderstorm.
(Ref. Lightning-The Underrated Killer.pdf)

1976
When water began leaking from Idaho's new Teton Dam, there seemed to be no cause for alarm. On this date, warnings were frantic that the dam was about to break. As workers tried to shore up the crumbling dam, it crumbled shortly after 11 AM, sending 180 billion gallons of water pouring through Teton Canyon. 11 people lost their lives, but the toll would have been much higher if the dam had failed at night and residents had been asleep.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1982
A severe thunderstorm containing large hail and damaging winds tore through Fall River County in extreme southwest South Dakota. Strong winds drove baseball sized hail through windows and severely dented mobile homes near Smithwick. In Butte County, also in southwest South Dakota, large hail up to baseball size and some jagged hailstones up to 7 inches in diameter piled up to half a foot deep. The large hail tore limbs from trees, punched holes in roofs, and killed cattle.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1985
A persistent heat wave in the southeast states set many new high temperature records. In Montgomery, AL, the record high reading of 103° is also the hottest ever recorded this early in the season. At Tampa, FL, the 99° high temperature established a new all-time record high, dating back to 1890 when official weather records began.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1987
International Falls, MN dipped to a record low reading of 34 degrees during the morning. Williston, ND and Glasgow, MT reported record warm afternoon highs of 94 degrees. Major flooding was reported along the Guadelupe River in South Texas, with the water level at Cuero reaching 18 feet above flood stage.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988
Twenty cities in the south central and eastern U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date, including Asheville, NC with a reading of 40 degrees. Fifteen cities in the north central U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. The high of 108 degrees at Glasgow, MT was a record for June.
(The National Weather Summary)

1989
Thunderstorms produced severe weather from the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Southern Atlantic Coast during the day and into the night. Four tornadoes were reported and there were 87 reports of large hail and damaging winds.
(Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)

1993
The lowest temperature for the month of June was recorded at Columbia, MO as they dropped to 40°.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1995
The Hurricane name was not retired in 1995 thus a different Hurricane Allison is named as the 2001 Hurricane Allison below. Hurricane Allison became the earliest hurricane on record to cross the Florida coast at when it came ashore in Taylor County at Apalachee Bay with 75 mph winds. Hurricane Allison crossed the coast near Alligator Point in the Florida Big Bend area at 0900z on the 5th. At landfall, maximum sustained winds were 69 mph with a minimum central pressure of 990 millibars. Maximum rainfall amounts were between 4 and 6 inches. Storm surge heights were estimated at 6 to 8 feet from Dixie through Wakulla counties. Total storm damage in Florida was estimated at $860,000 dollars. The 1995 Atlantic Hurricane Season went down in the record books as one of the busiest hurricane seasons since 1871. There were a total of 19 named storms, 11 of which reached hurricanes.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1998
An F1 tornado touched down near the town of New Hope, MS creating a path one mile long and 50 yards wide. 13 houses had major damage and another 129 homes had minor damage. 22 mobile homes were either damaged or destroyed. Damages were estimated near $250,000 dollars. Another F1 tornado created a path two miles long and 50 yards wide 10 miles southeast of Hattiesburg, MS. 45 people were injured and two people were killed. The two fatalities were both in automobiles which ran into falling trees or the trees fell on them.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2001
Allison's long and complex career began on 5 June as an area of disturbed weather over the northwestern Gulf of Mexico developed into a tropical storm. The storm made landfall near Freeport, Texas later that day. Allison weakened to a depression on the 6th, while drifting northward, then it made a slow loop over southeastern Texas from the 7th to the 9th. The cyclone moved into the Gulf of Mexico on the 10th and acquired subtropical characteristics. It then moved east-northeastward over southeastern Louisiana on the 11th, where it re-intensified into a subtropical storm. Allison weakened back to a subtropical depression on the 12th while continuing east-northeastward, and this motion carried it to southeastern North Carolina by the 14th where it again stalled. The cyclone drifted northward to northeastward drift over land on the 15th and 16th. This was followed by a faster northeastward motion on the 17th as the center emerged into the Atlantic. Allison regained subtropical storm strength later that day before becoming extratropical on the 18th southeast of Cape Cod. The system dissipated southeast of Nova Scotia the next day.
Allison's Storm Track - NOAA.Gov.-National Hurricane Center

Allison dumped heavy rains all the way from the Texas coast to the northeast during a two week period, causing $2.5 billion dollars in damage. This made Allison the costliest tropical storm in U.S. history.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2002
The Wye Oak, estimated to be 460 years old, was toppled by a severe thunderstorm with winds greater than 60 mph. The tree was located at Wye Mills, MD and was over 100 feet tall and had a 31 foot circumference.

2008
Very heavy rains of 3 to 7 inches caused extensive flooding throughout Dewey County, South Dakota. Many roads, bridges, dams, culverts, along with some buildings were damaged or destroyed by the flooding. One man, west of Promise, used a boat to get back and forth from his ranch. A federal disaster declaration was issued for Dewey County and the Cheyenne River Reservation.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)


June  
6TH


1816
The temperature reached 92 degrees at Salem, MA during an early heat wave, but then plunged 49 degrees in 24 hours to commence the famous "year without a summer". Snow fell near Quebec City, Quebec Canada from the 6th through the 10th and accumulated up to a foot with "drifts reaching the axel trees of carriages".
(David Ludlum)
Temperatures plummeted from near 90°F in many eastern cities into the 30's and 40's.
(p.33 Washington Weather Book 2002 by Ambrose, Henry, Weiss)

1869
Snail shells fell from the sky at Chester, PA during a rain shower.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1894
Maximum of 52° was lowest ever in June in Washington, DC.
(Ref. Washington Weather Records - KDCA)

One of the greatest floods in U.S. history occurred as the Williamette River overflowed to inundate half of the business district of Portland, OR.
(David Ludlum)

1903
The Great Pacolet Flood killed 65 people in northwestern South Carolina as upslope flow created extreme rainfall amounts. Water reportedly rose 40 feet in just 1 hour.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1906
A tornado causing F4 damage moved east-northeast from 3 miles southwest of Caledonia, MN, crossing the Mississippi River about 12 miles south of La Crosse, WI. A mother and two children were killed as their farm near Freeburg, MN was leveled. One child was carried about half a mile. 15 people were injured in rural Minnesota homes. An F3 tornado moved east-northeast out of Winneshiek County, Iowa destroying a large brick home southeast of Newhouse, MN just inside the Minnesota border. Clothes from the home were found over three miles away. One boy was severely injured, and may have died later. He had been closing windows on the second floor when the tornado struck. Also, on this date, an F2 tornado touched down just southeast of Sparta, WI and it moved north-northeast to near the Jackson County, Wisconsin border. The worse damage was east of Angelo, where "trees and barns were torn to shreds".
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1907
A tornado causing F4 damage killed 5 people and injured 20 others in Washington County in Illinois.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1925
Boston, MA recorded its highest temperature of 100 °F and its warmest low temperature, 80 °F for the month of June.
(Ref. NOAA Boston Weather Events)

1937
Dome Lake, MT in the Bighorn Mountains, was buried under 32 inches of snow.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1944 D-Day
What did the D stand for ?? Answer The designated Day (To keep the real date hidden) Weather played a critical role in the decision of when to invade Normandy Beach in northern France. Each element of the allied forces needed a certain type of phenomena that best suited their needs. The navy and army needed high tides so the invading soldiers would not get hung up in the water. Further inland, the paratroopers needed a moonless sky so they would not be seen. Dates in May and very early June were set which met those criteria, but were called off because of very bad weather. On the early morning on this date, the weather was once again atrocious with high winds and rain. It was either invade now, or wait until late June when all the elements of moon and tide were together again. But this would risk the Germans fortifying their positions at Normandy. So the decision was made to attack on June 6th. The waves were high, and many soldiers got sea- sick, but the mission was a success. As a matter of fact, the weather was even worse in late June for the alternate landing than it was on this date.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1950
Lightning hit a signal tower in Alexandria causing two trains to crash a short distance from Alexandria Station, VA. Eleven people were taken to the hospital.
(Ref. Lightning - Virginia Weather History)

1953
On June 4th, the center of Tropical Storm Alice passed about 60 miles west of Dry Tortugas and moved very near parallel to west coast of Florida and passed inland a short distance west of Panama City, about noon on this date. Winds remained below hurricane force during entire history of this storm and highest winds experienced on land were 40 to 45 mph. The storm produced beneficial rainfall.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1963
Three lightning deaths occurred during the afternoon across Florida: At Tampa: Lightning killed a small child in a bathtub and lightning killed a person repairing a roof. At Lake Seminole: Lightning killed a fisherman standing on the lake bank.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1975
A tornado, reportedly spinning backwards (spinning clockwise), was sighted near Alva, OK.
(The Weather Channel)

Briggsville, Ark.--An 82-year-old man was struck and killed by lightning while walking on his farm.
Eudora, Ark.--A 17-year-old boy was struck and killed by lightning when getting on the back of a pickup truck.
(Ref. Lightning-The Underrated Killer.pdf)

1977
Severe thunderstorms with large hail and winds to 100 mph caused one million dollars damage around Norfolk, VA. A forty-two foot fishing boat capsized near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel drowning 13 of the 27 persons on board.
(The Weather Channel)

1978
Severe thunderstorms developed along a strong cold front during the afternoon and continued into the following morning across parts of South Dakota. The storms stretched from Meade County in the west central to Roberts County in the northeast. Numerous reports of golf ball size were reported, damaging crops across the north. Thunderstorm winds also gusted to 70 mph in many areas. Total crop and property damage from the night's storms was estimated to be near $7 million dollars.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1984
An unseasonable storm buried portions of the Colorado Rockies between the 5th and the 8th with as much as two feet of snow with 18 inches in 24 hours ending on the 7th at Climax. Their storm total was 22.3 inches. June storm records set included 3 inches at Eagle, 15.5 inches at Aspen, and 16 inches at Breckenridge.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1986
The Great Salt Lake in Utah reached its historic high water level with the surface level at 4,211.85 feet, exceeding the previous record of 4,211.60 feet by 3 inches. The previous record was set in June of 1873 before the building of any causeways or dikes.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1987
Thunderstorms in southern California produced one-inch hail at Mount Pinos, and marble size hail at Palmdale. Thunderstorms in southeastern Arizona produced heavy rain leaving some washes under four feet of water. Six cities in the north central U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date as readings soared into the upper 90s.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

Hail up to 3.5 inches in diameter fell in St. Clair County, in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Major damage occurred in Belleville, Cahokia, Freeburg, and Millstadt. Crops were smashed, and trees were stripped of leaves. $9 million dollars damage was reported to vehicles, and $4.5 million dollars damage to buildings.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1988
Seventeen cities in the north central U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date, including Williston, ND with a reading of 104 degrees. Thunderstorms in Florida produced wind gusts to 65 mph which damaged two mobile homes northwest of Melbourne injuring six people.
(The National Weather Summary)

1989
Thunderstorms developing during the late morning hours produced severe weather through the afternoon and night. Thunderstorms spawned 13 tornadoes, and there were 154 reports of large hail and damaging winds. A strong (F-3) tornado injured six persons at Lorenzo, TX and thunderstorm winds gusting to 100 mph killed one person at Glasscock City, TX. Softball size hail was reported at Lipscomb, TX and Glen Cove, TX.
(Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)

1990
A strong F3 tornado tore through Limon, CO. 228 of the town's homes and trailers were either damaged or destroyed and nearly 80% of the central business district was wiped out. Hail up to 2.5 inches in diameter damaged the roofs of over 90% of the houses of Limon.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1992
6 to 8 inches of rain fell in parts of West Virginia resulting in mudslides.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1994
In west central Kansas, hail five inches in diameter knocked holes in roofs and damaged windshields and farm machinery 7 miles south of Tribune.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2001
Feeder bands from Tropical Storm Allison dumped heavy rains over Southeast Louisiana. By the 8th, many locations from Baton Rouge south to Thibodeaux were deluged with 10 to 18 inches of rain, which produced tremendous flooding. Another round of heavy rains erupted on the 10th and 11th as Allison's remnants moved directly over the same area. By the end of the second round, up to 30 inches had fallen in the area around Thibodeaux, LA.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2002
Wye Mills, Maryland:
A thunderstorm topples the massive Wye Oak, the living symbol of Maryland's state tree and designated the largest white oak in the country . The tree was estimated to be more than 460 years old and was 104 feet (31.7m) tall, with a trunk 32 feet (9.8 m) in circumference.
(Ref. WxDoctor)

The parking lot of a closed service station at Somers Point, Atlantic Co, NJ, was hit by lightning. It traveled to the underground storage tank. The resulting explosion left a crater 50 feet in diameter and 8 to 10 feet deep.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2005
Near Lindsey, Montana a severe thunderstorm with winds to 86 mph destroyed eight grain bins and an old vacant county school. A 4 wheel drive tractor was also moved 100 feet. The winds blew a round bale into a vehicle causing bodily damage and a broken windshield.
(Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2007 Accord Publishing, USA)

2008
Strong thunderstorms pushed across southeast Illinois during the early morning, producing widespread rainfall of 3 to 7 inches. The highest total of 9.10 inches occurred south of Martinsville, in Clark County. Nearly 100 homes in the county were damaged from the resulting flash flooding, and every county road as well as portions of I-70 was closed due to high water.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2010
Tornadoes and thunderstorms tore through the Midwest USA, killing at least seven people in Ohio and triggering the automatic shutdown of a nuclear power plant in Michigan. In northwest Ohio, seven people were confirmed dead in mostly rural Lake Township south of Toledo. Severe storms caused the automatic shutdown of the Fermi 2 nuclear power plant on the shore of Lake Erie in southeast Michigan after a key area of the plant lost its power feed. Tornadoes also touched down in several locations in central Illinois around Peoria, with reports of dozens of injuries and damaged buildings.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)


June  
7TH


1816
FAMOUS JUNE SNOWSTORM; "YEAR WITHOUT A SUMMER" -- 20 inch snowdrifts in Danville, VT flurries in Salem and Boston, MA A famous June snow occurred in the northeastern U.S. Danville, VT reported drifts of snow and sleet twenty inches deep. The Highlands were white all day, and flurries were observed as far south as Boston, MA.
(David Ludlum) Upstate, NY received 3 inches of snow
(p.33 Washington Weather Book 2002 by Ambrose, Henry, Weiss)
The summer made enough of an impression on the mind of Chauncey Jerome, who in 1816 was a 26-year-old apprentice clockmaker in Plymouth, Conn. so that when 44 years later he came to write his, History of the American Clock Business for the Past Sixty Years, he said: "I will remember the 7th of June, while on my way to work, about a mile from home, dressed throughout with thick woolen clothes and an overcoat on, my hands got so cold that I was obliged to lay down my tools and put on a pair of mittens which I had in my pocket. It snowed about an hour that day."
(Scientific American, "The Year without a Summer" p. 45)

1885
A severe thunderstorm dropped hail up to 4 inches in diameter and spawned a tornado at Parkhill St.Thomas, Ontario Canada. Homes and orchards were damaged.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1907
A violent tornado moved across Washington County, from near Covington to New Minden, IL. Near the tornado's endpoint, 4 people were killed while running to their storm cellar. Another violent tornado in southern Clark County destroyed or damaged every building in Old York. The tornado tracked for 15 miles, crossing into Indiana.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1908
An F3 tornado touched down in Hillsboro, WI and then moved northeast to just southeast of Mauston, WI. About 4 miles south of Mauston, the tornado killed a farmer and his son as they ran for their storm cellar. Another F3 tornado tracked northeast from 9 miles northwest of Charles City, IA to two miles northeast of Charles City. It left only the floor boards on a small farm house about 5 miles northwest of Charles City. In the east part of Charles City, 5 homes were destroyed and 20 others were severely damaged. A man was killed by a falling chimney and 10 others were injured. About 200 buildings were damaged.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1953
An F4 tornado near Arcadia, NE killed 11 people, beginning a 3-day stretch of killer tornadoes that spread into the eastern U.S. Scottsbluff, NE received its greatest daily precipitation on record when 3.18 inches of rain deluged the city.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1972
A thunderstorm dropped 1.09” at Meadows Field in 45 minutes making it the wettest day ever in June at Bakersfield, CA. The thunderstorm produced wind gusts to 50 mph, washed out sections of a highway and damaged automobiles and buildings. One person was killed. There was one report of 3.50 inches of rain in an hour in one part of the city.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1980
Thunderstorms caused downed trees and power lines as well as street flooding all across western New York State. A wind gust of 79 mph was observed at greater Buffalo International Airport. Golf ball sized hail was reported north and east of the city. A rare flash of St. Elmo's fire knocked out the Weather Service's radar and telephone lines for about 10 minutes as the storm passed. Air controllers at the Buffalo Airport said the control tower received a direct lightning strike that blackened out the air control computer for a short period.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1982
June 7, ............."The Kansas City Derecho of 1982" States affected ....KS, MO, IL
(Ref. For More Information)

1983
Miami, FL dropped to an overnight low temperature of 80° which set a new record for the highest minimum temperature at that location.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1984
42 tornadoes touched down in the Upper Midwest with 21 of them occurring in Iowa. An F4 tornado tracked 30 miles through Mahaska and Keokuk Counties in Iowa, killing two people and injuring 51 others. The small town of Wright was practically wiped out. Barneveld, WI was devastated shortly before midnight as an F5 tornado chewed up the town. 90% of the town was damaged or destroyed, nine people were killed, and 197 were injured.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1987
Thunderstorms in the Laramie Mountains of eastern Wyoming produced golf ball size hail and up to five inches of rain in just one hour. Half a dozen cities in the Upper Mississippi Valley reported record high temperatures for the date including La Crosse WI with a reading of 97 degrees.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988
Snow whitened some of the mountains of northern California and northwestern Nevada. Twenty-six cities in the central and eastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date, including Rapid City, SD with a reading of 104 degrees and Miles City, MT with a high of 106 degrees.
(The National Weather Summary)

1989
Thunderstorms produced severe weather from southern Oklahoma and eastern Texas to northwestern Florida through the day and night. Thunderstorms spawned 22 tornadoes, including a dozen in Louisiana, and there were 119 reports of large hail and damaging winds. A strong (F-2) tornado at Gross Tete, LA killed two persons, injured thirty others, and another strong (F-2) tornado injured 60 persons at Lobdell, LA. Softball size hail was reported at Hillsboro, TX.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1993
Thunderstorms erupted over western Iowa, with many producing hail. Damage at one car dealership in Carroll was estimated at $250,000 dollars and another at Estherville had $100,000 dollars in damage. At Arnolds Park, 65 mph winds lifted boats from their moorings. The strongest tornado was in Lyon and Osceola Counties where it was on the ground for 10 miles. In Sibley, IA one roof was taken off of a house and a high school bus barn was severely damaged causing about $150,000 dollars in damage.

A huge tornado touched down in northwest Minnehaha County in South Dakota and cut a swath of destruction 55 miles long and one half mile wide. Most structures within the path of the tornado were little match for the storm which packed winds estimated between 210 and 260 mph. Numerous farms and residences were destroyed and trees snapped off or uprooted.

Parts of the Chicago, IL metropolitan area were flooded after thunderstorms produced 2 to 5 inches of rain in a 3-hour period. This type of a rainstorm in that area has an average occurrence rate of once every 30-60 years. Over the period of a day, up to 6.50 inches of rain fell, producing one of greater floods noted in that area. The deep tunnel flood control system under the south side of Chicago which holds 185 million gallons of water was filled.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1995
An F2 tornado hit a pickup near Wilsey, KS: the driver was thrown into a nearby ditch. Although barbed wire/clothing were wrapped around his legs/body, he survived. The truck was carried ¼ mile; the engine another 200 yards from the destroyed truck chassis.
(Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA)

2008
On this date through the 9th, New York City set record high temperatures for three days: 96°, 96° and 99° respectively.

