SACRUS

Highs: EWR: 105 (1953) NYC: 102 (1953) LGA: 102 (1953) JFK: 93 (1973) Lows: EWR: 49 (2017) NYC: 51 (1886) LGA: 56 (2017) JFK: 53 (1949) Historical: 1775: The Independence Hurricane This savage hurricane raged from North Carolina to Newfoundland. Heavy rains began to fall across the colony on the 29th of August and slowly increased with time. The coast was ravaged from Currituck to Chincoteague. Wharves and storehouses on the waterfront of Norfolk were devastated. Bridges were carried away by the raging waters. At Williamsburg, mill dams broke and corn stalks were blown flat. Winds blew furiously until 10:00 p.m. Many ships were damaged as they were thrown ashore at Norfolk, Hampton, and York. Around twenty-five vessels were run ashore, or "irrecoverable gone." The gun ship H.M.S. Mercury was driven hard aground on Portsmouth Point at 5