A single supercell thunderstorm developed over western Illinois and moved east to the Indiana border, producing 8 different tornadoes along its path, including some of the southern Chicago suburbs. Four of the tornadoes were rated EF2 in strength.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2009
Marquette, Michigan:
In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Marquette establishes a record low high with a chilly 50°F.
(Ref. WxDoctor)


June  
8TH


1885
A killing frost occurred at Fargo, ND. This date remains the latest on record.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1920
Yosemite Valley, CA plunged to 14°; their coldest June temperature on record.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1950
Two inches of snow fell at Billings, MT. This is their latest measurable snowfall on record. The high for the day was only 42°, a record low maximum.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1951
Two tornadoes, one rated F4 and the other F2, were caught on 16 mm film at Corn, OK. This was the first known film ever taken of a tornado in the U.S.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1953
The worst monster tornado (F5) of record for the state of Michigan killed 116 persons. Flint, MI was hardest hit. The tornado, half a mile in width, destroyed 200 homes on Coldwater Road killing entire families.
(The Weather Channel)
(Ref. WxDoctor)

1957
A tropical storm moved in from the Gulf of Mexico and crossed northwest Florida, spawning a tornado outbreak and flooding rainfall. Five people drown in the Gulf of Mexico when a small fishing vessel capsized in high seas. A shrimp boat was sunk off Ft. Myers, and several other boats were driven ashore south of Tampa. At least 9 Tornadoes were reported in Alachua, Marion, Clay, Putnam, and Duval counties (Jacksonville area). Tornadoes damaged roofs and uprooted trees. Heavy rains of up to 19" in 48 hours caused much local flooding and considerable agricultural damage, closed many roads and washed out several small bridges. Two hundred people were evacuated from flooded residential areas in Taylor County.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1961
Typical damage from a West TX hailstorm? In Brady, hail to golf ball size severely damaged roofs and caused cars to look as if they had been pounded by hammers. Most of the city’s neon signs were broken by hail.
(Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA)

1964
In Montana, the Gibson Dam, which feeds the Sun River, overflowed. The result was 34 deaths due to drowning.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1966
A tornado ripped right through the heart of the capitol city of Topeka, KS killing sixteen persons and causing 100 million dollars damage. The tornado, which struck during the evening, cut a swath of near total destruction eight miles long and four blocks wide. Television station WIBW covered a tornado live, dispatching crews to the southwest of Topeka, KS when the tornado warning was issued. Newscaster Bill Kurtis would be lauded for sounding the alarm with urgent warnings as the tornado cut a path across the city. The death toll would certainly have been higher without the station's coverage. It was the most destructive tornado of record up until that time.
(David Ludlum)

Alma, the second earliest hurricane on record to cross the Florida coastline, moved northward out of the Caribbean Sea. Alma went through the Gulf of Mexico from 20 to 60 miles off the west coast before making landfall near Alligator Point on the afternoon of the 9th where winds were estimated between 75 and 90 mph. Highest winds of 125 mph and lowest pressure, 28.65 inches of mercury, were reported at Dry Tortugas on the afternoon of the 8th. Rainfall ranged from 2-4 inches on the southwest peninsula and north of Lake Okeechobee to 5-8 inches in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. There were four tornadoes reported in the state; two in Dade County and two in the Marianna area. Eight deaths were attributed to Alma.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1974
Severe thunderstorms spawned at least twenty-three tornadoes in Oklahoma during the afternoon and evening hours. One of the tornadoes struck the town Drumright killing sixteen persons and injuring 150 others. A tornado struck the National Weather Service office in Oklahoma City, and two tornadoes hit the city of Tulsa. Thunderstorms in Tulsa also produced as much as ten inches of rain. Total damage from the storms was around thirty million dollars. It was the worst natural disaster of record for Tulsa.
(Storm Data)

1977
FROST was observed at Naked Creek, VA (31 °F) near Luray, VA. Dulles, VA reported a minimum of 36 °F.
(Naked Creek Weather Records)

A hailstorm covered the ground across a swath up to 7 miles wide and 80 miles long in southeastern Wisconsin. Snowplows had to be called out to clear the roads. High winds and hail struck northeastern Illinois during the afternoon. Winds of 60 mph and large hail caused the tower at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport to be abandoned for the first time in its history.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1981
Severe thunderstorms in northeast and central Illinois produced hail the size of grapefruits at Kankakee. One tornado traveled along a 77 mile intermittent path from Brooklyn, in Schuyler County, east-southeastward to near Springfield. A second tornado was on the ground intermittently for 80 miles, originating southeast of Pekin and traveling to Mahomet, northwest of Champaign.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1982
In Callaway County, MO a severe thunderstorm dropped hail that measured up to 4 inches in diameter. Severe winds reached 100 mph in Randolph county, MO.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1983
Record cold prevailed across parts of Michigan. Sault St. Marie dropped to 28° and Alpena fell to 30°; both establishing record lows for the date.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1985
An F3 tornado tracked 68 miles through Price and Oneida Counties in Wisconsin. Two people were killed and 42 were injured. Damage was set at $6 million dollars. Huge hailstones, up to 6 inches in diameter,accompanied the tornado.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1987
Thunderstorms in the northeastern U.S. produced large hail and damaging winds in Vermont injuring two persons. Thunderstorms in Ohio produced wind gusts to 75 mph near Akron and deluged Pittsfield with two inches of rain in thirty minutes.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988
Overnight thunderstorms in Iowa produced 5.20 inches of rain at Coon Rapids. Thunderstorms in the Florida Keys drenched Tavernier with 7.16 inches of rain in 24 hours. Eleven cities in the central U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date.
(The National Weather Summary)

1989
Thunderstorms produced severe weather over the Central Gulf Coast Region during the day and evening. Severe thunderstorms spawned 17 tornadoes, including one which injured ten persons and caused a million dollars damage at Orange Beach AL. Thunderstorm winds gusting to 90 mph killed three persons and injured four others at Mobile AL. Thunderstorms also deluged Walnut Hill, FL and Avalon Beach, FL with eight inches of rain.
(Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)

1993
An F2 tornado struck four farmsteads, damaging one severely, just southeast of Osage, IA. Two F0 tornadoes touched down in Olmsted County, MN in Dover and Pleasant Grove, three F0 tornadoes in Mower County, Minnesota in Dexter and just south of Leroy and Grand Meadow, and an F0 tornado touched down ten miles south of Spring Valley. On this same date, 18 other tornadoes touched down in Wisconsin. Prairie du Chien, WI had 3.22 inches of rain.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1995
Classic supercell thunderstorms spawned 21 tornadoes in the north Texas Panhandle. 5 of the tornadoes were rated F4 on the Fujita scale, one which tracked through the center of Pampa injuring 7 people and causing $30 million in damages. The Project Vortex team (20 vehicles, including a state of the art truck-mounted Doppler Radar, and two P3 aircraft's) were all over the storms, collecting an incredible storm dynamics, structure, and environment data set, on the last day of the two year funded project no less. The team witnessed one of the F4 tornadoes near Allison, and said it was one of biggest and meanest appearing tornadoes they had ever seen. At Crane, TX, four inch diameter hail fell for 10 minutes.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1997
A 16 year old male received an indirect lightning strike. He was taken to Ward Memorial Hospital at Monahans, MS and transferred to Odessa Medical Center for testing, and was released late that night. The boy and his mother were walking across their porch leaving the house when lightning struck a metal pipe along the side of the house. The boy was struck in the head by a glancing blow from the bolt, knocked to the ground, but sustained no burns. He was dazed but never lost consciousness; said he remembered feeling the shock as the bolt went through his body. They said the lightning came seemingly from nowhere as all the previous thunder had seemed quite distant. Light rain was falling at the time of the incident.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2007
The temperature at Denver International Airport plummeted to 31° to set a new record low for the date shattering the old record of 37°. It also became their latest freeze on record.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2008
This rainfall exasperated the already dangerous flooding conditions across parts of southeast Minnesota, northeast Iowa, and southwest into central Wisconsin resulting in a flood of historic proportions. Some area rivers responded with a foot per hour rises, while others eventually exceeded their river gauges ability to record the river levels. These gauges were under water themselves. All-time record crests were set at a few locations, with top five records at many others. A listing of some of the record crests with all-time rank, at the time of this event: Upper Iowa River at Dorchester 22.5 feet (all-time record) and Decorah 17.9 feet (all-time record), The Turkey River at Elkader 30.9 feet (all-time record), El Dorado 22.11 feet (all-time record), and Garber 29.13 feet (4th highest on record), The Cedar River at Charles City 25.55 feet (all-time record), The Kickapoo River at La Farge 15.88 feet (all-time record), Viola 21.25 feet (all-time record), Readstown 19.65 feet (all-time record), Soldiers Grove 21.21 feet (2nd highest on record), Gays Mills 20.44 feet (all-time record), and Steuben 19.15 feet (all-time record). Two-day rainfall amounts totaled from generally from 4 to 7 inches.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2009
Vostok, Antarctica shivered with a late spring low of -108°.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2013
Tropical Storm Andrea, the first named storm of the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season, formed in the Gulf of Mexico on the 5th of the month. She made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida a day later with peak winds of 65 mph. Andrea’s fast movement helped limit the amount of rainfall, flooding, and erosion along the Southeast coast, though some minor, localized flooding was reported in the Tampa Bay area. Most of the damage from Andrea resulted from the tornadoes that were spawned across the Florida Peninsula. One fatality was confirmed in southwest Virginia when a man’s car hydroplaned on Interstate-77 and struck a tractor-trailer. The high winds from Andrea produced strong rip currents that led to numerous water rescues along the northern Gulf coast.
Andrea's Big [and Record] Rainfall (Ref. Asso. Press, 6/8/13)


June  
9th


1853
Worcester, Massachusetts:
A tornado strikes the town of Worcester killing 94 persons. The tornado cuts a path as much as a mile wide as it spins through 46 miles of Worcester County. Along the way it destroys steel towers designed to withstand winds of 375 mph.
(Ref. WxDoctor)

1874
The highest maximum temperature ever recorded in June in Washington, DC was 102 °F.
(Ref. Washington Weather Records - KDCA)

1953
A tornado hit the town of Worcester, MA killing ninety persons. The northeastern states usually remain free of destructive tornadoes, however, in this case a low pressure system responsible for producing severe thunderstorms in Michigan and Ohio the previous day, brought severe weather to New Hampshire and central Massachusetts. The tornado, up to a mile in width at times, tracked 46 miles through Worcester County. It mangled steel towers built to withstand winds of 375 mph. Debris from the tornado fell in the Boston area and adjacent Atlantic Ocean.
(David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)

1955
April-like temperatures persisted at Wichita Falls, TX. Morning low temperatures each day from the 9th through the 12th fell into the low to mid 50s, as much as 20 degrees below normal. These temperatures of 56°, 51°, 52°, and 55° respectively, remain record lows for their dates. Las Vegas, NV recorded a high temperature of 111°, setting a daily record.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1966
Hurricane Alma made landfall over the eastern Florida panhandle becoming the earliest hurricane to make landfall on the United States mainland.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1971
The tornado that struck the town of Gruver in the Texas Panhandle on this date is believed to be the widest tornado in U.S. history with an average path width of 2,500 yards. At times, the monster storm was over two miles wide.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1972
A cloudburst along the eastern slopes of the Black Hills of South Dakota produced as much as 14 inches of rain resulting in the Rapid City flash flood disaster. The rains, which fell in about four hours time, caused the Canyon Lake Dam to collapse. A wall of water swept through the city drowning 237 persons and causing more than 100 million dollars property damage.
(David Ludlum)
(Ref. More Information About This Flood)

1974
This was the start of the shortest seasonal snow free period on record at Denver, CO. The 94 days began with the last snow of the season was on the previous day (a trace) and the first snow of the next season occurred on September 11th (a trace).
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1975
Thunderstorms that developed over the Springfield, MO. area dropped 3.62 inches of rainfall in one hour. This was the greatest hourly rainfall rate recorded for Springfield.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1987
Lightning struck "Tire Mountain" near Denver, CO, destroying two million tires out of a huge pile of six million tires. Thunderstorms spawned three tornadoes around Denver, and a man was killed at Conifer, CO when strong thunderstorm winds lifted up a porch and dropped it on him. A thunderstorm near Compton, MD produced two-inch hail and high winds which destroyed twenty barns and ten houses injuring five persons.
(Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)

1988
Thunderstorms produced severe weather from North Carolina to the Central Gulf Coast Region. Hail in North Carolina caused more than five million dollars damage to property, and more than sixty million dollars damage to crops. Hail three and a half inches in diameter was reported at New Bern, NC. Thunderstorms in the Central High Plains produced eighteen inches of hail at Fountain, CO. The temperature at Del Rio, TX soared to an all-time record high of 112 degrees.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1989
Severe weather abated, however, showers and thunderstorms continued to drench the eastern U.S. with torrential rains. Milton, FL was deluged with 15.47 inches in 24 hours. Record heat and prolonged drought in south central Texas left salt deposits on power lines and insulators near the coast and when nighttime dew caused arcing, the city of Brownsville was plunged into darkness.
(The National Weather Summary)

After causing some damage at Philadelphia, PA, it crossed the Delaware River, passing over part of the Ben Franklin Bridge. It did not damage the bridge, but did drop a lot of debris on it. An F2 tornado destroyed 6 well-built houses and a school gym at Hockessin, DE. 52 other homes were damaged.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1991
A tornado struck the town of Minatare, NE, just southeast of Scottsbluff. 20 homes were destroyed with 30 others damaged along its 4 mile track. Damage estimates exceeded $2.5 million dollars.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1993
Lightning struck a US Air Boeing 737 parked overnight at the Buffalo International Airport in New York. The lightning traveled through the plane to the runway and exploded the concrete runway at the three points of the landing gear. The flying concrete debris caused damage to the fuselage and winds of the plane. The 737 had to be ferried out for repairs. In addition to the damage to the plane and runway, power generators connected to the plane overnight were shorted and blown out.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2003
Q: What's the highest dew point ever recorded?
In the USA, the highest dew points (above 80°F) occur near the Gulf of Mexico and in parts of the upper Mississippi Valley.
Very high dew points are often found near shallow, subtropical seas. Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on the Persian Gulf, recorded a dew point of 95°F on July 8, 2003.
(Answered by meteorologist Bob Henson, a writer at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and the author of The Rough Guide to Weather, June 9, 2005.)

2004
A massive hailstorm with hailstones up to 2.25 inches in diameter struck the south sections of the Denver, CO metropolitan area. Combined damage to homes and automobiles, not including commercial buildings, was estimated at $146.5 million dollars, the 4th costliest insurance disaster in the state's history.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2008
June 7 - 9 , New York, New York:
New York City set record high temperatures for three days running: 96 °F, 96 °F, and 99 °F.
(Ref. WxDoctor)


June  
10TH


1752
It is believed that this was the day Benjamin Franklin narrowly missed electrocution while flying a kite during a thunderstorm to determine if lightning is related to electricity.
(David Ludlum)

1816
A severe frost blackened fields of beans and cucumbers from VA to New England. In some areas of the NE, trees remained leafless well into June due to the long and cold spring.
(p.33 Washington Weather Book 2002 by Ambrose, Henry, Weiss)
Chauncey Jerome's wife who lived in Plymouth, Conn. brought in some clothes that had been spread on the ground the night before, which were frozen stiff as in winter.
(Scientific American, "The Year without a Summer" pp. 45 - 48)

1902
A tornado touched down a few miles east of Canton and moved through Kingston Mines, IL. Two people were killed near Canton, but much of the damage occurred in the Kingston Mines area, where 16 homes were destroyed. 20 men and 18 engines were buried in the roundhouse there. Eight people were killed further east, when buildings were destroyed by strong winds.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1916
Boston, MA recorded its coolest high temperature of 50 °F for the month of June.
(Ref. NOAA Boston Weather Events)

1929
The first radiosonde was sent up by French Meteorologists.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1957
A dust devil at North Yarmouth, ME lifted a 600 to 1000 pound chicken shelter into the air and carried it 25 feet. It landed upright with only slight damage. It is unknown whether any eggs were scrambled.
(The Weather Channel)

1958
A woman was sucked through the window of her home in El Dorado, KS by a powerful tornado and was carried sixty feet away. Beside her was found a broken phonograph record entitled "Stormy Weather".
(The Weather Channel)

1965
A young man was at a gas station in Milan, NM, holding the pump nozzle in his hand, when lightning struck the nozzle. He was knocked unconscious; he survived.
(Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA)

1967
Severe thunderstorms raked across northern Illinois bringing heavy rain, strong winds and hail. One person was killed by lightning and another was electrocuted in his flooded basement. Heavy rains brought widespread flooding to the northwest suburbs where the water was four feet deep in places. Chicago, IL ended up with 2.94 inches of rain while Rockford, IL had 3.32 inches, both setting daily records.

A tornado touched down in rural areas near Hammon, OK. A woman and four children were killed on a farmstead several miles east of Hammon. The storm was accompanied by hail 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Total damage from the tornado and the hail was over a quarter million dollars. The tornado was one of at least a dozen that occurred across western and central Oklahoma on this day.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1972
Record chill invaded parts of the upper Midwest. Locations that reported record low June temperatures for the date included: Jump River, WI: 23°, Blair, WI: 28°, Owen, WI: 28°, Alma, WI: 38°, Genoa, WI: 38°, Trempealeau, WI: 38° and Lynxville, WI: 40°.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1976
Palm Springs, CA dropped to 44° establishing their lowest temperature for June.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1977
A short-lived, but intense, thunderstorm did tremendous damage at Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City, SD. The storm which lasted for one-half hour produced large amounts of hail up to walnut size. The storm broke over 2,000 windows at Ellsworth AFB, as well as, damaging many vehicles.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1986
The Wichita Falls, TX area was hardest hit by a thunderstorm with winds of more than 80 mph combined with one-inch hail, and caused extensive damage in the city. Torrential rain, up to nearly five inches in some places, caused both Holliday and McGrath Creeks to flood.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1987
Thunderstorms produced 2 to 4 inch rains in southern Texas. Two and a half inches of rain at Juno, TX caused flooding and closed a nearby highway. Flooding on the northwest side of San Antonio claimed one life as a boy was swept into a culvert. Thunderstorms in the north central U.S. produced an inch and a half of small hail at Monida Pass, MT.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988
Three-dozen cities, mostly in the eastern U.S., reported record low temperatures for the date, including Elkins, WV with a reading of 33 degrees. Unseasonably hot weather continued in the Northern High Plains Region. The record high of 105 degrees at Williston, ND was their seventh in eight days.
(The National Weather Summary)

1989
Thunderstorms produced severe weather through the day and night across much of the southern half of the Great Plains Region. Thunderstorms spawned 14 tornadoes, and there were 142 reports of large hail and damaging winds. Hail three inches in diameter caused three millions dollars damage at Carlsbad NM. Hail four inches in diameter was reported at Estelline, TX and Stinnett, TX. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 80 mph at Odessa, TX.
(Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)

1995
The temperature at Yakutat, AK soared to 87°, their hottest temperature ever.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1997
Boston, MA recorded its latest cooling degree days.
(Ref. NOAA Boston Weather Events)

Flash Flooding occurred in many locations in Mississippi. Highway 80 and many other streets were flooded in and around Vicksburg. One person's car was engulfed by water, but the person was rescued. This event caused $300,000 dollars in property damages. Over 6 inches of rain fell in Lexington in a little over 3 hours. The heavy rain caused Bear creek to over flow and flood much of the town of Lexington. 45 businesses were affected by the flooding and 30 of these suffered major losses. As many as 300 homes had water damage. This event caused $10 million dollars in property damages. Portions of Jones County experienced flash flooding as 3 inches of rain fell in just 1.5 hours over saturated ground.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2003
When the second tropical depression of the Atlantic hurricane season formed about 1,200 miles east of the Leeward Islands, it marked only the third time since 1967 that a hurricane had formed in the eastern Atlantic in the month of June.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2008
Runoff from excessive rainfall over the previous week led to record flooding along the Embarras River at Ste Marie and Lawrenceville, IL. A number of levee breeches occurred between the 8th and 10th along the Embarras and Wabash Rivers. In Lawrence County, 75 square miles were flooded as a result. In Lawrenceville, 158 homes were flooded in the first floor living area, with 48 others having basement flooding, and 8 businesses had in excess of 5 feet of water inside.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)


June
11TH


1842
A late season snowstorm struck New England. Snow fell during the morning and early afternoon, accumulating to a depth of ten to twelve inches at Irasburg, VT. Berlin, NH was blanketed with eleven inches of snow during the day. Snow whitened the higher peaks of the Appalachians as far south as Maryland. The latest date for the occurrence of a general snow¬storm in our period over northern New England and northern New York came in 1842 on the morning of 11 June. At Burlington, Vermont, it was snowing at the sunrise observation (34°) and also at the early afternoon reading (40°) on June 11th. Zadock Thompson, professor of natural history and the Queen City's longtime weatherman, commented: "Snow during the forenoon—boards whitened and the mountains as white as in winter."
(Ref. Early Americane Winters, II 1821-1870 by David M. Ludlum, pages 89-90.)

1877
The temperature at Los Angeles CA reached 112 degrees during a heat wave. It would have been the all-time record for Los Angeles but official records did not begin until twenty days later.
(The Weather Channel)

1915
A tornado moved slowly northeast from southwest of Mullinville, KS, allowing people to reach shelter from this extremely large tornado. One entire farm was completely swept away on the edge of Mullinville, and many more homes were destroyed. As it moved northeast, eight separate funnels were noted at one time under the huge rotating cloud. Damage totaled $75,000 dollars. It was reported that three mules were carried two miles.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1947
An unusually cold late season storm system brought significant snow to Cheyenne, WY. By the end of the day, 4.4 inches of snow had fallen, and the snow continued into the 12th. A trace of snow fell at Denver, CO. They also set a daily record low of 34°.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1954
A strong heat wave hit much of the Midwest. Chicago, IL set a record high of 97°. This began an 11-day run with high temperatures of 90° or higher. Two high temperature records were set during that period.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1972
FROST at Big Meadows, VA 31°, Blacksburg, VA 30°, Dulles, VA 40°, KDCA 47°, Naked creek, Virginia 32°
(Ref. Naked Creek Weather Records - KDCA)

Dozens of locations in the Mid-Atlantic and southern New England reported record chill thanks to Canadian high pressure. Muskegon, MI set a June record low of 31°. Locations that reported daily record lows included: Elkins, WV: 29°, Beckley, WV: 32°, Charleston, WV: 33°, Baltimore, MD: 40°, Dulles Airport, VA: 40°, Lynchburg, VA: 41°, Richmond, VA: 48° and Norfolk, VA: 53°.
(Ref. Wilson - Additional Temperatures Listed On This Link)

Heavy showers brought 1.64 inches of rain to Phoenix, AZ, a record for the month of June.
(The Weather Channel)

1979
A heat wave continued across southern California. Daily record highs included: Riverside: 110°, Bakersfield: 109°, Fullerton: 101°, Long Beach: 100°, Santa Ana: 99°, San Diego: 98°, Los Angeles (LAX): 91° and Idyllwild: 90°. Escondido set a June record high with 105°.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1984
An intense thunderstorm unleashed tremendous winds across portions of southeast South Dakota and southwest Minnesota. The thunderstorm produced downburst winds estimated at an amazing 160 mph. The damage area was around one-half mile wide and 8 miles long and extended from just southeast of Rowena, SD to two miles north of Hills, MN. The incredible force of the wind leveled most everything in its path. Many trees were snapped off and over 20 homes on 17 farms were affected. Many farm buildings and animal sheds were simply no match for the winds and were destroyed. Two people were killed.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1987
South Texas endured another day of torrential rains. Up to twelve inches of rain drenched Harris County, and nearly ten inches soaked Luce Bayou, mainly during the afternoon hours. Thunderstorm rains left seven feet of water over Highway 189 in northern Val Verde County. Flooding caused nine million dollars damage in Real County. A thunderstorm at Perryton, TX produced golf ball size hail and 70 mph winds, and spawned a tornado which struck a mobile home killing one person and injuring the other four occupants.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988
Thirty cities in the central and eastern U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date, including El Dorado AR with a reading of 48 degrees. Canaan Valley, WV and Thomas, WV dipped to 30 degrees and Flagstaff, AZ tied for the cold spot in the nation with a low of 30 degrees. Coolidge, just 180 miles away, was the hot spot in the nation with an afternoon high of 105 degrees.
(The National Weather Summary)

1989
Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the south central and southeastern U.S. during the day and night. Thunderstorms spawned eleven tornadoes including one that tore the roof off a restaurant at Bee Branch AR injuring six persons. The tornado tossed one car into the restaurant and another car over it.

Temperatures soared into the 90s across much of Florida. Lakeland reported a record high of 99 degrees for the second day in a row.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1990
One of the most costly hailstorms in U.S. history occurred as $625 million dollars of damage was caused along the Colorado Front Range from Colorado Springs to Estes Park. Golf to baseball sized hail fell along with heavy rain. 60 people were injured in the storm.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1993
The first federal Disaster Declaration was issued for parts of Minnesota hard hit by the beginning stages of the Great Midwest Flood of 1993. By August, parts of nine states were declared disaster areas. The entire state of Iowa was declared a disaster area. The flood was the worst this century in the U.S. Damage totaled almost $20 billion dollars. More than 50,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1995
Lightning struck a metal garage door in Franklintown, PA. A man leaning against the door was partially paralyzed for nearly a day. It was the 2nd time in the last 10 years the 30-yr-old man had been hit by lightning.
(Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA)

1996
Hail five inches in diameter fell 13 miles southeast of Mullinville, KS. There was a report of 10 head of cattle killed.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1999
On this date through the 14th, several hailstorms occurred across Eastern Colorado. Hail accumulated to a depth of 12 inches near Colorado Springs, CO. The roof on a business gave way under the weight of the hail. Damage in the Denver area totaled $35 million dollars ($17.5 million dollars from auto claims and $17.5 million from homeowner claims). Areas hardest hit included: Castle Rock, Commerce City, Evergreen and Golden.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2004
A heat-burst occurred over Wichita Falls, TX which produced a brief, but sudden, severe wind gust. Sheppard Air Force Base measured the gust at 64 mph.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2008
A strong inflow of moist and unstable air into and over a surface warm front resulted in training thunderstorms and very heavy rain across parts of northeast South Dakota. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 6 inches occurred across much of the area resulting in widespread flash flooding. Many roads, bridges, and cropland were damaged by the flooding. In Milbank, many basements were flooded and/or received sewer backup. Some rainfall amounts include 3.65 inches near Milbank, 2.96 inches in Summit, 2.27 inches at Artichoke Lake, MN.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2010
Deadly flash flooding hit the Plains states and the Mississippi Valley during the first half of June, Highlighted by the tragic flooding that struck an Arkansas campground in the early morning hours of June 11- Six to eight inches of rain caused the Little Missouri River to rise nearly 20 feet in our hours, taking sleeping campers by surprise in Langley, Arkansas. Twenty people lost their lives.
(Ref. Weatherwise U.S. Weather Highlights of 2010 page 7 )


June
12TH


1878
A strong storm dropped egg-sized hailstones on Lachute, Ontario Canada. The accumulation halted train traffic.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1881
Severe thunderstorms spawned more than half a dozen tornadoes in the Lower Missouri Valley. Five of the tornadoes touched down near Saint Joseph, MO. In south central Kansas a tornado nearly wiped out the town of Floral. Hail and high winds struck Iowa and southern Minnesota. In Minnesota, Blue Earth City reported five inches of rain in one hour. Two F4 tornadoes in Kansas and two in Missouri killed 15 people and injured 97 others.
(David Ludlum)

1885
A tornado in Iowa blew part of a train off the tracks, injuring three passengers. Three coaches and a baggage car were lifted into the air and onto a field.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1899
New Richmond, Wisconsin:
A killer tornado rampages through New Richmond, Wisconsin, 114 people die, many attending an outdoor circus.
(Ref. WxDoctor)

1915
An F4 tornado moved northeast from northwest of Waterville, IA crossing the Mississippi River two miles south of Ferryville, WI. A man and his daughter were killed in one of three homes that were obliterated southwest of Heytman, a small railroad station on the Mississippi River. 60 buildings and 8 homes were destroyed in Wisconsin. This tornado caused approximately $200,000 in damage. In addition to this tornado, an F2 tornado moved northeast across Fayette and Clayton Counties in northeast Iowa. One farm was devastated, the house and barn leveled. Heavy machinery was thrown 300 yards. Clothing was carried two miles. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1918
Low-pressure system drops barometer to record low June mark of 29.37 in Washington, DC but only .01 inch rain fell.
(Ref. Washington Weather Records - KDCA)

Victorville, CA recorded their highest temperature for June at 114°. This was also their second highest temperature ever (116° - 7/10/2002). This was followed be their warmest night on record with a low of 88°.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1942
A tornado smashed a four block area in the southwest suburbs of Oklahoma City, OK. 35 people were killed, making it one of the ten deadliest ever in the state. The twister completely demolished 73 homes and damaged 31 others. The Oklahoma City area has been struck by tornadoes more than 90 times since 1890.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1947
A heavy wet snow blanketed much of southern and central Wyoming, and gave many places their heaviest and latest snow of record. Totals included 18.4 inches at Lander, WY, 8.7 inches at Cheyenne, WY and 4.5 inches at Casper, WY. (11th-12th)
(The Weather Channel)

A trace of snow fell at Denver, CO. This was the latest last snow of the season of a trace or more. This also marked the end of their longest snow season at 264 days which started with a trace of snow on 9/22/1946. The high of 43 °F was a record low maximum for the date and the morning low of 33 °F was a record low for the date.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1948
The Columbia River Basin flood peaked on this date in the Northwest. The flood produced the highest water level in the basin since the flood there in 1894. The damage estimate for the 1948 flood was $101 million dollars and 75 lives were lost.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1956
The upper Midwest was in the midst of a six-day stretch of 90 degree plus temperatures. The high of 97° at Chicago, IL and 95° at Rockford, IL set daily high temperature records.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1959
A heavy thunderstorm was accompanied by a small tornado at Celeron near Jamestown, NY and gave a two inch rainfall in 75 minutes in Colden, NY.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1968
Tropical Storm Abby moved northeast and crossed central Florida, briefly reaching hurricane status in the Gulf of Mexico. The tropical storm then moved along the coast of Florida and into Georgia, then made a loop as a tropical depression through the Carolinas, moving south to the North Carolina/South Carolina coast. Locations that received record daily rainfalls included: Philadelphia, PA: 3.05 inches, Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC : 2.23 inches, Dulles Airport at Sterling, VA: 1.88 inches, Wilmington, DE: 1.75 inches, Newark, NJ: 1.74 inches and Williamsport, PA: 1.30 inches.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1969
Record late season snows covered parts of Montana. Five inches was reported at Great Falls and east of Broadus. Billings, MT tied their June record with lows of 32 degrees on the 12th and the 13th.
(The Weather Channel)

1978
Lightning killed a 14 year old boy running home to avoid the rain at Lauderhill, FL. The lightning struck a pine tree near the boy and severely burned his legs and knocked his shoes off.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1983
Floods and mudslides besieged the state of Utah. The town of Thistle was completely inundated as a mudslide made a natural dam.
(The Weather Channel)

1985
Winds of 210 mph measured at a height of 1.84 miles on the mountain Zugspitze in southern Germany.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1987
Thunderstorms in Nebraska produced softball size hail around Fremont and Ames and 3.5 inches of rain fell in less than one hour. Four and a half inches in less than an hour caused flooding around Ithica, NE. A tornado destroyed a mobile home near Broken Bow, NE injuring both occupants.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988
Fifteen cities in the southeastern U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date, including Asheville with a reading of 40 degrees. Drought conditions continued to intensify across the eastern half of the nation. Rainfall at Nashville, TN was running 12.5 inches below normal.
(The National Weather Summary)

1989
Thunderstorms produced severe weather from Tennessee Valley to the Central Appalachians in the afternoon and evening, and produced severe weather in Oklahoma and Texas during the evening and night. Thunderstorms spawned ten tornadoes, and there were 164 reports of large hail and damaging winds. Thunderstorms produced wind gusts to 100 mph at Amarillo, TX and wind gusts to 110 mph at Denton, TX. Hail three inches in diameter was reported at Tucumcari, NM.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1991
The largest volcanic eruption of the 20th Century began. Mt. Pinatubo injected 15 to 30 million tons of sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere. Global dust cloud cooled the planet, reversing for a time the global warming trend. 1992 was globally one of the coolest since the 1970s.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1994
Dickinson County was hard hit when 60 to 80 mph winds struck throwing a sail boat into a tree along the Spirit Lake shoreline. Reports from around Emmet, Dickinson and Clay Counties indicated rainfall amounts from 2 to as much as 6 inches within a two hour period. Flash flooding was also reported in Lyon County where an incredible three inches of rain fell in a 30 minute period in the town of George. A tornado formed in Plymouth County and moved through the town of Le Mars, causing about $3 million dollars in damage. Approximately 120 buildings were damaged with 2 x 6 boards driven through neighboring houses. The tornado picked up a dog house with the dog still inside. The dog house was deposited a few blocks away, upside down, with the dog still inside. The dog was not injured. Hail destroyed 70,000 acres of cropland across South Dakota.

In Hand County, South Dakota, a thunderstorm caused an estimated $3 million dollars in crop damage. Hail, the largest being baseball size, was reported in drifts of three to four feet high. About 70 thousand acres of cropland and pastures were completely destroyed. Pheasants and ducks were killed by the hail and many cattle injured. Many windows were broken in homes, holes were punched in mobile homes, damaged occurred to contents of homes from hail which entered through windows, and many vehicles were extensively damaged.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2002
(Kearney, Nebraska area): Hailstorm caused $2 million in agricultural losses. More than 22,000 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa were severely damaged or destroyed.
(Ref. Hail Events by Michael Mogil)

A supercell thunderstorm dumped copious amount of large hail across Buffalo and Kearney Counties in Nebraska. Hail up to 5 inches in diameter fell, injuring 15 people, and doing $100 million in damages. In excess of 6,000 structures sustained damage. In some cases, hailstones penetrated shingles, sheeting, and interior ceiling drywall. One person reported an 8 inch diameter hole in their roof. Another person reported hailstones landing on the living room couch after falling through the roof.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)


June
13TH


1586
(23 June current calendar) Roanoke Colony, North Carolina:
First European report of waterspout off US coast by Ralph Lane, a member of Sir Francis Drake's fleet: "There were great spouts at the seas as though heaven and earth would have met."
(Ref. WxDoctor)

1889
Forest fires in northern Wisconsin and northeast Minnesota were destroying millions of dollars of board feet of timber.
(David Ludlum)

Meanwhile, snow fell all day in the Laramie, WY area. By the end of the day, there was 24 inches on the ground in the higher elevations near Rawlins, WY.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1907
The temperature at Tamarack CA dipped to 2 degrees above zero, the lowest reading of record for June for the U.S. The high that day was 30 degrees. Tamarack received 42 inches of snow between the 10th and the 13th. On the 13th the snow depth was 130 inches.
(The Weather Channel)

1955
Water from the Spring Mountains swept down on Las Vegas, NV after a violent thunderstorm of rain and hail, virtually isolating the City, flooding hundreds of homes and stores and causing an untold amount in property damage. Residents of the Twin Lakes Subdivision reported that a four-foot wall of water came down from the slope of Mt. Charleston. Hardest hit was the Brentwood Park Tract, where large stocks of lumber, stacked for construction on new homes, were washed away by the flood, and littered the Municipal Golf Course and Twin Lakes Subdivision.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1956
Boston, Massachusetts recorded peak gust of 84 mph gusts during a thunderstorm.
(Ref. NOAA Boston Weather Events)

1967
Three separate lines of thunderstorms developed and raced across eastern South Dakota. The storms dumped up to 5 inches of rain and hail the size of golf balls was common. Winds gusted to 71 mph in the Aberdeen area resulting in some damage. Crop damage was 100% in some areas in the northeast due to the relentless hail and flooding rains.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1968
A violent F5 tornado killed 9 people at Tracy, MN. Over 110 homes were destroyed, while a steel I-beam was reportedly carried for 2 miles on a piece of roof. Two farms hit by this tornado were also hit by a violent F4 tornado on 6/24/1924.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1969
10 inches of snow fell in Deerfield, SD as an unusual late season storm covered parts of South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana and Nebraska. Five inches of snow was measured at Great Falls, MT. The low temperature at Billings, MT fell to 32°, their latest freeze on record. The temperature also fell to 32° the previous day; both tying a record low for the month of June.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1973
Dust devils are not tornadoes, but they can still lift heavy objects. At Jennison, MI, a dust devil picked up a rug, stepladder, and a patio umbrella. It also lifted a 350-lb concrete patio table and dropped it 3 feet away (in several pieces after the landing).
(Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA)

1976
A deadly tornado moved across parts of the southwestern Chicago, IL suburbs killing two people and injuring 23 others. The tornado, with winds over 200 mph moved from Lemont to Downers Grove causing $13 million dollars in damage when 89 homes were destroyed and another 90 were damaged. The tornado passed over the Argonne National Laboratory, peeling part of a roof off the building housing a nuclear reactor. The tornadoes movement was rather erratic moving southeast the north and finally turning northwest.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1984
Severe thunderstorms struck Denver deluging the city with five inches of rain and leaving up to six feet of water in some places. Softball size hail smashed windshields and ripped through metal cars. Snowplows had to be called out.
(The Weather Channel)

1987
Thunderstorms at KDCA gave 0.70 Inches of rain in 15 minutes, and the storm total was 1.20 inches with hail 3/4 inches in diameter.
(Ref. Washington Weather Records - KDCA)

Fifteen cities in the north central U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date including International Falls, MN with a reading of 92 degrees. Mason City, IA and Waterloo, IA reported record highs of 100 degrees. Thunderstorms in the northeastern U.S. produced golf ball size hail around Hamilton Square, NJ, along with high winds, which tore the roof off a hospital causing a million dollars damage. Averill Park, NY was deluged with 1.64 inches of rain in fifteen minutes.
(Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)

1988
Afternoon thunderstorms produced severe weather in the Southern and Central Plains Region. Forrest, NM was deluged with 5.5 inches of rain in ninety minutes. Temperatures soared into the 90s across much of the eastern half of the nation including New England. Northern Illinois reported a record twenty straight days of dry weather.
(The National Weather Summary)

1989
Thunderstorms produced severe weather from the Southern Plains Region to the Carolinas during the day and night, and continued to drench parts of Texas and Oklahoma with heavy rain. Oklahoma City reported 13.41 inches of rain for the first thirteen days of the month and Fort Worth, TX reported 29.56 inches for the year, a total more than 13 inches above normal. Severe drought continues across South Texas.
(The National Weather Summary)

1991
Lightning struck a tree at the U.S. Open Golf Tournament being held at Chaska, MN. One spectator was killed, and six others were injured.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1993
Four inches of rain fell in one hour on Lenox, IA as the Great Mississippi Flood of 1993 was beginning.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1994
A series of violent thunderstorms roared across parts of western and central New York. The thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines. A tornado touched down in the town of Freedom. Damage was intermittent along the mile long path, with only tree damage for the first 3/4 mile. Over its last quarter mile the tornado destroyed a 25 x 25 foot garage. The tornado then struck the Pleasantview Mobile Home Park. A roof which was blown off one mobile home penetrated the wall of another home about 200 feet away. Two other mobile homes were lifted and moved off their foundations. The thunderstorms dropped between two and four inches of rain which produced flash flooding. One hundred basements were flooded in Jamestown. Damage from flash flooding was extensive in Allegany State Park in Cattaraugus County. Two recreational bridges collapsed and other major bridges were undermined. Beaches were damaged extensively and roads were washed out. In one instance, the blacktop from one road was carried over 20 feet.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1997
Unlucky 13th- Newington, Fairfax County, lightning struck and injured a man causing minor burns on his chest. Lightning caused fires in two nearby homes.
(Ref. Lightning - Virginia Weather History)

1998
Two tubers on the James River just south of Scottsville were swimming to shore as a thunderstorm moved in. They were struck and treated at the University of Virginia Medical Center.
(Ref. Lightning - Virginia Weather History)

Most of the tornadic activity was confined to Canadian and Oklahoma counties. The strongest tornadoes, which produced F2 damage, occurred during the late afternoon and early evening hours. Most notable, was the F2 tornado that tore through the northern portions of the Oklahoma City metro area, including the Frontier City amusement park. This tornado produced property damage in excess of $1 million dollars. The tornadoes resulted in 21 injuries, but thankfully, no deaths.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2000
East Highland Park (Henrico County), lightning struck near the Classic Amphitheater and affected a person with a pacemaker. Subject was taken to hospital by ambulance.
(Ref. Lightning - Virginia Weather History)

2002
As thunderstorms roared through Ponca City, OK with lots of large hail and wall clouds, lightning caused a fire at a Conoco refinery. The news immediately sent gasoline futures higher by 50 points. The refinery was back on line quickly, but gasoline prices rose a few extra cents in time for the Fourth of July Holiday.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2005
Low pressure, the remnants of Hurricane Arlene, moved northeast across the Great Lakes. The bands of showers and thunderstorms produced damage across parts of the Niagara Frontier and Finger Lakes. Heavy rains produced flash flooding in Livingston County, an area which received heavy rains on several consecutive days. The strong winds downed trees and limbs in Le Roy, Stafford, Mendon, Livonia, Lockport, Kendall, and Clarkson.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)


June Flag Day  
14TH


1886
Many people were lost when high seas from a hurricane inundated the area near Sabine, TX.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1887
Lexington and Long Creek, Oregon:
First documented Oregon tornadoes strike Lexington in Morrow County and Long Creek in Grant County, causing considerable damage to farmland and timber. In addition, the Lexington tornado results in one death, the only one ever reported from a tornado in Oregon.
(Ref. WxDoctor)

1903
The "Heppner Disaster" occurred in Oregon. A cloudburst in the hills sent a flood down Willow Creek, and a twenty foot wall of water swept away a third of the town in minutes, killing 236 residents and causing 100 million dollars damage.
(David Ludlum)

1953
The warmest June on record occurred in Oklahoma City, OK. The main part of the heat wave extended from the 11th through the 21st, and seven of the daily high temperatures during that stretch remain records for their respective dates. June 14th was the hottest day, reaching a toasty 106°. The other records ranged from 100° to 105°. Even the nighttime lows were records. Eight daily minimum temperatures from June 1953 are still record-warm daily minimum temperatures, ranging from 75° to 80°.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1957
An F4 tornado moved across the south and southeast sides of Springfield, IL. The tornado destroyed 25 homes and severely damaged 175 others; property damage was around $3 million dollars. On the north side of town, the storms produced a wind gust of 98 mph at Capital Airport, which still stands as Springfield's record wind speed. Two people died during the storm, with over 50 others injured. A separate tornado touched down in downtown Jacksonville, destroying or damaging 40 buildings. East St. Louis, IL recorded the state record for rainfall in 24 hours with 16.54 inches.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1961
The temperature in Downtown San Francisco CA soared to 106 degrees to establish an all-time record for that location.
(The Weather Channel)

1969
Scottsbluff, NE recorded its latest freeze and lowest June temperature on record with a low of 30°.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1974
A tornado took an intermittent 53 mile long path across northwest and west central Illinois. The tornado first touched down just southeast of the Quad Cities, and moved southeast into Knox County. In Abingdon, 200 homes were damaged or destroyed.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1976
Heavy rains began in the northern Black Hills in South Dakota late the previous day and continued through this date. There were several reports of rain totals near 10 inches. The heavy rains created severe flooding along several streams due to the tremendous runoff. The most serious flooding occurred on Spearfish creek within the city limits of Spearfish, along Whitewood creek through Deadwood, and several creeks which flow through Sturgis. At Spearfish and Sturgis, flood waters destroyed bridges, streets, and damaged buildings. In Deadwood, a mudslide damaged several houses and injured four people. Total damages from the floods exceeded $9 million dollars.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1985
A thunderstorm produced golf ball size hail in the Castlewood area in South Dakota causing considerable damage to grain, corn, soybeans, and gardens. Some areas just south of Castlewood had hail piles up to 6 inches deep. Leaves were stripped from several trees. Wind gusts to 60 mph accompanied the hail. Another thunderstorm produced strong winds and damaging hail in Grant and Roberts Counties. North of Milbank along both sides of Highway 15, crops incurred considerable damage. An area 17 miles northeast of Sisseton into Browns Valley, to Mud Lake saw crop damage from golf ball size hail.

Very cool weather in the East resulted in several new daily record low temperatures. At Raleigh, NC, the mercury dropped to 46°, not only breaking the daily minimum but is also the coolest temperature for so late in spring.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1987
Thirty-two cities in the central U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. The high of 97 degrees at Flint, MI tied their record for June, and the high of 101 at Milwaukee WI marked their first 100 degree reading in 32 years. Thunderstorms brought much needed rains to South Texas, drenching McAllen with 3.2 inches in one hour. A thunderstorm soaked the town of Uncertain with 2.3 inches of rain in one hour.
(The National Weather Summary)

1988
Thirty cities in the eastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. Record setting high temperatures of 99° at Newark, NJ, 96° at Baltimore, MD, and 94° at Burlington, VT were some of the records in the NE.
(The National Weather Summary)

1989
Severe thunderstorms ripped Bethesda, NW DC gusts 80+ mph, 150,000 homes without power, thousands of trees and limbs downed, millions in damage, worst in 93 years.
Thunderstorms developing ahead of a cold front produced severe weather from the Central Gulf States to the Middle Atlantic Coast Region during the day and into the night. There were 62 reports of large hail and damaging winds. Thunderstorm winds caused 28 million dollars damage in Montgomery County, MD.
(Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)

1990
Shadyside, OH was destroyed by a wall of water up to 30 feet high causing 26 fatalities. The flooding was caused by 4 inches of rain that fell in just 75 minutes. Localized, excessive rainfall fell on saturated ground over southeastern Ohio during the evening, resulting in a 15 to 20 foot wall of water that raced down three small tributaries of the Ohio River.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1994
Norfolk: a bolt of lightning struck and critically injured a 50-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man playing in a golf tournament at Greenbrier Country Club in . Both suffered severe burns.
(Ref. Lightning - Virginia Weather History)

1998
On June13th and 14th Boston, MA had 5.99 inches precipitation the greatest in a 24 hours for June.
(Ref. NOAA Boston Weather Events)

Atlantic, Iowa, set a state record for daily precipitation, measuring 13.18 inches of rain.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2000
Rockingham County, three dispatchers were shocked through their headsets by a lightning strike.
(Ref. Lightning - Virginia Weather History)

2001
Heavy wet snow fell along the Beartooth foothills in Montana. Snowfall totals included: 24 inches 9 miles south of McLeod, 18 inches just west and south of Red Lodge, McLeod & Mystic Lake: 12 inches, Stillwater Mine: 6 inches and Red Lodge: 1 inch.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2004
A record day for AK with almost 9,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes (old AK daily record: 7,681 on 7/18/2002). Add record heat and dry weather – the AK record season for forest fires got a good jump-start (6.72 million acres burned in summer of 2004).
(Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA)

2007
Lightning injured 33 Finnish soldiers during a night exercise in western Finland when a sudden thunderstorm raged over the area. Three soldiers were seriously injured.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2009
The line of severe thunderstorms formed along a boundary over the western suburbs of Denver, CO then moved east. The boundary produced at least one well defined funnel cloud that was observed by a stadium full of baseball fans at Coors Field. Large hail up to 1.75 inches in diameter was reported at Arvada, Broomfield, Denver, Federal Heights and North Glenn. In addition, the storm produced wind gusts from 60 to 74 mph. A peak gust of 58 mph was observed at Denver International Airport.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2010
During June 14, training thunderstorms associated with a nearly-stationary cold front and an intense low-level jet brought torrential rains to the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, area. Six to nine inches of rain in little more than three hours caused flash floods, resulting in more than three dozen water rescues. The North Canadian River at Oklahoma City rose from eight feet to over 21 feet almost instantly during the morning of June 14, Oklahoma City's wettest day on record (7.62 inches).
(Ref. Weatherwise U.S. Weather Highlights of 2010 page 7 )

2014

TOP 10 U.S. Weather Events 2014
Severe Weather: June 14-19. Dozens of tornadoes raked the Midwest, with the standout event being the twin EF4 tornadoes that destroyed much of the town of Pilger on June 16 in northeast Nebraska.
Ref. (Weatherwise MAY-JUNE 2015, page 14)


June
15TH


1662
A fast was held at Salem, MA with prayers for rain and the Lord gave a speedy answer.
(David Ludlum)

1879
McKinney, ND received 7.7 inches of rain in 24 hours, a state record for June.
(The Weather Channel)

1884
Boston, Massachusetts recorded its highest pressure 30.57 inches of mercury for the month of June.
(Ref. NOAA Boston Weather Events)

1896
The temperature at Fort Mojave CA soared to 127 degrees, the hottest reading of record for June for the U.S. The low that day was 97 degrees. Morning lows of 100 degrees were reported on the 12th, 14th and 16th of the month.
(The Weather Channel)
(Ref. WxDoctor)

1940
A high temperature of 116° at Las Vegas, NV set their all-time hottest June reading.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1953
Dust devils are usually rather benign weather phenomena, however, two boys were injured by one near Prescott, AZ. One of the boys suffered a black eye, and the other boy had two vertebrae fractured by wind-blown debris.
(The Weather Channel)

1957
East Saint Louis was deluged with 16.54 inches of rain in 24 hours, a record for the state of Illinois.
(The Weather Channel)

1959
On this day Mt. Mansfield, near Stowe, Vermont, received four inches of snow.
(The Farmer's Almanac)

1960
A heat burst struck Kopperl, TX, located about 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth from a dying thunderstorm. As the air sank, it warmed to around 140°. When the heat burst struck the ground, winds fanned out at over 75 mph. People had to wrap themselves in wet blankets to protect themselves from the heat. All crops were destroyed by the heat.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1963
Heavy rain and hail raved parts of the northern Colorado Rockies. In southeast Denver, heavy rain flooded homes and streets. Hail to a depth of 4 inches on the ground stripped trees and drifted in to depths of 3 to 4 feet in places. Flood waters were as deep as 19 feet in places trapping many cars. Many creeks ran over their banks. A cell passed over Denver dropping 4 inches of rain in just 90 minutes. Damage totaled near a million dollars.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1968
Severe thunderstorms brought heavy rain and high winds to much of the western two-thirds of Oklahoma. Winds gusting more than 70 mph dislodged a home from its foundation in Lawton, while winds stronger than 100 mph did extensive damage in Chickasha. The exact wind speed in Chickasha was not determined; because the wind gauge could only measure winds up to 100 mph. Torrential rain amounted to 7 inches in just a few hours near Loyal.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1975
Carlisle, Tex.--An 11-year-old girl was burned to death in a fire caused by lightning. The lightning struck a window air conditioner and the home exploded into a blaze of fire. Another girl was injured.
Plymouth, Ind.--Lightning killed a 55-year-old man as he was taking shelter under a pine tree on a golf course.
(Ref. Lightning-The Underrated Killer.pdf)

1977
Heavy rains fell for two consecutive days across east central South Dakota through the 16th. Thunderstorms would develop and then move across the same areas repeatedly in what is called a train echo pattern. Rain amounts in the area included 6.9 inches at Watertown, 6.5 inches at Volga, and 7.5 inches at Bruce.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1978
This was a rough day across portions of western and central South Dakota. A tornado touched down in Lemmon then skipped through town causing considerable damage. Numerous severe storms tore through central South Dakota with hail as large as baseballs and winds to 80 miles an hour causing $20 to $25 million dollars in damage across 15 counties. Several counties were declared disaster areas by the Governor of South Dakota.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1986
91 °F - Heart of June heat wave with 8 of first 16 days 90° or more in Washington, DC.
(Ref. Washington Weather Records - KDCA)

1987
Thunderstorms developing along a cold front produced severe weather in the northwestern U.S. A tornado damaged five homes and destroyed a barn near Salmon, ID. It lifted a metal shed 100 feet into the air and deposited it 100 yards away. Hail an inch and a half in diameter caused ten million dollars damage to automobiles at Nampa, ID.
(The National Weather Channel) (Storm Data)

1988
Severe thunderstorms in the Central High Plains Region spawned five tornadoes around Denver Co in just one hour. A strong (F-3) tornado in southern Denver injured seven persons and caused ten million dollars damage.

Twenty-six cities in the eastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. The high of 97 degrees at Portland, ME was a record for June.
(Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)

1989
Thunderstorms produced severe weather over the Southern and Middle Atlantic Coast States. The thunderstorms spawned eight tornadoes, including strong (F-3) tornadoes which injured three persons at Mountville, PA and four persons at Columbia, PA. There were 111 reports of large hail and damaging winds including wind gusts to 80 mph at Norfolk, VA and Hogback Mountain, SC.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

A late-season frost occurred over parts of the Midwest. Scattered areas of frost caused considerable damage to the corn crop in low-lying areas across northern Iowa. Damage was estimated to be around $2 million dollars. The hardest hit counties were in Winnebago, Kosuth and Hancock Counties.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1991
The largest volcanic eruption of the 20th Century began as Mt. Pinatubo injected 15 to 30 million tons of sulphur dioxide 100,000 feet into the atmosphere. 343 people were killed in the Philippines as a result of the eruptions and 200,000 were left homeless. Material from the eruption would spread around the globe, leading to climate changes worldwide as the sun's energy was blocked out and global temperatures cooled by as much as one degree Fahrenheit. 1992 was globally one of the coolest since the 1970s.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1992
The second largest two-day tornado outbreak in U.S. history commenced as a developing cumulus cloud broke through the cap in north central Kansas and exploded into a huge supercell thunderstorm. Between 4:15 and 8:35 PM CDT, this supercell produced 39 tornadoes in north central Kansas including 12 in Mitchell County and 9 in Osborne County. Some of the storms reached an amazing 78,000 feet into the atmosphere. A farmer living south of Cawker City reported going to the basement in his farm home five different times and each time he came out of the basement, his farm had additional damage. He also reported that at one time, he counted 3 tornadoes on the ground and 4 funnels in the air. Damage to property in Mitchell County exceeded $12 million. Overall, 58 tornadoes struck the Great Plains during this outbreak.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2014

TOP 10 U.S. Weather Events 2014
Severe Weather: June 14-19. Dozens of tornadoes raked the Midwest, with the standout event being the twin EF4 tornadoes that destroyed much of the town of Pilger on June 16 in northeast Nebraska.
Ref. (Weatherwise MAY-JUNE 2015, page 14)


June
16TH


1794
A frost was reported at Mansfield, MA, repeating a previous occurrence made on May 17th.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1806
Great American total solar eclipse occurred from California to Massachusetts with a five-minute duration.
(David Ludlum)

1906
On this date through the 17th, a tropical storm moved north out of the Caribbean, through the middle Florida Keys and exited into the Atlantic near West Palm Beach, gaining hurricane strength over the Atlantic.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1917
The temperature soared to 124 degrees at Mecca climaxing the most destructive heat wave of record in California history.
(David Ludlum)

1921
Yosemite Valley, CA received a trace of snow, their latest on record for this late in the season.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1924
A short, but intense heat wave in Wichita Falls, TX reached its peak on this date. The maximum temperature was 111°. This followed a high of 110° on the previous day, and was followed by 108° the next two days.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1944
A tornado in Sioux City, IA traveled an odd course. It spun in one place for about twenty minutes, made a U- turn, traveled southeast for about three miles, then traveled south, east, north, and finally east again.
(The Weather Channel)

1964
A late season snowfall left a trace of snow over all of northern Maine.

Guttenberg, IA set a record low for June with 40°.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1965
On the 16th and 17th -Severe floods occurred in Colorado as 12 to 14 inches of rain fell on portions of the east slopes of the Rockies and the plains east of Denver. 14 inches fell in just three hours at Palmer Lake and Larkspur, CO with 12 inches at Castle Rock. A wall of water as high as 20 feet roared down both branches of Plum Creek into the South Platte River near Littleton and through Metro Denver. Flood waters spread to a width of a half mile in Denver. The citizens of Denver received reports of the flooding to the south and had a few hours to initiate evacuation procedures along the South Platte River greatly limiting the loss of life. Around midnight, the torrent crested at 25 feet above normal with the flow exceeding 40 times normal. This is the record flood on the South Platte and many of its tributaries. Many homes and businesses were destroyed. Damage totaled $230 million dollars. 8 people were killed.
(Ref. Denver, CO Weather History)

1972
Agnes was born, forming as a tropical storm east of the Yucatan Peninsula.
( Ref. wikipedia.org)


1975
New York City--Two children were killed and seven injured by a single bolt of lightning when they took refuge from rain under a tree in Central Park.
(Ref. Lightning-The Underrated Killer.pdf)

1987
Temperatures soared above 100 degrees in the Upper Midwest, reaching 104 degrees at Lincoln, NE. Thunderstorms produced wind gusts to 96 mph at Valley City, ND and baseball size hail near Red Oak, IA.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988
After a brief respite, hot weather returned to the Northern High Plains Region. Late night thunderstorms in Montana produced wind gusts to 70 mph at Polson and north of Lake Seeley.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1989
Daytime thunderstorms produced severe weather from northern Florida to the Middle Atlantic Coast. The thunderstorms spawned eight tornadoes, and there were 138 reports of large hail and damaging winds. Thunderstorm winds gusting to 87 mph caused twenty million dollars damage at Columbia, SC. Strong thunderstorm winds killed one person at McLeansville, NC.
(Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)

1992
There were 65 tornadoes reported across the Central U.S.; including 27 in Minnesota. In addition, the storms produced baseball size hail, 80 mph straight-line winds and up to seven inches of rain. An F5 tornado leveled half of the town of Chandler, MN, where one person was killed and 35 others injured. It was the only F5 tornado of the year and the first half of the 1990’s in the United States. A canceled check from Chandler was later found 95 miles away. Damage estimates in Chandler and Lake Wilson alone topped $27 million dollars.

Ferocious thunderstorms also tore doing tremendous damage. Portions of central and eastern South Dakota and southwest Minnesota were hit by large hail, strong winds, and numerous tornadoes were included in the days' outbreak. All told the storm left 55 people homeless. Additional storms dropped large hail, including baseball size stones in Sanborn County which flattened crops and killed livestock. The two-day count of twisters was 123, second only to the Super-Outbreak of April 3-4, 1974.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1994
A family was enjoying the afternoon on Lake Moomaw in Bath County when a sudden thunderstorm approached. They took refuge on a small island only 300 by 100 yards wide, which provided little protection. They sought shelter under some tall pines, the tallest objects around for some distance. Lightning struck the pines killing the entire family of five instantly.
(Ref. Lightning - Virginia Weather History)

1998
Fort Belvoir: a security guard was shocked while opening a metal door; he was treated and released from the Army community hospital after slight numbness ensued.
(Ref. Lightning - Virginia Weather History)

2000
Thunderstorms produced up to 6 to 8 inches of rain during a 6 to 8 hour period in central and southern Barry County, Missouri. Significant flash flooding occurred as a result of the copious rainfall. The flood waters destroyed 14 homes in Cassville, MO and damaged 32 homes and 26 businesses. Much of the area around the Roaring River State Park had to be evacuated as the waters rose.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2001
Lightning struck after rain had ended and the sun was shining killing a teenage girl south of Wakefield, Quebec Canada; just outside of Montreal. The same thunderstorm shocked 11 soccer players and spectators in a Montreal park. Though some were burned, none were seriously injured.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2004
Sioux Falls, South Dakota:
A 2-hour rainstorm deluges southwest Sioux Falls with 7.79 inches (198 mm) of rain, flooding streets and homes. The Big Sioux River overflows closing several parks and bike trails.
(Ref. WxDoctor)

2008
Western and central New Yorkers experienced a rare widespread large and damaging hail event. For two hours, cell after cell rolled along a similar path across southern Niagara, southern Orleans, Monroe, Wayne and northern Cayuga counties many of which had hail of up to an inch-an-a-half diameter. Then more thunderstorms that formed later produced hail up to two inches in diameter, a rare event for western New York. One thunderstorm formed over Grand Island intensified as it moved southeast across the densely-populated northern and eastern suburbs of Buffalo. The golf-ball sized hail damaged thousands of automobiles as well as windows, roofs and awnings on homes. At the Amherst Middle School, the hail pierced 1200 to 1500 holes in the skylight roof. While property damage was significant, the damage to area crops was devastating. The hailstones pummeled fruits leaving divots and cracks. Vegetable plants were stripped of their leaves. Apples, peaches and pears that were not stripped from the tress and could have been sold for eating fresh will have to be sold for processing at a substantially lower cost because of being misshapen and bruised. The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a Disaster Declaration for Erie, Genesee, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans and Wayne counties.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2014

TOP 10 U.S. Weather Events 2014
Severe Weather: June 14-19. Dozens of tornadoes raked the Midwest, with the standout event being the twin EF4 tornadoes that destroyed much of the town of Pilger on June 16 in northeast Nebraska.
Ref. (Weatherwise MAY-JUNE 2015, page 14)

2016
June 16, 2016- Thursday A report from Lexington Farm Subdivision- Henrico ounty , Virginia Glen Allen had the worst thunderstorm since June 25, 2012 today between 2130 and midnight. The storm had tops to 52,000 feet and wind to 42 mph here. The Richmond International Airport had a gust to 60 mph and Ashland Airport had winds to 58 mph. Our neighborhood lost 2 trees and not far to our north they had 1.25 inch hail. The lightning was also very frequent. We couldn’t get to sleep until about midnight because of the thunder. One bolt was about 3 or 4 miles away but was so strong it shook the house! My son lost a section of his fence and five shingles from his roof. He brought all their food over to our refrigerator and his power was restored Saturday afternoon. At one point 200,000 people were without power in central VA and 160,000 customers in the Richmond area were without power, according to Dominion Virginia Power. By Saturday afternoon there were still 53,000 in Henrico without power. I spent about 3 hours clearing up the yard’s broken limbs and leaves which were all over. Two homes had shutters that were torn off and one neighbor lost two sections of his fence. But we were lucky in our neighborhood as it was worse in many arears. There were still about 8,500 people without power on Monday June 20th or 4 days later.
(Ref. Richmond, Newspaper)
(Ref. NWS-Wakefield)
(Ref. Wind Damage Reports NWS-Wakefield)


June  
17TH


1859
Hot Santa Ana winds in southern California roasted fruit on one side toward the wind at Santa Barbara.
(Sandra and TI Richard Sanders - 1987)

1882
A tornado traveled more than 200 miles across the state of Iowa killing 130 persons. The tornado touched down about ninety miles west of Grinnell, and struck the town and college around sunset, killing sixty persons, and causing more than half a million dollars damage. Traveling at nearly 60 mph, the tornado hit Mount Pleasant about 11 PM causing another half a million dollars damage.
(David Ludlum)

1946
The third deadliest tornado in Canadian history struck southwestern Ontario from Windsorto Tecumseh. 17 people were killed and hundreds injured. Damage was conservatively estimated at $1.5 million dollars.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1959
A tropical depression spawned several tornadoes, the most severe in Miami, FL since 1925. A tornado moved northeast through Miami, across Biscayne Bay and then out to sea. 77 people were injured, mostly from flying glass. On this date through the 21st, heavy rains over the southern peninsula caused considerable flooding in poorly drained and low lying agricultural areas and some residential sections. Some highways also sustained flood damage. High tides along the west coast from Tampa south damaged boat docks and caused beach erosion. 5-day rain totals were mostly 7 to 12 inches with some scattered amounts 15 inches or more reported. This Depression went on to become a hurricane and killed 33 lobster fishermen in the Canadian Maritimes.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1960
Heavy rains just west of Binghamton, NY produced 3 inches in less than 30 minutes. Flash flooding was reported in Johnson City, Vestal, and the northern sides of Endicott, NY.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1965
Holly, CO was deluged with 11.08 inches of rain to establish a state 24-hour rainfall record.
(The Weather Channel)

1967
This was the 24th consecutive day of at least a trace of precipitation at Denver, CO. Precipitation totaled 5.87 inches during that period; more than a third of their total annual rainfall.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1968
On this date through the 18th, Tropical Depression Brenda crossed Key West, FL and moved through central Florida exiting into the Atlantic near Jacksonville. This storm gained hurricane strength north of Bermuda.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1971
Hurricane Bridget passed just 30 miles off of Acapulco, MX. The storm was the worst in 25 years as winds gusted to 100 mph. The flagship of the Admiral of the Mexican Navy went down during the storm.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1978
An F2 tornado hit the showboat "Whippoorwill" on Pomona Lake in Osage County, Kansas as it left the dock for a dinner cruise. 16 of the 58 passengers drowned as the boat capsized, making the twister the deadliest tornado of the year.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1982
On this date through the 18th, a subtropical storm moved from the southeast Gulf of Mexico, northeast across the central Florida Peninsula into the Atlantic causing at least 12 tornadoes, On the Manatee River, 20 families were evacuated. The Peace River crested a week after the storm causing the evacuation of 130 families. A one and a half year old boy drowned in a flooded drainage ditch, and a Brevard County woman drowned when her canoe turned over, her four year old son was rescued after clinging to the canoe for six hours. 12 tornadoes were reported between the morning of the 17th and the morning of the 18th from Dade and Broward Counties to Polk and Volusia counties. On the evening of the 17th, a tornado destroyed five trailers and two cars in northwest Hendry County, killing a man in a trailer and seriously injuring his wife. Another tornado moved through the Lake Josephine area in Highlands County destroying 23 homes and mobile homes and damaging many more, injuring nine people. The 10 other tornadoes caused much property damage, but no deaths or serious injuries.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1985
The highest wind occurrence at Columbia, MO was recorded at 95 mph. This wind occurred on the same day that a tornado struck the Columbia Regional Airport causing damage to 22 planes.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1987
Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the south central U.S. Thunderstorms in Kansas produced wind gusts to 76 mph at Lyons and baseball size hail at Garden City. The Edwards Aquifer, which supplies water to San Antonio, TX, reached a record level of 699.2 feet following a record 18.43 inches of rain in thirty days. Torrential rains between mid May and mid June sent 8.8 million-acre feet of water down the rivers of southern Texas, the largest volume in 100 years of records.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988
Thunderstorms produced large hail and damaging winds in Georgia and the Carolinas. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 75 mph at Eden, NC.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1989
Unseasonably cool air, responsible for 37 records lows in the central U.S. on the 15th and 16th, including a low of 33 degrees at Valentine, NE on the 15th, overspread the eastern U.S. ending a three day siege of severe weather.
(The National Weather Summary)

2004
A man was struck by lightning while visiting the Lincoln Memorial as he took shelter under a tree in the midst of a passing thunderstorm. His clothes and shoes were shredded from the bolt as he was knocked unconscious and later transported to the hospital. He recovered from the lightning strike and was released four days later.
(Ref. Scott Summer of the DC Weather Examiner)

2008
A 440-yd-wide EF4 tornado destroyed 15 homes in the Miller reach area of Manhattan, KS, on the 11th. Today, a neighborhood home which was spared tornado damage was hit by lightning from a non-severe thunderstorm. $55,000 damage was caused by the ensuing fire.
(Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA)

1990
Extensive damage was also reported from Climbing Hill to Correctionville. Microburst winds of 105 mph were recorded at the Spencer Airport.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1991
Record cold occurred over the Pacific Northwest. New record low temperature marks were established at Burns, OR with 31° and Yakima, WA with 36°.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1992
Four consecutive days of severe thunderstorms and heavy rains from the 15th through the 18th resulted in flooding across northeast and east central South Dakota. Heavy rains of 5 to 20 inches caused extensive flooding, washing out numerous roads, bridges, and culverts and drowning livestock. Many crops in northeast and east central South Dakota were either flooded out by the heavy rains or severely damaged by hailstorms. The Big Sioux River swelled to almost three miles wide in places. Many houses and farm buildings were left as islands after being completely surrounded by water. The main flooding along the Big Sioux River extended from the Watertown area to near Dell Rapids and lasted for a week.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1998
A freak snowstorm dropped up to 8 inches of snow over the Snowy Mountain Range in Wyoming. The snow stranded travelers on the Snowy range pass and required plows to assist them in getting out.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2001
Tropical Storm Allison formed off the coast of Texas and moved inland on the 6th. The storm remained well organized and brought torrential rain and flooding from Texas, through the southern states and into the Mid-Atlantic region on its 10 day journey to the Atlantic Ocean. Allison regained tropical storm strength again east of Atlantic City, NJ. Rainfall amounts of more than 10 inches were measured in the northwest suburbs of Philadelphia, PA.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2009
Abercrombie, North Dakota:
Torrential rains drench Abercrombie with 7.5 inches of rain, shattering the previous daily maximum rainfall record of 2.0 inches set in 1959 and exceeding the previous all-time rainfall record of 4.9 inches set on 30 June 1958.
(Ref. WxDoctor)

Aurora, Nebraska:
A tornado levels a house knocks down power poles and overturns about a dozen railroad cars. The tornado is rated EF2, with winds between 111 and 135 mph.
(Ref. WxDoctor)

2014

TOP 10 U.S. Weather Events 2014
Severe Weather: June 14-19. Dozens of tornadoes raked the Midwest, with the standout event being the twin EF4 tornadoes that destroyed much of the town of Pilger on June 16 in northeast Nebraska.
Ref. (Weatherwise MAY-JUNE 2015, page 14)


June
18TH


1835
A tornado moved southeast across west central Illinois, touching down midway between Canton and Fairview. Farms were destroyed before the tornado moved across Canton, where 50 buildings were damaged or destroyed. The tornado killed 8 people, including the founder of Canton and his son.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1875
A severe coastal storm (or possible hurricane) struck the Atlantic coast from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia. Eastport, ME reported wind gusts to 57 mph.
(David Ludlum)

1934
Tropical storm from the Gulf of Mexico crossed Maryland near Frederick giving 34 mph winds and a low barometer reading of 29.48 inches.

1939
Anoka Tornado Takes Nine Lives; 250 Homes Ruined. The tornado struck with sudden fury at 3:28 p. m. Moving from the southwest to northeast, the towering, black, funnel-shaped cloud first struck near Corcoran, a small village a few miles southwest of Anoka. It hit a car in which four Minneapolis persons were riding, tossed it 200 yards into a field, killing several of the occupants. A local newspaper reported some chickens were stripped of many of their feathers during the tornado.
(Ref. See the Image of the Chicken)
(Ref. Anoka Tornado Stories)

1954
Just before sundown a heavy squall line 4 to 5 miles offshore and paralleling the Florida Keys for 15 to 18 miles, developed 11 funnel clouds. At least five reached the water.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1958
Hailstones up to four inches in diameter killed livestock as a storm passed from Joliet to Belfry in Carbon County, MT.
(The Weather Channel)

1964
A tornado moved from south-southwest to north-northeast damaging three farmsteads between Hoven to 8 miles north-northwest of Bowdle in South Dakota. This tornado was estimate to have F2 strength. An estimated five inches of rain fell in three hours near Bowdle causing soil erosion just before the tornado hit. Another storm moved from south to north and intensified as it moved northward. Winds were estimated between 50 and 100 mph. The greatest damage was in McPherson County where it was estimated 2 million dollars in crop damage occurred. Heavy rain was also observed on this day. Some storm total rain fall includes; 6.73 inches in Eureka, 4.28 in Roscoe, 3.75 in Leola, 2.68 inches.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1970
Wind and rain, and hail up to seven inches deep caused more than five million dollars damage at Oberlin, KS.
(The Weather Channel)

1972


1972
Hurricane Agnes moved northward through the Gulf of Mexico at 10 to 15 mph about 200 miles off the west coast of Florida. It was well west of Ft. Myers at 2000 on the 18th and passed west of Tampa near 0600z on the 19th and made landfall in the Panhandle near Cape San Blas in the afternoon. Gale force winds were felt throughout the state, but no hurricane force winds were reported. Agnes spawned the worst tropical cyclone severe weather outbreak in Florida history on this date and the 19th when the outer rainbands produced tornadoes and severe thunderstorms over the peninsula. Almost two dozen tornadoes and windstorms were reported from the Keys to Cape Canaveral. Six people were killed and 40 injured in Okeechobee when a series of windstorms, that may have been tornadoes, destroyed mobile homes at 2255z on the 18th. The highest tides in many years along the west coast destroyed homes and businesses, washed away roads and cut off access to many offshore islands. There was severe beach erosion. Damage estimates total $5 million dollars to public property and $36 million dollars to private property. One person drowned on the west coast and another death was attributed to a storm-related fatal heart attack.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

The greatest daily precipitation to occur in the month of June in Richmond, Virginia was 3.91 inches. (Ref. Richmond Weather Records - KRIC)

1973
The latest significant snow (2 inches or more) on record for the Black Hills in South Dakota occurred on this date when portion of the Hills received up to 8 inches.

1987
It was a hot day in the Upper Great Lakes Region. Nine cities in Michigan and Wisconsin reported record high temperatures for the date. The high of 90 degrees at Marquette, MI marked their third straight day of record heat. Severe thunderstorms in the Northern and Central High Plains Region spawned half a dozen tornadoes in Wyoming and Colorado. Wheatridge, CO was deluged with 2.5 inches of rain in one hour.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988
Severe thunderstorms in eastern North Dakota and northern Minnesota produced hail three inches in diameter and spawned four tornadoes in Steele County. Thunderstorms also produced wind gusts to 80 mph at Clearbrook, MN.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1989
Unseasonably hot weather prevailed in the southwestern U.S. In Arizona, afternoon highs of 103 degrees at Winslow, 113 degrees at Tucson, and 115 degrees at Phoenix were records for the date.
(The National Weather Summary)

1991
Atlanta, GA recorded a new record for the amount of rainfall in one hour as 3.47 inches fell between 6:52 pm and 7:52 pm EDT.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1992
Severe thunderstorms brought very large hail to parts of central and north-central Oklahoma. Baseball-size hail fell near Yale, Kingfisher, Cashion, and El Reno. The hail damaged roofs, windows, and automobiles. The storms also produced four weak, short-lived tornadoes. This event marked the highlight of the biggest daily sustained late season severe weather outbreak across the U.S. on record. More than 800 reports of severe weather, including 172 tornadoes, poured into the National Severe Storms Forecast Center from the 15th to the 19th.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1993
In west central Kansas, heavy rain caused roads in the Syracuse area to flood. As much as one foot of water covered some roads for a short period of time. In Greeley County, golf ball size hail, driven by thunderstorm winds, damaged wheat and broke windows along a four mile path from five miles south of Astor to nine miles south of Astor.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1997
Over 6 inches of rain fell at Columbia, MS in a three hour period and 8.25 inches fell in a 24 hour period. Water entered thirty businesses in Columbia, with 12 of the businesses suffering major damage. Eight homes also suffered flood damage. Many roads were washed out and had to be closed. Numerous cars were under water. This event caused $15 million dollars in property damages. Several roads were also flooded across the south half of Forrest County.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1999
Record morning chill occurred across the Appalachians. Record lows for the date included: , Elkins, WV: 39 °F, Pittsburgh, PA: 43 °F, Bluefield, WV: 46 °F.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2014

TOP 10 U.S. Weather Events 2014
Severe Weather: June 14-19. Dozens of tornadoes raked the Midwest, with the standout event being the twin EF4 tornadoes that destroyed much of the town of Pilger on June 16 in northeast Nebraska.
Ref. (Weatherwise MAY-JUNE 2015, page 14)


June
19 TH


1794
A violent tornado commenced west of the Hudson River in New York. The tornado traveled through Poughkeepsie, then crossed the border into Connecticut where it traveled through the towns of New Milford, Waterbury, North Haven, and Branford. It then continued on into Long Island Sound. The tornado did extensive damage and the funnel was reported by one observer to look like the "aurora borealis".
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1934
A hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico came ashore in Louisiana, then moved northeast, passing over northern Delaware, Philadelphia, PA and central New Jersey as an extratropical storm, with sustained winds of 45 mph. Philadelphia received 1.70 inches of rainfall on the 18th into this date, and New York City had 1.93 inches on this date, a daily record. As the storm passed over Philadelphia, the pressure dropped to 29.40 inches of mercury.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1835
A tornado tore through the center of New Brunswick, NJ killing five persons and scattering debris as far as Manhattan Island. The tornado provided the first opportunity for scientists to study firsthand the track of such a storm.
(David Ludlum)


1938
A cloudburst near Custer Creek, MT (near Miles City) caused a train wreck killing forty-eight persons. An estimated four to seven inches of rain deluged the head of the creek that evening, and water flowing through the creek weakened the bridge. As a result, a locomotive and seven passenger cars plunged into the swollen creek. One car, a tourist sleeper, was completely submerged.
(David Ludlum)

1944
Hailstorm caused great destruction to fruit crop in Winchester, Virginia.

1964
A squall line producing large hail swept through central Illinois, followed by two more consecutive lines passing shortly after dawn. The resulting hailstorms caused damage in excess of $9 million dollars, as hailstones the size of grapefruits brought havoc to trees, utility lines, crops and buildings. The thunderstorms also produced as much as 5 inches of rain over an 8-hour period.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1965
The Arkansas River crested at 15.68 feet at Dodge City, KS. Heavy rains in Eastern Colorado combined with three broken dams started the torrent of water which flowed through Colorado and Kansas. The river rose seven feet in 15 minutes between 9 AM and 9:15 AM. The deepest part of south Dodge was about 7 feet under water. The deep water created other problems, when gas regulators were covered, pressure built up in the gas lines and Dodge City was rocked by explosions. Total urban losses in Dodge City and Wilroads Gardens were estimated at nearly $3.8 million dollars, including damages to 615 residences and 155 businesses. 24 Kansas counties were declared flood disasters.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1972
Hurricane Agnes moved onshore near Cape San Blas, FL with wind gusts to 80 mph and exited Maine on the 26th. There were 117 deaths, mainly due to flooding from North Carolina to New York State, and total damage was estimated at more than three billion dollars. Up to 19 inches of rain deluged western Schuylkill County, PA. The rains of Hurricane Agnes resulted in one of the greatest natural disasters in U.S. history. Agnes caused more damage than all other tropical cyclones in the previous six years combined (which included Celia and Camille).
(David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
Agnes' Storm Track - NOAA.Gov.-National Hurricane Center


1987
It was a warm June day, with plenty of thunderstorms east of the Rockies. Lightning knocked out power at Throckmorton, TX, and ignited an oil tank battery. A woman in Knox City, TX was struck by lightning while in her car, and a man was struck by lightning near his home in Manatee County, FL. Strong thunderstorm winds overturned several outhouses near Bixby OK, but no injuries were reported.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988
Temperatures soared above 100 degrees in the central U.S. for Father's Day. Fifteen cities reported record high temperatures for the date. Severe thunderstorms in Minnesota and Wisconsin produced softball size hail near River Falls WI, and wind gusts to 80 mph at Menomonie WI.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1989
Fourteen cities reported record high temperatures for the date as searing heat spread from the southwestern deserts into the High Plains Region. Record highs included 98 degrees at Billings, MT, 107 degrees at Valentine, NE, and 112 degrees at Tucson, AZ.
(The National Weather Summary)

1990
Wichita, Kansass:
A derecho (a widespread and long-lived, violent convectively induced straight-line windstorm) hits Wichita during the late evening hours. Its 116 mph winds reached topple trees, rip apart small buildings, and knock down over 1,000 power poles. The storm causes more than $50 million in damage.
(Ref. WxDoctor)

1992
Two batches of severe thunderstorms, occurring within six hours of each other, dumped hailstones up to 4.5 inches in diameter (softball size) across Sedgwick and surrounding counties in south central Kansas. Over 10,000 homes were damaged. The hail left wheat fields near total losses. The hail also left most wheat fields in its path a near total loss with about 375,000 acres damaged in several counties. Estimated property damage totaled $500 million dollars with crop damage at $100 million dollars. The thunderstorm episode ranks as one for the worst ever to hit the state of Kansas.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1994
Lightning struck and killed two golfers, and injured another, at the Lincoln Golf Course in northeastern Oklahoma City. These golfers were seeking shelter from a thunderstorm under trees when they were struck by lightning.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1996
Severe thunderstorm winds damaged a large hanger door and turned a Boeing 727 aircraft 180 degrees at Orlando International Airport in Florida. Lightning injured three landscape workers near the University of Central Florida.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1996
A 22 year-old man was reported in critical condition after being struck by lightning while visiting the Nations Capital during the early evening of the 19th.
(Ref. Scott Summer of the DC Weather Examiner)

2002
Parts of New Jersey that had barely gotten three inches of snow during the winter were buried in up to 8 inches of hail. People had to break out their snow shovels for the first time of the year.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2004
Annette Island, Alaska,:
An all-time record high temperature is set: 93 °F.
(Ref. WxDoctor)


June
20TH


1682
A major tornado ripped through southwestern Connecticut, passing through Stratford, Milford, and New Haven, and then into Long Island Sound.
(Sandra and TI Richard Sanders - 1987)

1921
Circle, MT received 11.5 inches of rain in 24 hours, a record for the state. The town of Circle received a total of 16.79 inches of rain that month to establish a rainfall record for any town in Montana for any month of the year.
(The Weather Channel)

1928
A farmer near Greensburg, KS looked up into the heart of a tornado. He described its walls as "rotating clouds lit with constant flashes of lightning and a strong gassy odor with a screaming, hissing sound".
(The Weather Channel)
(Ref. WxDoctor)

1956
A microburst caused a brief wind gust to 58 mph at Stapleton Airport.
(Ref. Denver, CO Weather History)

1964
A squall line producing large hail swept through central Illinois. A second squall line moved through during the early morning hours of the 21st, and a third one moved through shortly after dawn. The series of hailstorms caused nine million dollars damage. Hailstones as large as grapefruit caused heavy damage to trees, utility lines, crops and buildings. The thunderstorms also produced as much as five inches of rain in an eight-hour period.

Hail up to 1 inch in diameter was reported 1 mile north of Stapleton International Airport. A 3 minute hail storm at both Stapleton International Airport and lowry field piled small hail to one half inch deep.
(Ref. Denver, CO Weather History)

1975
Atlantic Beach, NC -- A man was killed on the beach by lightning. Lakeland, Fla.--A 16-year-old boy was killed instantly and his 16-year-old companion was injured when lightning struck a power line adjacent to a tree house in which the boys were located.
(Ref. Lightning-The Underrated Killer.pdf)
(David Ludlum)

1986
A man was killed by lightning at Highlands Ranch south of Denver.
(Ref. Denver, CO Weather History)

1987
Thunderstorms prevailed east of the Rockies, producing severe weather in the Central High Plains Region. Thunderstorms spawned four tornadoes in Colorado and produced wind gusts to 70 mph at Goodland, KS.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

Several tornadoes were sighted across metro DENVER. A tornado touched down briefly 5 miles west oF Parker. A tornado was sighted just north of Chatfield Reservoir. A tornado was sited just northwest of Watkins was on the ground for 15 minutes. A tornado near Barr Lake was taped by a television news crew. This tornado had a double vortex and was on the ground for about 10 minutes. In addition to the 4 tornadoes severe thunderstorms dumped large hail across metro Denver. One inch hail was reported in southeast Aurora; 3/4 inch hail fell at the Denver Technology Center, Buckley Field, and Franktown.
(Ref. Denver, CO Weather History)

1988
Thirty-eight cities in the central U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. Afternoon highs of 97 degrees at Flint, MI and 104 degrees at Chicago, IL both tied the old records for the month of June. Thunderstorms in North Dakota produced baseball size hail near Kief and wind gusts to 100 mph near McGregor.
(Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)

1989
An early morning thunderstorm produced wind gusts to 61 mph at Pierre, SD, and the hot thunderstorm winds raised the temperature from 86 degrees at midnight to 96 degrees by 1 AM, and 104 degrees by 2 AM. Butte, MT and Yellowstone Park, WY reported snow that afternoon.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

A meteorological “hot flash” hit Pierre, SD. Descending air from collapsing thunderstorms caused the temperature in Pierre to warm from 86 degrees at midnight to 96 at 1 a.m. and to 104 at 2 a.m. Pierre’s record high for the date of 105 degrees in 1974.
(Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA)

2000
Barrow, Alaska:
The town of Barrow on Alaska's North Slope experiences its first recorded thunderstorm which dropped 0.16 inches of rain in just a couple minutes.
(Ref. WxDoctor)

2001
A man talking on a cordless telephone in a basement was struck by lightning. Event occurred four miles southeast of Crozet in Albemarle County, VA.
(Ref. Lightning - Virginia Weather History)

Large hail driven by strong thunderstorm winds raked Denver International and front range airports. Wind gusting to 54 mph along with hail as large 2 inches in diameter punched at least 14 thousand holes and cracks in the flat roofs of several buildings at Denver International Airport. In addition...93 planes and hundreds of cars were damaged. About 100 flights had to be canceled stranding 1500 travelers. The Airport was completely shut down for about 20 minutes. The storm also damaged a ground avoidance radar used to track planes on the ground to prevent collisions. Damage was estimated at 10 million dollars not counting the damage to the 93 airliners. The storm moved south and struck Watkins Colorado with hail as large as 2 1/2 inches in diameter and winds gusting to 60 mph. At least 30 private planes at front range airport were destroyed.


June  
21st


1881
The summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire was snow covered on the solstice.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1886
TA destructive hurricane hit the Apalachicola – Tallahassee area of Florida on the summer solstice. Extensive damage was done in Florida and throughout the southeast by this storm. Damage was due mainly to extremely high tides.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1893
On the first day of summer the temperature at Dodge City, KS soared to 106 degrees during the midst of a blistering heat wave. The heat wave initiated a severe three-year drought in the Central Plains Region. Ironically, at about the same time, heavy rains in the Mississippi Valley were causing the river to swell to its highest level of record at New Orleans, LA.
(David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)

1919
Seven heavy coach cars of a moving train were picked up and thrown from the tracks by tornado winds. A baggage car was set down thirty feet away from the rest of the train.
(The Weather Channel)

1923
The island of Nantucket off Cape Cod had its earliest 90 degree reading and the only one ever in June.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1954
A severe hailstorm struck Wichita, KS and vicinity causing nine million dollars damage.
(The Weather Channel)

1968
A line of severe thunderstorms raced across the state of South Dakota at 60 mph with winds that exceeded 100 mph in some areas with winds over 60 mph quite common. Many areas also received extensive hail damage with dime to golf ball size hail common and even a few areas were pounded with baseball size hail. At least, nine tornadoes and 11 separate funnel clouds were reported, although more likely occurred...they were probably obscured by darkness in the east and by blowing dust in the west. To that point in the state's history, the night's storms were likely the most damaging on record as they resulted in $10 to $15 million dollars in damage.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1972
When Hurricane Agnes dropped 16 inches of rain over central Virginia in 1972, the James River flooded Richmond. Flood waters in the river reached 6.5 feet higher than the historical 200-year-old record. Richmond, VA experienced its worst flood of record as rains from Hurricane Agnes pushed the water level at the city locks to a height of 36.5 feet, easily topping the previous record of thirty feet set in 1771. Thirteen years later, a multi-million dollar floodwall was erected to prevent the rising waters of the river from overflowing again. - Also see June 22nd
(Ref. Flood Marker on the James River)
(Ref. Rainfall Amount on the East Coast)
(Ref. Flood Marker on the Potomac)
Agnes gave DC. 7.19 inches rain in 24 hrs. an all-time rec. 11 inches n. suburbs, 15.00 in Herndon, 16 in Chantilly, VA.
Agnes' Storm Track - NOAA.Gov.-National Hurricane Center

Phoenix, AZ was drenched with 1.64 inches of rain late on the 21st and early on the 22nd to easily surpass their previous June rainfall record of 0.95 inches. The total for the month was 1.70 inches.
(The Weather Channel)

1979
Severe thunderstorms brought high winds and large hail to parts of western and central Oklahoma. Winds gusted to 80 mph near Buffalo, and baseball-size hail pounded Weatherford and Colony. Winds exceeded 100 mph in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, taking down power lines throughout the city.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1987
A tornado destroyed 57 mobile homes at the Chateam Estates trailer park northwest of Detroit, MI killing one person and injuring six others. Total damage was estimated at 1.7 million dollars. Thunderstorms over Lower Michigan also drenched the Saginaw Valley with up to 4.5 inches of rain in less than six hours.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988
The first full day of summer was a torrid one, with afternoon highs of 100 degrees or above reported from the Northern and Central Plains to the Ohio Valley. Sixty-nine cities in the north central U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. The high of 110 degrees at Sioux Falls, SD was an all-time record for that location. Highs of 103 degrees at Des Moines, IA, 102 degrees at Fort Wayne, Indiana, 109 degrees at Huron, SD, 108 degrees at Sioux City, IA, and 101 degrees at South Bend, Indiana were records for June.
(The National Weather Summary)
(Ref. Wilson - Additional Temperatures Listed On This Link)

1989
The first day of summer heralded snow in the northern and central Rockies. In Colorado, 15 inches of snow was reported at the summit of Mount Evans and in Wyoming 18 inches was reported at Dickensen Park, west of Lander.

Heavy rain continued in the eastern U.S. Huntsville AL reported a record 11.65 inches for the month, compared to the 0.17 inch rainfall total in June 1988.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1998
A thunderstorm produced winds of 100 mph in Harrisburg, in southeast Illinois. Hundreds of trees were uprooted or snapped, with some of these trees as much as five feet in diameter. A few outbuildings were blown off their foundations. The damage path was from ¾ to 1 mile wide, and 4 to 5 miles long.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2000
Nottoway County, VA around 6 pm, two national guardsmen were injured by lightning at Camp Pickett.
(Ref. Lightning - Virginia Weather History)

2005
Colorado Springs, Colorado,:
Slow-moving, intense thunderstorm dumps as much as a foot of hail in southeastern areas of Colorado Springs. The city uses snowplows to clear a major thoroughfare. Heavy rainfall associated with the storm flooded city streets with up to 4 feet of water, trapping dozens of motorists
(Ref. WxDoctor)

2008
Lightning tends to hit “high” objects and a boat on water locally fits that description. 2 brothers fishing on an aluminum boat were killed when lightning hit their boat on FL’s Choctawhatchee Bay south of Choctaw Beach.
(Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA)


June
22ND


1886
At Lynchburg, a "terrific rain" led to street flooding, setting a new record for the wettest June at the site (5.44 inches Record at this time).
In Washington, DC, (4.16 inches Record at this time) of rain fell on the 22nd alone, setting a 24-hour rainfall record for June.
(Ref. for Heavy Rainfall)

1906
A destructive hailstorm struck the town of Chelsea, VT, covering an area 1 by 10 miles. There were drifts up to two feet deep, and most crops were destroyed.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1919
59 people were killed as an F5 tornado ripped through the town of Fergus Falls, MN. 400 buildings were destroyed. A blank check was found over 60 miles away and lumber was carried 10 miles.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1928
The approaching tornado fascinated Keller, who returned for a last look after making sure that his wife, Myra, and young Will were safe in the cellar.
Across the flat, unbroken horizon Keller saw an unobstructed view of the three funnels.
The one nearest was much larger and more active than the other two.
“As I paused to look I saw that the lower end which had been sweeping the ground was beginning to rise,” Keller said.
“I knew what that meant, so I kept my position. I knew that I was comparatively safe and I knew that if the tornado again dipped I could drop down and close the door before any harm could be done.”
Soon the tornado was directly overhead and Keller noticed an odd stillness.
He smelled a strong gassy odor and found it difficult to breathe.(For the whole story see the references)
Seeing the Inside of a tornado(Ref.Weather Bureau Office Dodge City, Kans.)
Seeing the Inside of a tornado(Ref.Author: Joyce Corbin)

1944
A violent tornado, which touched down in southwest Wisconsin, crossed the border into Illinois, northeast of Freeport. Both states had at least $1 million damage each. In Illinois, 66 farms lost barns, and 21 homes were destroyed. Two people were killed in Illinois, with seven more in Wisconsin.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1947
Twelve inches of rain fell in forty-two minutes at Holt, MO establishing a world rainfall record. That record was tied on January 24-25, 1956, at the Kilauea Sugar Plantation in Hawaii, as their state record was established with thirty-eight inches of rain in twenty-four hours.
(The Weather Channel)
June 22, 1947 Cloudburst (Ref.Weatherwise May/June p10-11)
(Ref. WxDoctor)

1972
Remnants of hurricane Agnes dumped in twenty-four hours a total rainfall of 7.19 inches at DCA and 5.23 inches at BWI and 11.88 inches at Dulles Airport and up to twenty-six inches in central Virginia (Nelson County).

1972
Hurricane Agnes deluged Pennsylvania and New York State with torrential rains resulting in the most costly flood in U.S. history. In the Middle Susquehanna Valley of Pennsylvania, 24-hour rainfall amounts were generally 8 to 12 inches, with up to 19 inches in extreme southwestern Schuylkill County. At Wilkes-Barre, PA the dike was breached destroying much of the town. Flooding resulted in 117 deaths and 3.1 billion dollars damage.
(David Ludlum)
June 21-23, 1972 Tropical Storm - Agnes
This storm had to be covered as one of the top storms of the century even though flooding, flash flooding and hurricanes were captured by other storms, hence this category as the top tropical storm and quite a disaster it caused to the Mid-Atlantic region. Agnes developed in the Gulf of Mexico to become a weak Category 1 Hurricane by the time of landfall on the Florida Panhandle. It weakened to a depression as moved inland across Georgia and the Carolinas. It emerged off the Virginia Capes and strengthened back to a tropical storm as it headed north to make landfall once again on New York's Long Island. None of this sounds very noteworthy especially when compared to large and powerful storms such as Hurricane Floyd appeared as it approached the Bahamas. Agnes is a reminder that we cannot assume that the size and category of a hurricane tells the whole picture.
Total storm damage in the United States from Agnes was estimated at just under $3.5 billion with a death toll of 122 lives.
Agnes produced tornadoes in Florida and flooding up the East Coast. Hardest hit states from flooding included Virginia, Maryland, DC, and Pennsylvania. Even with the storm center passing well off the Delmarva Coast, Agnes managed to drop torrential rain over the region averaging close to 8 to 10 inches over many basins. Rainfall totals of as much as 16.65 inches recorded at Washington-Dulles Airport in Virginia just west of Washington, DC.
In Richmond, the James River crested 6.5 feet above the old record flood marks dating back 200 years ago.
Water supply and sewage treatment plants, along with electric and gas plants, were inundated and were partially shut down. Four of the five bridges crossing the James were closed. A 200-block area of downtown Richmond was swamped and closed off for several days. Flooding occurred on the Appomattox River with Farmville suffering its worst flood in history. The Dan River at Danville and the Roanoke River in Roanoke exceeded previous record flood stages set in August 1940. The Shenandoah and the Potomac Rivers flooded as well. Most Northern Virginia streams and creeks overflowed their banks during the night, washing out roads and, in some cases, destroying homes. Uninsured homes and a lifetime accumulation of household goods were quickly swept away. Northern Virginia was particularly hard hit. Fairfax County reported an estimated $25 million damage, by far the largest in the state. Manassas was badly flooded, as was the Occoquan River, which washed out a section of the U.S. Route 1 bridge. In Virginia, a total of 63 counties and 23 cities qualified for federal disaster relief. There were 13 deaths and $222 million in damages. Sensitized by the Nelson County/Camille Flood in August 1969, quick evacuation saved lives.
Numerous homes were destroyed, 600 roads went underwater and 103 state highway bridges were washed out or damaged. In Maryland and the District of Columbia, heavy rains in less than 24 hours, on the 21st and 22nd, resulted in severe flooding. Maryland's heaviest rains occurred in the north central part of the state where totals set all-time records.
Highest total rainfall was 14.68 inches at Westminister and 13.85 inches at Woodstock. Totals of 8 inches or more fell in an area west of the Chesapeake Bay and east of Hagerstown. The District of Columbia reported more than 7 inches. The 11.55 inches at Westminister and 11.35 inches at Woodstock on the 21st are among the greatest one-day falls in Maryland history. One-day record rainfalls for Maryland include 14.75 inches at Jewell in July 1897 and 12.61 inches at White Marsh in August, 1971. The previous one-day June record was 6.05 inches at Elkton on June 27th, 1938. A 24-hour (not limited to one day) total of 7.19 inches at Washington National Airport on June 21-22 was second only to the 7.31 inch total of August 11-12, 1928. The heavy rains caused disastrous flash flooding of creeks and streams in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Major flooding followed. The Potomac fed by heavy rains over its entire basin began flooding on the 22nd. At Little Falls, just outside Washington, DC. the river crested at 22.03 feet in the early hours of the 24th. Flood stage is 10.0 feet. Meanwhile at Wisconsin Avenue, downtown Washington, DC. a 15.45-foot crest had occurred and persisted for about 8 hours. Along the Monocacy River, a crest of 35.90 feet occurred at Frederick, Maryland. The previous record was 30.0 feet set back in 1889. Flooding also occurred along the Anacostia and Patuxent Rivers and along Seneca and Rock Creeks. Flooding along the Patapsco River broke all existing records. It was the worst flooding that the Baltimore area had ever seen. Near the Pennsylvania border the Susquehanna, which had devastated much of the Keystone State, threatened the Conowingo Dam. Floodwaters covered small towns of Port Deposit and Harve d'Grace below the dam and a wide swath of land on both sides of the river from the dam to the river's mouth at the Chesapeake Bay, some 12 miles away. Floodgates were opened for more than 48 hours and the dam held.
Total storm damage in Maryland and the District of Columbia was estimated at $110 million. There were 21 storm deaths in Maryland and none in the District of Columbia. The following Maryland counties, including Baltimore City, were declared disaster areas: Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Prince Georges and Washington. Along the Chesapeake Bay, the counties named were Calvert, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's, St. Mary's, Somerset, Talbot and Wicomico.
(Ref. WxDoctor)
(Ref. Additional Information About Agnes)
(Ref. Rainfall Amount on the East Coast)
(Ref. Flood Marker on the Potomac)

1981
A young woman from Lubbock, TX was struck by lightning. The bolt of lightning struck just above her right shoulder near her neck, and passed right to left through her body, tearing her warm-ups, causing her tennis shoes to explode, and lifting her two feet into the air. She did survive.
(The Weather Channel)

1986
From the afternoon hours of the 21st into the early morning hours on this date intense thunderstorms produced strong winds, large hail, and heavy rains across southeast South Dakota. Thunderstorms produced winds of 95 mph at Yankton and 93 mph at Vermillion uprooting many trees, snapping power lines, and damaging buildings. In some areas strong winds continued for up to 30 minutes. Large hail, the size of baseballs, tore apart crops across Moody County while rainfall up to 7.5 inches fell in Minnehaha County.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1987
Thunderstorms in southern Texas produced wind gusts to 116 mph near Quemado.

Thunderstorms in New York State produced 5.01 inches of rain in 24 hours at Buffalo, an all-time record for that location, and produced an inch of rain at Bath, PA.

The temperature at Fairbanks AK soared to 92 degrees establishing a record for the date.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988
Sixty-five cities in twenty-four states reported record high temperatures for the date. Tucson, AZ reported an all-time record high of 114 degrees, surpassing the previous record of 112 degrees established a day earlier.


(Ref. Many - Additional Temperatures Listed On This Link) Highs of 98 degrees at Pittsburgh, PA and 100 degrees at Baltimore, MD tied records for the month of June.
(The National Weather Summary)

A vicious batch of thunderstorms, unusually strong for the northeastern U.S., hit New York and southern New England. Winds gusted to 81 mph at Schenectady, NY, 74 mph at the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, MA, and 68 mph at Boston, MA. Thousands of trees were uprooted in the Merrimack River Valley alone in northern Massachusetts. Hailstones two inches in diameter broke windows at Poestenkill, NY. Hail the size of golf balls fell at Chesterfield and Maynard, MA.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1989
Record cold temperatures were reported in the High Plains Region. Rapid City, SD reported a record low of 39 degrees, in sharp contrast to their record high of 102 degrees two days earlier, on the 20th. (The National Weather Summary)

1992
Record cold prevailed in the eastern U.S. with many low temperature records for the date tied or broken. Indianapolis, IN dipped to 37° to set a new all-time record low temperature for June and the coldest summer temperature ever. At Muskegon, MI the temperature plummeted to 32°. It was the latest freezing temperature on record there. In sharp contrast, it was a furnace in the Pacific Northwest with Eugene and Medford, Oregon setting new all-time record high temperatures for June with 102° and 111° degrees, respectively.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1993
Measurable rain would fall every day from the date until July 25th somewhere in Iowa. The highly unusual weather pattern that produced this nearly continuous rainfall would result in the greatest flood in U.S. history as 15% of the contiguous United States was affected. It would be one of the United States most costly natural disasters ever along with Hurricane Andrew of 1992.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2003
Aurora, Nebraska:
A hailstone measuring 6.5 inches in diameter with a circumference of 17.3 inches and weighing 1.33 pounds falls. The National Weather Service reports this is the second largest hailstone ever documented in the U.S. by weight, and the largest by size at that time. The world's largest hailstone NOW was produced from storms in South Dakota; 8" in diameter and 1.9375 lbs. on July 23, 2010, in SD.
(Ref. WxDoctor)

It had a 7-inch diameter and a circumference of 18.75 inches. (Currently (Jan 2011) the largest hailstone fell on July 23, 2010 in Vivian, South Dakota.)
(Ref. Hail Events by Michael Mogil)

2007
The first officially documented F5 tornado in Canada struck the town of Elie, Manitoba population 500 people. Video of the storm showed a heavy van being whirled through the air. The tornado also tossed an almost intact house several hundred yards through the air before it disintegrated. The tornado traveled across the landscape for about 35 minutes covering 3.4 miles and leaving a damage path 984 feet wide. Wind speeds in the tornado were later estimated at 260-316 mph. Fortunately, no fatalities or serious injuries were reported.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2009
Florida:
Temperature records tumble with Vero Beach leading the record heat parade with a record high of 102°F and a heat index of 111°F. Elsewhere in the state, Tallahassee hits 103°F; Daytona and West Palm Beach, 96°F and Miami 98.°F.
(Ref. WxDoctor)

2016
June 22-24. Part of a severe weather outbreak that produced over two dozen tornadoes from Illinois to West Virginia, up to 10 inches of rain fell in just 12-24 hours on June 23, setting off West Virginia's third deadliest flood. Twenty-three people lost their lives.


June
23RD


1586
Sir Francis Drake arrived near Roanoke Island, only to be greeted by a storm. It was described as "extraordinary" and lasted three days. His fleet was in great danger during the tempest. The Primrose broke its 250-pound anchor. Hail the size of hen eggs pelted the colony. Waterspouts also threatened the mariners. The settlers evacuated back to England soon after the storm.
(Ref. for Storm of 1586)

1902
Volcano Springs, CA 129° highest temperature ever for June - The temperature at Volcano Springs CA soared to 129 degrees to set a June record for the U.S.
(Sandra and TI Richard Sanders)

1944
Four tornadoes killed 153 persons and caused five million dollars damage in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland. The tornadoes formed during the evening and moved southeast along parallel paths flattening everything in their way. The town of Shinnston, WV was leveled, and was left with the majority of the causalities. Until that time it was believed that damaging tornadoes did not travel across mountainous terrain.
(David Ludlum)

1954
The temperature climbed to a high of 102 degrees setting a record for the date for Denver, CO.
(Ref. Denver, CO Weather History)

1957
A few miles west of Fort Stockton, TX, softball size hail injured 21 persons unable to find shelter, mostly farm laborers. Some livestock were killed.
(The Weather Channel)

1962
Lightning struck and injured a man near Buffalo, southwest of Denver, CO while he was riding in the back of a pick-up truck. He suffered multiple bruises...cuts...and shock.
(Ref. Denver, CO Weather History)

1975
Hail up to 3/4 inch in diameter fell at Stapleton International Airport and over other parts of metro Denver, CO. Four funnel clouds were sighted: 10 miles northeast of Denver and south of Boulder and southeast of Boulder and south of Aurora.
(Ref. Denver, CO Weather History)

1981
A thunderstorm produced wind gusts to 60 mph in Lttleton, CO.
(Ref. Denver, CO Weather History)

1982
Two separate bolts of lightning injured three men in southwest Denver, CO and two buildings were also damaged.
(Ref. Denver, CO Weather History)

1987
Severe thunderstorms produced large hail across metro Denver, CO and golf ball size hail fell in Littleton and near Morrison, CO. Southeast Aurora had 1 1/2 inch hail recorded and south of Lakewood had 1 inch hail reported in Llittleton, Arvada, and at Cherry Creek Dam. Two funnel clouds were sighted 20 miles southwest of Stapleton International Airport.
(Ref. Denver, CO Weather History)

A massive hailstorm hit eastern Colorado causing an estimated 60 to 70 million dollars damage. At La Junta, CO, hail as large as softballs caused 37 million dollars damage.
(Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)

1988
Thirty-four cities reported record high temperatures for the date. The reading of 90 degrees at Bluefield, WV equaled their record for the month of June. The record high of 104 degrees at Billings, MT was their thirteenth of the month.
(The National Weather Summary)

1989
Six cities in the High Plains Region reported record low temperatures for the date, including Sheridan, WY with a reading of 38 degrees. Showers and thunderstorms in the eastern U.S. deluged New Castle County, DE with 2.5 inches of rain in one hour.
(The National Weather Summary)

1993
Non-convective high winds developed along the front range foothills near Denver, CO. Wind gusts to 70 mph were common near the foothills with numerous tree limbs broken by the winds.
(Ref. Denver, CO Weather History)

1999
Hail as large as 1 inch in diameter was measured in the city of Denver, CO with 3/4 inch hail in Littleton, CO.
(Ref. Denver, CO Weather History)

2011
Damage shots from the Downers Grove EF-1 tornado Tuesday evening June 23, 2011 11:19 PM | An EF-1 tornado that went through the Downers Grove, Illinois during the evening west of the Chicago area. Greg states that the tornado began about 1 mile from his house in Woodridge, Illinois in the worst thunderstorm Chicago has had since August 2008. A weak EF1 tornado with 90-100mph winds was confirmed over Downers Grove. The tornado tracked literally right over Guy’s house where we have our poker nights every so often. Luckily his house was not damaged, unlike some of his neighbors.
(Ref. Chicago Has The Worst Thunderstorm since August 2008)
(Ref. Chicago Has Tornado Damage)
See a car that was lifted off the ground by an uprooted tree.
(Ref. Chicago Area Tornado - Car lifted by a Tree)
(Ref. Chicago Area Tornado - Car close-up)

2016
June 22-24. Part of a severe weather outbreak that produced over two dozen tornadoes from Illinois to West Virginia, up to 10 inches of rain fell in just 12-24 hours on June 23, setting off West Virginia's third deadliest flood. Twenty-three people lost their lives.


June
24TH


1816
Three days greater than 90° in MA in the 'year without a summer'. The cold weather of early June finally gave way to several days of 90-degree heat in Massachusetts, including a reading of 99 degrees at Salem.
(David Ludlum)

1924
Six men at a rock quarry south of Winston-Salem, NC sought shelter from a thunderstorm. The structure chosen contained a quantity of dynamite. Lightning struck a near-by tree causing the dynamite to explode. The men were killed instantly.
(The Weather Channel)

1946
11.72 inches of rain fell at Mellen, WI during a 24 hour period. This is the greatest 24-hour precipitation total ever recorded in the state. There was flooding on the Bad and White Rivers.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1951
Twelve inches of hail broke windows and roofs, and dented automobiles, causing more than fourteen million dollars damage. The storm plowed 200 miles from Kingmand County, KS into Missouri, with the Wichita area hardest hit. It was the most disastrous hailstorm of record for the state of Kansas.
(David Ludlum)

1952
Thunderstorms produced a swath of hail 60 miles long and 3.5 miles wide through parts of Hand, Beadle, Kingsbury, Miner and Jerauld counties in South Dakota. Poultry and livestock were killed, and many persons were injured. Hail ten inches in circumference was reported at Huron, SD.
(The Weather Channel)

1954
Texas:
Hurricane Alice floods Lower Rio Grande Valley with 27 inches of rain. U.S. 90 roadway 30 feet below high water.
(Ref. WxDoctor)

1957
On the basis of meteorological data and a radio report from a shrimp boat, the Weather Bureau in New Orleans issued the first advisory on a tropical depression in the Bay of Campeche at 10:30pm. The depression was located 300 miles south of Brownsville, TX. The storm would become Hurricane Audrey, moving northward over the next three days and striking near the Louisiana/Texas border causing extreme damage and loss of life.

Palm Springs, CA hit 121°, equaling their highest temperature for June (6/26/1957 & 6/29/1994).
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1960
A tornado at Schenectady, NY destroyed 16 homes with over 300 homes suffering major damage.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1967
Sheridan, WY fell to 32°, their latest freeze on record; the high temperature the previous day was only 47°.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1975
An Eastern Airlines Boeing 727 crashed at JFK airport in New York City. 113 of the 124 people on board the aircraft died. Researcher Theodore Fujita studied the incident and discovered that the crash was caused by a microburst. His research lead to improved air safety. The tower never experienced the microburst, which was held back by a seabreeze front. The plane crashed 2,400 feet short of the runway.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1980
Not even a desert location. For 11 straight days (6/24 - /05) Wichita Falls, TX, set daily record high temperatures; 7 days had highs greater or equal to 113 degrees. Its all-time record high of 117 degrees was set on the 28th, and its all-time record high low of 85 degrees was set on 7/02.
(Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA)

1987
Thunderstorms spawned six tornadoes in eastern Colorado. Baseball size hail was reported near Yoder, CO and thunderstorm winds gusting to 92 mph derailed a train near Pratt, KS. The town of Gould OK was soaked with nearly an inch and a half of rain in just ten minutes.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988
Forty-three cities reported record high temperatures for the date. Valentine, NE reported an all-time record high of 110 degrees, and highs of 102 degrees at Casper, WY, 103 degrees at Reno, NV, and 106 degrees at Winnemucca, NV were records for the month of June. Highs of 98 degrees at Logan, UT and 109 degrees at Rapid City, SD equaled June records.

Lightning killed twenty-one cows near Conway, SC.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1989
Thunderstorms developing along a warm front produced severe weather from Colorado and New Mexico to Kansas and Nebraska. Thunderstorms spawned seven tornadoes, and produced wind gusts to 80 mph at Wood River, NE, and hail three inches in diameter at Wheeler, KS.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1991
3.50 inches of rain fell in 28 minutes at Scranton, ND. There were also 1.5 foot drifts of marble size hail. Front end loaders were needed to clear the streets.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1992
A tropical depression in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico produced periods of heavy rainfall over southwest and west central Florida from this date through the 30th. Four-day rainfall totals (25th-28th) of as much as 25 inches were recorded, with 8 to 14 inches common. 70 homes were destroyed by floodwaters, and the combination of winds, waves and tides led to significant beach erosion and undermining of seawalls in some locations. Two flood-related deaths occurred on the 29th - a man drowned in his flooded front yard in Manatee County and a man was crushed to death between two gasoline storage tanks dislodged by floodwaters at an auto service shop in Charlotte County. All-time record flood crest on the 29th at Myakka St. Park on the Myakka River. Flood waters did not fully recede in some areas until the end of June.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1996
A woman was checking the circuit breaker box in her garage when lightning struck. The ensuing power surge slammed the woman against a vehicle, knocking her unconscious for a short period of time.
(Ref. Lightning - Virginia Weather History)



1996
Severe weather pounded much of the Mid Atlantic Coast with Washington, DC especially hard hit. Numerous reports of tornadoes, funnel clouds, damaging winds, large hail and heavy rain were reported. Tornadoes were reported in Upperville, Middleburg, Manassas, Centreville and Fairfax City, VA. There were numerous reports of downed trees and damage to structures across Northern Virginia and the Eastern Shore area of Maryland.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1997
Charleston, WV, finally hit 90° for the first time this year. The last 90-degree day was back on 5/19/1996, totaling 400 days in which it stayed below 90°. That is their longest stretch this century between 90 degree days.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1998
In Grayson County, VA about 3.5 miles northeast of Whitetop, at 5:15 pm, Three youths were injured by lightning.
(Ref. Lightning - Virginia Weather History)

An unusually damaging wind event occurred during the late night and early morning hours in southwestern Iowa. Winds were sustained at 30-50 mph for over an hour at several locations, including Creston, Shenandoah, Clarinda and Red Oak, IA. Shenandoah, IA reported a gust to 80 mph. Two factors are surmised to have caused the event. First, light showers had moved through the area left lots of hot, dry air aloft between 4,000-10,000 feet. When rain fell through the dry air, it cooled, which made it heavier and resulted in strong downdrafts and high winds. Secondly, winds between 600-5,000 feet were quite strong and the momentum of these winds dropped to the surface causing higher winds. The wind event was accompanied by dramatic rises in temperature.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2003
A large F4 tornado destroyed the community of Manchester, SD. It was part of a swarm of nearly 60 tornadoes that touched down across eastern South Dakota. An armored camera placed in the path of the tornado by the National Geographic Society was blown nearly 500 feet and destroyed. Very little usable video was recorded. Meanwhile, researcher Tim Samaras deployed a measurement probe just 70 seconds before the twister struck it. The probe measured a pressure drop of 100 millibars, the largest ever recorded.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2010
The maximum temperature today at the Richmond International Airport was 102 °F which not only broke the record high temperature for the date, but was close to the 104 °F record maximum for the month of June set in 1952. Only three June days have been hotter: (June 30, 1937 103 °F) (June 19, 1944 103 °F) (June 26, 1952 104 °F ) June 2010 also had 19 days of 90 °F or hotter temperatures the record was 20 in 1943. The Richmond International Airport reported the mean temperature for June was 81.1 °F which was a new 113 year record. This breaks the old record of 79.2 °F set in 1943 and was a +8.7 °F departure from average. June had 8 new daily temperature records and all were for heat.
(Ref. Richmond Weather Records - KRIC)

2011
The 2011 Souris River flood in Minot, already predicted to be the biggest in recorded history, was predicted Thursday to get even bigger. According to the latest estimate, there will be some 29,000 cfs moving through Minot by Saturday
(Ref. Grand Forks Herald Newspaper)

2016
June 22-24. Part of a severe weather outbreak that produced over two dozen tornadoes from Illinois to West Virginia, up to 10 inches of rain fell in just 12-24 hours on June 23, setting off West Virginia's third deadliest flood. Twenty-three people lost their lives.


June
25TH


1749
A general fast was called on account of drought in Massachusetts. It was the year of the famous dry spring in which fields and villages burned.
(David Ludlum)

1914
Cloudburst 0.55 inches in 5 minutes, 1.77 inches in 30 minutes, 2.95 inches total for the rainstorm.

1925
The mercury hit 101 degrees at Portland, OR their earliest 100 degree reading of record.
(Sandra and TI Richard Sanders)

1953
The temperature at Anchorage soared to 86 degrees, its hottest reading of record.
(The Weather Channel)

1954
Quincy, IL soared to 105°; their hottest temperature on record.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1957
Air Force reconnaissance investigating Hurricane Audrey over the southwest Gulf of Mexico found a central pressure of 973 millibars or 28.73 inches of mercury. Audrey would eventually achieve Category 4 status; the strongest in the Atlantic Basin in June, before devastating the Cameron, LA area on the 27th.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1980
The high of 114° established the all time high at Liberal, KS. It was tied 6/10/1981.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1981
Late afternoon violent thunderstorms moved across the region. Allentown, PA recorded a gust to 77 mph, with quite a few roofs blown off, chimneys toppled, windows blown in, several barns blown over, and innumerable trees felled. Power was interrupted to almost 100,000 customers, some without power for several days. Heavy rain caused flooding and mudslides. Philadelphia, PA received 1.91 inches of rain.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1983
A quarter of an inch of early summer snow was reported near the towns of Sharon and Hartford in the higher terrain of central Vermont.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1987
Afternoon highs of 97 degrees at Miami, FL, 107 degrees at Medford OR, and 111 degrees at Redding CA were new records for the date. It was the third of six straight days of record heat for Miami.

Thunderstorms produced wind gusts to 70 mph at Austin, and gusts to 75 mph at Tulsa OK.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988
Fifty-two cities in the central and eastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. Highs of 100 degrees at Erie, PA and 104 degrees at Cleveland, OH established all-time records for those two locations. Highs of 101 degrees at Flint, MI, 105 degrees at Chicago, IL, and 106 degrees at Fort Wayne, Indiana equaled all-time records.

Thunderstorms in Idaho produced wind gusts to 100 mph west of Bliss and north of Crouch, injuring 29 persons.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1989
Tropical depression Allison, the remnants of what was earlier Cosme (a hurricane over the Pacific Ocean which dissipated as it crossed northern Mexico), began to spread heavy rain into southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.
(The National Weather Summary)

1990
Borrego Springs, CA hit 122°; their hottest temperature on record. Phoenix, AZ set a daily record high of 120°.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1994
Blistering heat prevailed across the southwest deserts as many daily record highs were set including: Yuma, AZ: 119°, Tucson, AZ: 115° and Winslow, AZ: 103 °F.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1995
Flood in Orange, Madison, Green, & Culpeper Co. as they had between 13.00 and 15.00 inches of rain.

A lifeguard at a camping resort S of Myrtle Beach, SC, was hit by a lightning bolt as he was in the process of clearing the beach due to an approaching storm. He survived. Several people nearby noted “tingling sensations” when the bolt struck.
(Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA)

1996
A thunderstorm caused a Fairfax tornado and much damage within 0.6 miles of Annandale Weather Center.
(The Washington Post)

2006
The precipitation total on June 25th was 5.31 inches, a new 26 year MAXIMUM precipitation record for a day. The old record was for a calendar day was ONLY 3.86 inches on October 8, 2005.
The maximum one hour rainfall intensity was 2.35 inches on the 25th which shattered the previous record not only for June but for any month.
The previous 26-year record was 1.74 inches on July 28, 2000.
(Annandale Weather Records)

2008
Missouri:
Thunderstorms deluge northern Missouri and sections of central Illinois with 6 to 8 inches of rain. Linneus, Missouri was hardest hit with 8.61 inches while nearby Ethel reported 7.88 inches and Gallatin 6.80 inches.
(Ref. WxDoctor)


June
26TH


1888
Residents of New York suffered through a record heat wave. Daily average temperatures were above 80 degrees for fourteen straight days. The heat wave was a sharp contrast to the severe blizzard in March of that year, which buried the city under nearly two feet of snow.

1930
Lightning struck the John B. King drillship in the St. Lawrence River, igniting a storage of dynamite onboard. The resulting explosion killed 30 people and injured 11 others.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1931
Anchorage, Alaska:
The temperature soars to 92 °F, their hottest reading of record to date.
(Ref. WxDoctor)
(David Ludlum)

1952
Record Maximum temperature for Richmond International Airport for the date and for June is 104 °F.
(Ref. Richmond Weather Records - KRIC)

Boston, MA recorded its highest temperature of 100 °F for June.
(Ref. NOAA Boston Weather Events)

1954
Under calm winds and a bright sunny sky a killer wave rose suddenly from a placid Lake Michigan sweeping 8 unsuspecting fishermen off a breakwater to their deaths. The water level at Montrose Harbor surged more than 10 feet within a few minutes. The “seiche” was caused by an earlier squall on the lake.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1957
Residents of Cameron, LA went to bed believing that they had plenty of time to evacuate the following morning in advance of what was then Category 2 Hurricane Audrey. Official bulletins from the U.S. Weather Bureau stated that the storm would not come ashore until late the next day. They would be very surprised the next morning to find water covering much of their parish as a 12 foot storm surge was already impacting the area and the center was just offshore. Also, Audrey had intensified rapidly during the night, with the central pressure dropping 35 millibars from the last reconnaissance fix during the day. Winds correspondingly increased to 145 mph and the storm surge rose from an expected 5 to 8 feet to a devastating 12 feet and higher. Additionally, the forward movement of the hurricane increased from 6 to 15 mph, and as residents were told that the hurricane would not strike until the following afternoon. 390 people died and another 192 were missing.

The high temperature at Palm Springs, CA hit 121°; tying their highest temperature set on 6/24 & 6/29/1994.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1961
This was the 10th consecutive day of temperatures in Las Vegas, NV reaching 110° or hotter making this the longest on record.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1977
"The Human Lightning Conductor", park ranger Roy C. Sullivan, was struck by lightning for the seventh time. He was first hit in 1942, then again in 1970, 1972, 1973 and 1976.
(The Weather Channel)

Roy was struck by lightning for the seventh time earning him the title of "the human lightning conductor."

In 1942, he worked in a lookout tower. The strike caused him to lose his big toe nail.
In 1969, he was driving along a mountain road with his window open when the bolt struck. He lost his eye brows.
In 1970, he was walking across his yard to get the mail when lightning struck. His shoulder was seared.
In 1972, he was standing in the office at the ranger station when lightning set his hair on fire.
In 1973, after his hair had grown back, he was struck again. His hair was again set on fire and his legs were seared.
In 1976, while checking on a campsite he was struck, injuring his ankle.
His last and seventh encounter was while fishing. Lightning caused chest and stomach burns.
It is not only amazing that Roy was injured seven times by lightning, but it is astounding that he was not killed!
(Ref. Lightning - Virginia Weather History)

1979
Temperature failed to reach 90° in Washington, DC. during first 6 months of 1979 this hasn't happen since 1886.
(Ref. Washington Weather Records - KDCA)

1980
Severe storms in South Dakota with winds over 60 mph were reported in at least 10 separate counties. The hardest hit area was Mitchell where 100 mph winds slammed into the city wiping out trees, blowing out windows, and damaging the airport. Damage in Mitchell alone exceeded $200,000 dollars.

Several locations across the Plains endured record breaking heat including: Dallas (DFW), TX: 113°, Wichita Falls, TX: 113°, Dallas (Love Field), TX: 112°, Wichita, KS: 109°, Waco, TX: 107°, Grand Junction, CO: 106, Houston, TX: 102°, San Antonio, TX: 102°, North Platte, NE: 101°, Corpus Christi: 100° andVictoria, TX: 100°.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1983
Record heat prevailed from Texas to Michigan. Alpena, MI hit 98 degrees.
(Sandra and TI Richard Sanders)

1985
A spectacular early morning waterspout developed at 5:20 AM (MST) from a stationary thunderstorm over the south end of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. It was visible 20 miles away and lasted four minutes.
(The Weather Channel)

The latest snowfall on record in the state of South Dakota occurred on this date in the Black Hills. Portions of the Black Hills received amounts from a trace to a 1 inch accumulation at O'Neill Pass.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1986
Hurricane Bonnie made landfall on the upper Texas coast. A wind gust to 98 mph occurred at Sea Rim State Park. Ace, TX recorded a total of 13 inches of rain.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1987
Hot weather prevailed in the Pacific Northwest. Afternoon highs of 88 degrees at Seattle WA, 103 degrees at Medford OR, and 111 degrees at Redding CA were records for the date. Cloudy and cool weather prevailed in the northeastern U.S. The high at Boston, MA was just 60 degrees.
(The National Weather Summary)

1988
Thirteen cities in the southeastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. In Montana, the record high of 102 degrees at Billings, MT was their fifteenth of the month, and the high of 108 degrees at Glasgow, MT equaled their record for June. Thunderstorms in the Atlantic Coast Region produced wind gusts to 102 mph at Tall Timbers, MD.
(Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)

Thunderstorms in the Atlantic Coast Region produced wind gusts to 102 mph at Tall Timbers, MD. Lightning struck a main transmission line at Sandwich, MA which knocked out power to all of Cape Cod's and Martha's Vineyard 140,000 customers for up to six hours.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1989
Thunderstorms produced severe weather from the Central Plains to the Middle Mississippi Valley. There were 129 reports of severe weather during the day and night. Thunderstorms in Kansas produced wind gusts to 90 mph at Liberal, and hail four inches in diameter at Quinter. Thunderstorms in Wisconsin spawned a tornado at Lake Delton injuring four persons. Lightning struck and killed a woman at Junction City, KS who had gotten out of her car to photograph the lightning.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1993
Two miles northwest of Little Sioux, Iowa golf ball size hail completely covered the ground and strong winds caused this hail to drift. The most significant hail damage occurred in Shelby County. Here, a thunderstorm dropped golf ball to softball size hail in a swath about two miles wide and 20 miles long. Baseball size hail covered the ground six miles north of Harlan. Reports of 75% crop destruction were common within this hail swath.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1994
Albuquerque, NM temperature hit 107°, for its hottest temperature ever. The same record was set at Lubbock, TX with 111°. Both Midland and El Paso, TX reached 112°, to both tie their hottest temperatures on record. Daily record highs included: Roswell, NM: 111°, Denver, CO: 104°, Grand Junction, CO: 104 °F.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1998
Severe thunderstorms crossed the Niagara Frontier, the western southern tier and eastern Lake Ontario Region in New York during the early morning hours. The thunderstorms produced large hail and damaging winds which downed trees and power lines. One-inch hail fell in Batavia. Five to six inches of rain fell in a 200 square mile area sending small streams out of their banks causing several million dollars worth of property damage in the Villages of Arcade and Gowanda. Erie, Wyoming and Cattaraugus counties were declared state and federal disaster areas. In Arcade, 37 were rescued from treetops and rooftops by the Water Rescue Team. Over 130 homes were damaged in Arcade.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1999
15 inches of rain fell, most of it between 9 PM and midnight, over the Schriever, LA area as thunderstorms continuously redeveloped and “trained” over the same areas. Roads were underwater and about 100 homes were damaged.

The most damaging hailstorm to ever strike Cheyenne County, Wyoming occurred. Hail up to baseball size and winds up to 80 mph devastated much of the western part of the county. Damage to property and crops exceeded $26 million dollars.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2002
Phenomenal flash flooding struck Fort Wayne, IN as thunderstorms developed and re-developed directly over the city for several hours during the evening Times Corner reported 8 inches of rain in three hours. Spy Run Creek rose 9 feet in 8 hours to an all-time record level of 12.3 feet. Three inches of rain fell in 90 minutes.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2006
The maximum rain in 24-hour period was 5.61 inches from 5 AM on June 25th to 5 AM of the 26th at Annandale, VA. This was very near the record of 5.66 inches set on October 7th and 8th 2005.
(Ref. Annandale Weather Records - KDCA)

2008
In addition to the 3 confirmed tornadoes, multiple reports of large hail were received over Corson and Dewey Counties, including some to the size of baseballs near the communities of McLaughlin and Isabel. The large hail broke out many home and vehicle windows and damaged many roofs in Dewey, Corson, and Sully Counties. Near Sutton Bay on Lake Oahe, where a wind gust of 92 mph was recorded but close to the intersection of Highways 1804 and 175th street several Western Area Power Administration electrical transmission towers were completely collapsed. This is consistent with wind speeds ranging from 130 to 140 mph. Also of great significance during the event was the peak wind speed of 124 mph recorded at the Onida airport. This wind speed is the strongest wind gust ever measured in the Aberdeen County Warning Area and the 4th strongest wind speed ever reported in South Dakota.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

I had my left foot on a ladder and my right foot on the tongue of the home. At approximately 5:20 p.m., I was facing the home when I saw a brilliant light in front of me and felt something coming through the ladder and through me. Read the full story at the following Ref.
(Ref. A Lightning Survivor)


June
27TH


1881
Intense downpour of 2.34 inches in Washington, DC. was recorded in 37 minutes.

1901
There was a rain of fish from the sky at Tiller's Ferry. Hundreds of fish were swimming between cotton rows after a heavy shower.
(David Ludlum)

1915
The temperature at Fort Yukon AK soared to 100 degrees to establish a state record.
(The Weather Channel)
(Ref. Lowest and Highest Temperatures for the 50 States)

1923
Boston, Massachusetts recorded its lowest pressure 29.26 inches of mercury for the month of June.
(Ref. NOAA Boston Weather Events)

1957
Hurricane Audrey smashed ashore at Cameron, LA drowning 390 persons in the storm tide, and causing 150 million dollars damage in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Audrey left only a brick courthouse and a cement-block icehouse standing at Cameron, and when the waters settled in the town of Crede, only four buildings remained. The powerful winds of Audrey tossed a fishing boat weighing 78 tons onto an offshore drilling platform. Winds along the coast gusted to 105 mph, and oil rigs off the Louisiana coast reported wind gusts to 180 mph. A storm surge greater than twelve feet inundated the Louisiana coast as much as 25 miles inland. It was the deadliest June hurricane of record for the U.S.
(David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
Audrey's Storm Track - NOAA.Gov.-National Hurricane Center
(Ref. Daily News Record Newspaper - Harrisonburg, Virginia)

1978
Worst thunderstorm in 20 years wind gust greater than 70 mph in the Washington, DC. with over 1000 trees down in DC. and 100,000 homes with no power.
(The Washington Post)

1987
Thunderstorms moving out of Nebraska produced severe weather in north central Kansas after midnight. Thunderstorm winds gusting to 100 mph damaged more than fifty camping trailers at the state park campground at Lake Waconda injuring sixteen persons. Thunder- storm winds gusted to 80 mph at Beloit and Sylvan Grove.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988
The afternoon high of 107 degrees at Bismarck, ND was a record for the month of June, and Pensacola, FL equaled their June record with a reading of 101 degrees. Temperatures in the Great Lakes Region and the Ohio Valley dipped into the 40s.
(The National Weather Summary)

Erie, Pennsylvania:
Although Erie's weather records date back to 1873, the high this date was its first recording of 100 °F. It was, until this date, one of the few non-mountainous locations in the Lower 48 States not to have reached 100°F.
(Ref. WxDoctor)

1989 Thunderstorms produced severe weather from the Ohio Valley to western New England. Thunderstorm spawned six tornadoes, and there were 98 reports of large hail and damaging winds. Tropical Storm Allison spawned six tornadoes in Louisiana, injuring two persons at Hackberry. Fort Polk, LA was drenched with 10.09 inches of rain in 36 hours, and 12.87 inches was reported at the Gorum Fire Tower in northern Louisiana.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1992
A severe thunderstorm dropped hail to golf ball size near the top of WA’s Sherman Pass; accumulations to 8 inches. 2 motorcyclists were injured in separate accidents due to the hail-clogged highway. Several cars slid into ditches.
(Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA)

1994
Waste Isolation. Pilot Plant, New Mexico:
High temperatures in the Southwest as New Mexico sets its hottest temperature ever: 122°F the state record.
(Ref. Lowest and Highest Temperatures for the 50 States)

All-time record temperatures for the state tied at Tipton, Oklahoma: 120°F.
(Ref. WxDoctor)
(Ref. Lowest and Highest Temperatures for the 50 States)

1995
See Map of Total Rainfall in the Area
The Madison County Flash Flood of June 27, 1995 was the worst flash flood that Virginia had seen since the remnants of Camille which dropped up to 30 inches of rain one night in Nelson County in August 1969.
The Nelson County flood ranks as one of the nation's worst flash floods of this century. The floods and landslides led to the death of 117 people. The fact that only one person died in the Madison County Flash Flood versus over 100 in Nelson County can be attributed to three significant factors.
1) It was well forecasted. Flash Flood Warnings did not even exist in 1969.
2) Early response and heroic actions by emergency responders made a big difference.
One Coast Guard helicopter came all the way from Elizabeth City, NC. As conditions worsened through the day, the operators of the helicopters risked their lives flying in low visibility into mountain valleys to pluck people from rooftops and carry them to safe shelter. Some 80 people were rescued! The Madison County flood occurred in daylight when people could see rising water and attempt to move to safety and emergency responders could see people on rooftops and pluck them off. In Nelson County, people were asleep and awoke as their houses floated off their foundations. The weather that set up the flood included a semi-tropical air mass over the region; an upper level low over the Mississippi Valley which sent impulses/disturbances to the northeast across the area helping to trigger thunderstorms; slow moving cold front sliding south along the front range of the Appalachians and over the coastal plain which helped to focus where the thunderstorms were occurring; and the high pressure to the north which set up a westward flow of moist air from the oceans into the mountains. The mountains helped to lift the air where it condensed into clouds and rain. The focus for thunderstorm development on June 27 was the intersection of the weak cold front, which stalled across the area, and the upslope (east side) of the Blue Ridge Mountains. A large thunderstorm complex developed early that day over Rappahannock County and slowly moved south over Madison County becoming nearly stationary over the southwest corner.
It dumped 20 or more inches of rain in a relatively short period of time. Other heavy thunderstorms also occurred that day with additional flash flooding and some damaging mud/landslides (debris flows) in Nelson and Albemarle Counties in Virginia. The Keyser/Westernport area of Mineral County, West Virginia and Allegany County, Maryland were also affected. These areas as well as Madison and Rappahannock County saw rainfall rates of as much as 5 inches per hour, which after a couple hours is enough to cause land to give way. Areas susceptible to these landslides are where the ground slopes at 30° or more from the horizon. Soil conditions were already wet from earlier rains during the week. Therefore, rain that was absorbed caused the ground to become unstable in some areas. Most of the rain turned to runoff, which created a rapid rise on small streams and creeks and eventually into the smaller rivers. Soon water was out of its banks flooding roads, homes, and businesses and cutting off communication lines. While Doppler radar indicated that rainfall amounts suggested that major flooding would occur, the first "ground truth" report came from a Skywarn Amateur Radio observer. He reported that 10 inches of rain had fallen between 10 am and 2 PM in the town of Etlan in the north part of the county. During the heaviest rain, radar was estimating 3.2 inches an hour for portions of the county. This ground truth report told us that our radar was under estimating rainfall by as much as one half. Indeed, conditions were bad. Nearly all roads and every bridge in the county were damaged or washed away. Half the farms sustained damage. The entire hay crop was lost and half the corn crop. Hundreds of livestock were killed and 500 to 1000 miles of fencing was damaged or washed away. In Madison County alone, total damages were estimated at $64 million with an additional $29 million in agricultural losses. The estimated cost of recovery to get the farmland suitable once more for crops may be as high as $1000 per acre. There was only one death in the county, which was due to a home collapsing on a woman. An additional death occurred with flooding in Rappahannock County and one in Warren County. The rainfall and floodwaters from Madison and Orange Counties flowed into the Rapidan River. The Rapidan gets its name from the fact that it responds quickly (water rises rapidly) and it exceeded flood stage during the morning hours. The crest occurred around 2 PM in the afternoon. The USGS stream gauge near Ruckersville in Greene County was destroyed by the raging water.
The flood crest was estimated from high water marks to have reached 31.6 feet. This is a 500-year flood for that gauging point. This exceeded the old record of 20.8 feet set at that point in October 1942 by almost a foot. Downstream at the Culpeper gauge, the river crested at 30.4 feet, which exceeded the previous record of 30.3 feet set back on October 16, 1942. This is equivalent to a 100-year flood at Culpeper. The Rapidan River flows into the Rappahannock River, which was also accumulating rains from northern Madison County, Rappahannock and Culpeper Counties. On the 28th, the river crested 5 feet above flood stage at Remington. Farther downstream on the 29th, the river crested in the city of Fredericksburg at 7 feet above flood stage.
Other flash flooding caused road closures from rockslides, mudslides, and bridge washouts in Allegany County Maryland and Mineral County, West Virginia. On June 27th, near one million dollars in damage occurred to 200 buildings in Allegany County near Westernport. Total damage estimates including roads was $1.76 million. In adjacent Mineral County, $1.1 million in damages were estimated with 66 homes and 8 businesses damaged. Heavy rains in the mountains caused mudslides and washed debris up against bridges. Temporary debris dams backed up water then broke causing additional flooding downstream. In Piedmont (Mineral County), over five and a half inches of rain fell on the 27th with most of it falling between 2 and 4 PM. Flooding occurred in both Piedmont and Keyser. Up to 17 inches of rain also fell in Augusta County, Virginia. Earthen dams in southeastern Augusta County were perilously close to failure at one point, but survived as the rain areas shifted away.

1999
June 27, 1999 (Scottsbluff, Nebraska area): Large hail caused extensive damage to crops and property. Twenty-five people were injured as large hail broke car windshields. The Scottsbluff zoo reported injuries to many animals, particularly birds.
(Ref. Hail Events by Michael Mogil)

2010
The maximum temperature today at the Richmond International Airport was 102 °F which not only broke the record high temperature for the date, but was close to the 104 °F record maximum for the month of June. Only three June days have been hotter: (June 30, 1937 103 °F) (June 19, 1944 103 °F) (June 26, 1952 104 °F ) June 2010 also had 19 days of 90 °F or hotter temperatures the record was 20 in 1943. The Richmond International Airport reported the mean temperature for June was 81.1 °F which was a new 113 year record. This breaks the old record of 79.2 °F set in 1943 and was a +8.7 °F departure from average. June had 8 new daily temperature records and all were for heat.
(Ref. Richmond Weather Records - KRIC)

2004
Guam:
Tropical Storm Tingting deluges the island with 16 inches of rain, shattering the daily rainfall record of 3.16 inches set in 1962.
(Ref. WxDoctor)


June
28TH


1788
The Battle of Monmouth in central New Jersey was fought in sweltering heat. The temperature was 96 degrees in the shade, and there were more casualties from the heat than from bullets.
(David Ludlum)

1865
24 people were killed by a tornado which cut a 40 mile swath through Southwest Wisconsin.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1892
The temperature at Orogrande, UT soared to 116 degrees to establish a record for the state.
(Sandra and TI Richard Sanders)

1923
A massive tornado hit Sandusky, OH, then swept across Lake Erie to strike the town of Lorain. The tornado killed 86 persons and caused twelve million dollars damage. The tornado outbreak that day was the worst of record for the state of Ohio up until that time.
(David Ludlum)

1924
An F4 tornado hit Sandusky, OH then moved eastward across Lake Erie to strike Lorain, OH. 15 of the 64 deaths at Lorain occurred in the State Theatre, where a silent film was being shown. The tune "Sacrifice" was being played on the piano when the twister struck. The tornado produced a massive wave on Lake Erie. 85 people were killed and total damage was $12.5 million dollars.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1952
The highest overnight minimum temperature was 82° with a 98° maximum gave a daily mean of 90° at National Airport.

1954
All-time record temperatures for South Carolina tied at Camden, SC: 111 °F.

(Ref. Lowest and Highest Temperatures for the 50 States)

1957
On this date through the 29th, the remnants of Hurricane Audrey combined with another area of low pressure over the Lower Lakes region. This produced one of the worst June storms of record and established a new record low sea-level pressure of 29.04 inches of mercury for the month of June. Heavy rains totaled 1.73 inches in 24 hours. The resulting gale on the 29th caused some of the worst damage to power lines in 30 years. One man was killed by a falling wire.
In extreme east central Illinois, the town of Paris, in Edgar County, reported 10.20 inches of rainfall. This was a major contributor to a record June rainfall total of 17.65 inches, as well as a record year total of 61.59 inches. Weather records in Paris began in 1893.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1960
Kentucky registered their record maximum 24-hour precipitation as 10.41 inches of rain fell at Dunmor.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1968
Unseasonably heavy snow from the Cascades to the Northern Rockies, with 3 inches at Odell Lake, OR, and 2 inches at Mt. Rainier, WA through the 29th. Snow fell at Jackson, WY through the next day, with 8 inches at Mystic Lake, MT (elevation 6,558 feet). Some western Wyoming roads above 9,000 feet were closed for several hours.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1975
Lee Trevino and two other golfers are struck by lightning at the Western Open golf tournament in Oak Brook, IL. Lee was almost killed and required back surgery. He still lives with discomfort today.
(The Weather Channel)

Eudora, Ark.--Lightning struck and killed a farmer who had sought shelter under a tree during a thunderstorm. (Ref. Lightning-The Underrated Killer.pdf)

1980
The temperature at Wichita Falls, TX soared to 117 degrees, its hottest reading of record. Daily highs were 110 degrees or above between the 24th of June and the 3rd of July.
(The Weather Channel)
(Ref. Wilson - Additional Temperatures Listed On This Link)

1987
Thunderstorms developing along a cold front produced severe weather in the north central U.S. Thunderstorms in Nebraska produced wind gusts to 70 mph and baseball size hail at Arapahoe, and wind gusts to 80 mph along with baseball size hail at Wolback and Belgrade.

Six cities in the Ohio Valley reported record low temperatures for the date, including Cincinnati, OH with a reading of 50 degrees.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988
Showers and thunderstorms brought much needed rains to parts of the central U.S. Madison WI received 1.67 inches of rain, a record for the date, and their first measurable rain since the Mother's Day tornado outbreak on the 8th of May.
(The National Weather Summary)

1989
Evening thunderstorms deluged Winnfield, LA with eleven inches of rain in four hours and fifteen minutes, and Baton Rouge, LA reported 11 inches of rain in two days. Totals in west central Louisiana ranged up to 17 inches.

Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the Northern High Plains. Two-inch hail broke windows in nearly every building at Comstock, NE. Thunderstorms in North Dakota produced two-inch hail at Killdeer, and golf ball size hail at Zap.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1990
Thunderstorms moved into northwestern Iowa with high winds and hail. Winds near 100 mph caused tremendous damage in the Everly area, snapping numerous power poles. 60 to 65 mph winds were very common with these storms across northwest Iowa. In O'Brien County, 3 inch diameter hail fell at Hospers and in Sioux County, 2 inch hail fell at Boyden. Some of the hail stones hit with such force that they punched through the roofs of houses in both Boyden and Hospers.

KDIO radio in Ortonville, MN clocked thunderstorm winds of 80 to 85 mph for several minutes as a thunderstorm passed. There were reports of numerous trees downed and scattered power outages in Ortonville.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1992
Very heavy rains fell over southwest Florida as the result of a slow moving tropical depression. Up to 25 inches of rain fell in the Venice area during the four-day period beginning on the 25th ending on this date. 8 to 14 inches of rainfall was common over Sarasota and Manatee counties. The flooding killed two people.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1994
Monahans, Texas:
All-time record temperatures for the state of Texas tied at Monahans: 120°F.

(Ref. Lowest and Highest Temperatures for the 50 States)

Extremely hot temperatures prevailed from Texas to the Southwest. Laughlin, NV reached 124°, the state's all-time record high temperature. Monahans, TX reached 120 °F tying the state’s all-time temperature record. Other daily records included: Yuma, AZ: 116°, Tucson, AZ: 115°, Las Vegas, NV: 115°, Midland-Odessa, TX: 114°, El Paso, TX: 113°, San Angelo, TX: 110° and Del Rio, TX: 108°.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1998
Record breaking heat occurred across parts of the southern Plains. Amarillo, TX (recently broken, currently 6/26/2011: 111°) and Dodge City, KS both set their all-time record high temperatures with 108° and 110° respectively. Roswell, NM recorded a record daily high of 110 °F.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2003
A damaging severe thunderstorm rolled in from the east into Liberal, KS. The combination of 80 to 100 mph wind and hail larger than golf balls produced at least $8 million dollars in damage. Flash flooding occurred following the devastating hail and wind storm. Nearly all streets in and around Liberal were flooded.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2006
The storm total of the 22nd - 28th of 2006 was 12.10 inches the most precipitation ever recorded at the Annandale Weather Center in a storm in the last 26 years; the old storm total record was October 6th - 8th of 2005 when 7.09 inches occurred.
We were lucky in a sense that 2006 was dry with a - 6.29 precipitation departure going into June or even more flooding would have been experienced.
(Annandale Weather Center - Annandale, VA.)

Tropical moisture on a frontal boundary lead to between eight and 15 inches of rain in New York's Delaware County. Walton's business district was under 6-7 feet of water; interstate 88 collapsed near Unadilla killing two truckers. At the height of the flood, all roads in Delaware County were closed.
(Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2007 Accord Publishing, USA)

2010
The maximum temperature today at the Richmond International Airport was 102 °F which not only broke the record high temperature for the date, but was close to the 104 °F record maximum for the month of June.
Both June 27th and 28th had a maximum temperature 102 °F. Richmond has never had back to back 100 °F plus days before in June.
Only three June days have been hotter: (June 30, 1937 103 °F) (June 19, 1944 103 °F) (June 26, 1952 104 °F ) June 2010 also had 19 days of 90 °F or hotter temperatures the record was 20 in 1943. The Richmond International Airport reported the mean temperature for June was 81.1 °F which was a new 113 year record. This breaks the old record of 79.2 °F set in 1943 and was a +8.7 °F departure from average. June had 8 new daily temperature records and all were for heat.
(Ref. Richmond Weather Records - KRIC)

Richmond, Virginia, set record for the most days in June reaching 102 degrees F (June 24, 27, and 28).
(Ref. Weatherwise U.S. Weather Highlights of 2010 page 8 )


June
29TH


1826
Thomas Jefferson made his last entry in his weather observation log on this date, just six days before he died. The weather held a fascination for Jefferson as he made regular weather observations. He bought his first thermometer while working on the Declaration of Independence and his first barometer shortly thereafter.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1878
The weather observer on top of Colorado's Pike's Peak noticed that a major storm remained stationary over South Park, some 50 miles away. The observer also noted that the whitened ground from hail could be seen until sunset.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1899
A great flood occurred on the Brazos River in Texas. The flood waters reached a width of 12 miles and caused $10 million dollars in damage.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1907
A tropical storm moved from the Gulf of Mexico to coastal North Carolina, where it dissipated. The remnants moved north and combined with a cold front moving in from the Ohio valley, producing two days of widespread severe weather through the 29th. In some areas, rainfall amounts ranged from 3 to 6.73 inches, producing flooding that exceeded the flooding of tropical storm Agnes in 1972. Thunderstorms also produced high winds, hail and tornadoes, including F2 tornadoes at Edgemont, PA where debris from a destroyed garage was carried three-quarters of a mile away. Eight people were killed, six by drowning in swollen streams or rivers.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1931
The temperature at Monticello, FL hit 109 degrees to establish an all-time record for the Florida.
(The Weather Channel)
(Ref. Lowest and Highest Temperatures for the 50 States)

1943
Minimum temperatures were above 75° from 23rd to 28th in Washington, DC and greater than 70°F on June 20th-29th.
(Ref. Washington Weather Records - KDCA)

1954
Hurricane Alice dumped as much as 27 inches of rain on the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. The Rio Grande River at Laredo reached a level 12.6 feet above its previous highest mark, and the roadway of the U.S. 90 bridge was thirty feet below the high water.
(David Ludlum)

1962
Flooding in Wichita Falls, TX resulted in a quarter million dollar loss in city equipment, man hours, and other city property. The official rainfall total at Sheppard Air Force Base was only 1.64 inches, but other reported rainfall included 2.60 inches in downtown Wichita Falls, and from 4.20 to over 5 inches at Charlie, in northern Clay County. An estimated 300 cars were stranded temporarily on highway 287 near Jolly, when sections of the highway were flooded by over two feet of water.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1975
Near Kingsland, Ark.--Lightning struck and killed a 6-year-old and injured her aunt while they were on a family outing on the banks of the Saline River.
(Ref. Lightning-The Underrated Killer.pdf)

North Dakota registered its record maximum 24 hour precipitation as 8.11 inches of rain fell at Litchville.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1987
Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the Ohio Valley and the Great Lakes Region, with reports of large hail and damaging winds most numerous in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. Thunderstorms spawned four tornadoes in Michigan. A tornado near Clare, MI was accompanied by softball size hail.

In Colorado, an untimely winter-like storm blanketed Mount Evans with six inches of snow.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988
Alpena, MI reported a record low of 39 degrees while Jackson, MS equaled their record for the month of June with an afternoon high of 105 degrees. Thunderstorms in the central U.S. soaked Springfield, MO with 3.62 inches of rain, a record for the date.
(The National Weather Summary)

1989
Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the Southern and Central High Plains Region. Thunderstorms in Colorado produced softball size hail at Kit Carson, while pea to marble size hail caused ten million dollars damage to crops in Philips County, CO.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1990
A microburst wind estimated around 150 mph did extensive damage in the town of Streamwood, in the Chicago metro area in Illinois. At least $10 million dollars damage was done to 25 stores and industrial buildings. Radar and eyewitness accounts indicated no rain or thunderstorms in the immediate vicinity of the area at the time.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1993
Flash flooding rolled across southeast South Dakota and into northwest Iowa. A phenomenal 6 to 7 inches of rain fell in Dickinson and Emmett Counties during a 3 to 4 hour period. The Des Moines River rose several feet in just a few hours. Ocheyedan received 3 inches in just 45 minutes and Allendorf picked up 2.80 inches in 30 minutes. Many locations in northwest Iowa reported winds in excess of 60 mph, with some locations clocking speeds of 70 to 80 mph. Several tornadoes were also spawned during the evening in Emmett County in the Ringsted area, 3.50 inch hail fell and baseball size hail covered the ground just north of Estherville. Millions of dollars in damage was caused from the thunderstorms across the area.

No river traffic was moving on the 585 miles of the Mississippi River from St. Paul, MN to Cairo, IL and on 535 miles of the Missouri River from Sioux City, IA to the point it joined the Mighty Mississippi. More than 5, 000 loaded barges were stranded. For the first time in history, major floods came down both rivers at the same time.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1994
Persistent extreme heat in the Southwest as Arizona 128°F at Lake Havasu City and Nevada 125°F at Laughlin set all-time record high temperatures on the same date.
(Ref. Lowest and Highest Temperatures for the 50 States)

1998
"The Corn Belt Derecho of 1998" in the following states NE, IA, IL, IN, KY . A derecho which originated in Iowa, moved across Illinois during the afternoon and evening, and continued as far east as Ohio the next morning. Every county in central Illinois sustained some sort of damage, as these severe thunderstorms passed. Winds gusted in the 60 to 80 mph range, with some localized microbursts producing winds in excess of 100 mph. Significant damage occurred in the microburst areas, including the towns of Morton, McLean, LeRoy, and Tolono. In Tolono, 22 cars of a southbound 101-car Illinois Central freight train were blown off the tracks. It was unknown how many cars were picked up by the wind, but 16 cars were turned over and another 6 derailed but remained upright. The train was en route to Centralia from Chicago with a load of mixed freight, including plastic pellets and meal. The freight cars empty weighed about 60,000 pounds, while a full one weighs about 260,000 pounds. Overall, 12 people were injured, and damage was estimated around $16 million dollars.

The high of 110 °F established the all time high for Dodge City, KS.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)
(Ref. For More Information)

2000
North Central, KS raked by high winds (to 100 mph in Long Island). Hail covered ground like snow in Long Island; almost all homes in town had roof, siding, and/or window damage. A woman was hurt when blown from her kitchen into her dining room. North Central, KS losses in the millions.
(Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA)

2003
Tropical Storm Bill made landfall south of Houma, LA with top winds of 60 mph, spreading a six foot storm surge across the low lying portions of the Louisiana Coast. For the second time in two years, the town of Montegut, LA was flooded after the town’s protection levee was breeched. Bill dumped 5 to 8 inches from Louisiana to Alabama. A tornado at Reserve, LA injured four people.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2005
Heavy rains of 3 to 7 inches fell across far eastern Brown, western and northern Day, and most of Marshall Counties in South Dakota during the early morning and again in the afternoon hours. One location measured 5 inches of rain in two hours. In Day County, 30 roads were washed out and 15 bridges were damaged. Some rainfall amounts include 5.04 inches in Britton, 3.34 inches north of Columbia, and 2.08 inches at Aberdeen. Total June rainfall for some locations in Marshall and Day Counties was between 11 and 12 inches. The flooding continued into early July before receding by July 10th.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2012
The maximum temperature today was 103 °F at the Richmond International Airport a new record maximum temperature for the date. The old record was 101 °F in 1980. (Records since 1897) The maximum at the West Henrico Co. - Glen Allen station was 102 °F at 4:20 PM. It was the hottest day here since July 22, 2011 when it was also 102 °F. Friday's derecho, a widespread and long-lived violent thunderstorm complex, affected millions of people from Chicago, Ill., to Washington, DC. Strong winds, in many cases in excess of 70 mph, downed numerous trees and power lines from Illinois to Maryland. Over 2 million people were left without power. Winds with derecho -- 86 mph at Wintergreen Mt., 80 mph at Roanoke Airport 71 mph, Dulles 70 mph at Reagan, National 59 mph in Richmond International Airport and only 37 mph in West Henrico Co. - Glen Allen VA.
(Ref. Derecho Hits Ohio Valley, VA, MD See Map
(Ref. Violent Storms Virginia, Maryland, D.C
(Ref. Derecho Damage- 32 pages Worth of Damage Reports
Fifth of the top ten weather events - Mid-Atlantic and Midwest Derecho. June 29. The widespread severe winds associated with the band of rapidly moving thunderstorms (a derecho) left a trail of destruction from Illinois to the mid-Atlantic, leaving some 4.25 million homes and businesses without power, killing 24 people, and costing hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage.
Top 2012 Weather Events (Ref.Weatherwise May/June 2013 volumn 66 /number3 page 17)


June
30TH


1792
The first recorded tornado in Canadian history struck the Niagara Peninsula between Foothill and Port Robinson, leveling some houses and uprooting trees between the communities.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1816
The mean temperature for June 1816 in Philadelphia, PA was a record breaking 64°F
(p.33 Washington Weather Book 2002 by Ambrose, Henry, Weiss)

1841
A tornado hit Danvers, Salem, and Marblehead, MA. During this severe weather event, small fish fell on a street in Boston.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1886
The second destructive hurricane in nine days hit the Apalachicola-Tallahassee area.
(David Ludlum)

1901
Maximum temperature greater than 85° in Washington, DC from June 21st until July 7th, and greater than 90°F from 25th to 4th and 98° on 30th.
(Ref. Washington Weather Records - KDCA)

1908
A huge fireball streaked across the sky during the early morning hours over Siberia. A huge explosion occurred in the air near the remote Stony Tunguska River. The explosion flattened trees for 40 miles around and killed wildlife, but no crater or meteorite fragments were ever found.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1930
The Great Drought of 1930-1931 the year of 1930 was the driest year since the drought of 1869 to 1870. The drought caused $40 million dollars (1930 dollars) in losses to farmers in Maryland alone. Forest fires by the dry spell caused $580,000 in losses in Maryland. The precipitation deficit began in December 1929 and was fully classified as a drought by May of 1930. An extreme dry period set in from the end of June 1930 and continued through February 1931. During the 15-month period from December 1929 through February 1931, most places saw 60 percent or less of their normal rainfall. The average precipitation across Maryland and Delaware was 29.58 inches, which was 21.51 inches below normal. Baltimore recorded 27.31 inches for the 15-month period that was 23.03 inches below normal or 54% or normal. Washington, DC recorded 26.78 inches, which was 20.40 inches below normal or 57% below normal. The drought of 1998 to 1999 did not come near this severity, but it was the second severest drought of this century. The Palmer index, which is used to signal drought severity, classifies values of -3 to -4 as "severe drought" and values at -4 or less as "extreme drought". The Palmer Index for the region reached its lowest values during the end of the extreme dry period. In Maryland, west of the bay, Northern Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, the Palmer Index was between -6.5 and -7.5 for January and February. Areas experienced up to 17   months of extreme drought conditions. The drought moderated some after February 1931 with periodic rains and showers through the summer months that helped the crops. However, these rains were not enough to restore the water table and water flow levels. Officially the drought did not end until about May 1932.

1942
The temperature at Portland, OR hit 102 degrees, an set the all-time record for Portland, OR as of 1942. The current all-time record for Portland, OR as of 2011 is now 107 °F set on August 9, 1981.
(The Weather Channel - The 1942 record)
(Extreme Weather p. 276, by Christopher C. Burt - The 1981 record)

1949
Only 0.02 inches of rain fell at Central Park in New York City for its driest month on record.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1968
A cloudy June came to an end in Sault Ste. Marie, MI. Not one clear day was observed during the month.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1972
The entire state of Pennsylvania was declared a disaster area as a result of the catastrophic flooding caused by Hurricane Agnes, which claimed 48 lives, and caused 2.1 billion dollars damage.
(The Weather Channel)

1978
Havre, MT measured a wind gust to 138 mph from a severe thunderstorm.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1986
Thunderstorms produced large hail and high winds in southwest South Dakota. During the afternoon hours hail up to the size of baseballs pounded Ellsworth Air Force base near Rapid City. 20 people were hurt at the Air Force Base as the hail broke over one thousand windows. Hail was 3 to 6 inches deep on the roads in Spearfish Canyon in the Black Hills and snowplows needed to be called out to clear the roads.

Today marked the end of the driest six months on record for the Athens, GA area since records began in 1845. The six month precipitation total at Athens was 11.23 inches compared to the normal of 27.33 inches. This also marked the end of the driest six months on record for Lynchburg, VA, with only 9.43 inches measured. Where as San Antonio, TX had their wettest June on record with 11.95 inches of rain besting the previous record of 10.44 inches set back in 1973.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)
Drought in the Shenandoah Valley
Precipitation about 6 inches below average. (See Ref. below)
(Ref. Daily News Record Newspaper - Harrisonburg, Virginia)

1987
Hot weather prevailed in the Pacific Northwest, with readings above 100 degrees reported as far north as southern British Columbia. Yakima WA reported a record high of 100 degrees, while temperatures near the Washington coast hovered near 60 degrees all day. Thunderstorms prevailed from southwest Texas to New England. Thunderstorm winds gusting to 100 mph at Gettysburg, PA killed one person. High winds and large hail caused more than five million dollars damage to property and crops in Lancaster County, PA.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

Thunderstorms prevailed from southwest Texas to New England. Thunderstorm winds gusting to 100 mph at Gettysburg, PA killed one person. High winds and large hail caused more than $5 million dollars damage to property and crops in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1988
Thunderstorms in eastern Kansas drenched Worden with 12.21 inches of rain, and a wall of water two to four feet deep swept through Lone Star, KS flooding every home in the town. Up to ten inches of rain was reported southeast of Callaway, NE. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 75 mph at Winfield, KS.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

Seventeen cities in the north central and northeastern U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date, including Duluth, MN with a reading of 36 degrees.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
(Ref. Wilson - Many Additional Temperatures Listed On This Link)

1989
Winnfield, LA reported 22.52 inches of rain in three days, and more than thirty inches for the month, a record for June. Shreveport, LA received a record 17.11 inches in June, with a total for the first six months of the year of 45.55 inches. Thunderstorms also helped produce record rainfall totals for the month of June of 13.12 inches at Birmingham AL, 14.66 inches at Oklahoma City OK, 17.41 inches at Tallahassee, FL, 9.97 inches at Lynchburg, VA, and more than 10.25 inches at Pittsburgh, PA. Pittsburgh had also experienced a record wet month of May.
(The National Weather Summary)

3.9 inches of rain fell in less than two hours at Jewell, KS.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1991
Five inch diameter hailstones bombarded a spot near the town of Hathaway, MT.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1992
399 tornadoes occurred across the U.S. during June. This set a new record for the greatest number of tornadoes in a single month up to that time (this record was broken in May 2003).
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1993
Across parts of South Dakota, June of 1993 was a cool and wet month. In Iowa, temperatures averaged nearly three degrees below normal while precipitation averaged 8.09 inches, which is 3.67 inches above normal. Le Mars was one of only two stations which recorded below normal rainfall for June of 1993, but still received 3.09 inches. Not too far away though, Estherville recorded its wettest month on record with an astounding 13.49 inches.

Mississippi River levels rose dramatically during the last half of the month. On the Upper Mississippi River basin near the Quad Cities, river levels rose above major flood levels which occurred in 1965 and 1973.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1994
El Paso, TX soared to 114° to break their all-time record high temperature, again. A record high of 113° was just set on the 27th and 28th of this month.
(Extreme Weather p. 277, by Christopher C. Burt - The 1981 record)
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1999
Mount Baker, WA closed out a record snowfall season both for the United States and the verifiable world record as the seasonal total from July 1, 1998 to June 30, 1999 finished with 1,140 inches.

Boston, MA recorded only a trace of rain for the month, tying the record for its driest month ever.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2001
A severe thunderstorm at 1 AM produced baseball size hail and 80 mph winds at Ashland, MT. The storm had tops up to 70,000 feet. There were many smashed windows and windshields and birds killed.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2003
Tropical Storm Bill added to the second wettest June ever at New Orleans, LA by dropping over 4.50 inches of rain, bringing the monthly total to 17.37 inches. This was just shy of the all-time wettest June ever, which occurred in 2001, when 17.62 inches fell.

New York City, NY closed out the month with a record amount of rain for any June as 10.27 inches fell, nearly three times the normal monthly amount of 3.84 inches.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2005
June had 13 days with 90°F or above temperatures which ties the old record set in 1994.
(Ref. Annandale Weather Records - KRIC)

Lightning injured five campers at Loft Mountain Campsite in the Shenandoah National Park (Albemarle County).
(Ref. Lightning - Virginia Weather History)

A derecho produced 80 mph winds and damaged several homes/structures in S Crawford County (KS). 2 women were hurt as winds destroyed a mobile home between McCune and Cherokee. One of the women was critically injured when “scalped” by flying debris.
(Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA)

2006
June 2006 with 14.38 inches of rain, +10.79 inch departure, was the wettest June on record and the wettest month on record here. The previous record was September 1999 with 11.33 inches which isn't even close. (Records since 1979) National Airport had 14.02 inches the most ever recorded for June; the previous record was 11.53 inches in 1972 the month of remnants of Agnes. To put this month total rainfall in perspective of the 135 years records (1620 months) in Washington, DC. only four months have been wetter; the record was 17.45 inches in September 1934.
Ref. - Monthly Precipitation Records

The temperature reached 98° at Denver, CO. This marked the 19th day in June with a maximum temperature of 90 degrees or more setting a new all-time record for the month.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2010
The hottest June on Record! The Richmond International Airport reported the mean temperature for June was 81.1 °F which was a new 113 year record. This breaks the old record of 79.2 °F set in 1943 and was a +8.7 °F departure from average. June had 8 new daily temperature records and all were for heat. Both June 27th and 28th had a maximum temperature 102 °F. Richmond has never had back to back 102 °F days before in June. Only three June days have been hotter: (June 30, 1937 103 °F) (June 19, 1944 103 °F) (June 26, 1952 104 °F ) June 2010 also had 19 days of 90 °F or higher temperatures the record was 20 in 1943. June had only 0.82 inches rainfall making it the second driest in 113 years only 1980 was drier with only 0.38 inches and with the heat made severe drought conditions.
(Ref. Richmond Weather Records - KRIC)

Both Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. recorded their hottest Junes, with the thermometer in Philadelphia averaging 5.9°F above normal for the month. Miami, Florida notched not just its hottest June, but its hottest month on record.
(Ref. Weatherwise U.S. Weather Highlights of 2010 page 8 )

2011
Chicago got hammered with 2-inch hail (that damaged cars/police cars) and up to 800 lightning strikes in 10 minutes! This storm caused 94 mph in a harbor on Lake Michigan just north of the city and a funnel cloud was spotted.
(Ref. Images by John Koontz)
(Ref. Amazing You-Tube Video of a Very Close Lightning Strike)
(Ref. NWS Tells the Complete Story in a 5 Min. Movie)

2015
The heat was a big story for us throughout the month of June. It may come as no surprise then that this was one of the warmest Junes on record in Richmond. Our average temperature was 77.92° for the month. That was high enough to place June 2015 as the 8th warmest June in Richmond since record-keeping began in 1880. Richmond International Airport normal average temperature is 74.3°F. Richmond's
(Ref. NWS Wakefield)

2019
A blanket of hail and ice-covered streets in the Mexican city of Guadalajara after a heavy storm hit the area on June 30, 2019. It’s summer in Guadalajara, one of Mexico’s most populous towns, which made what happened there over the weekend all the more surprising. Sunday morning, residents woke to their roads, yards and even cars buried under more than three feet of icy slush from a freak hailstorm that had blanketed the city. Residents play on top of ice after a heavy storm of rain and hail that affected some areas of Guadalajara, Mexico.
(Source: Reuters, 6/30/2019)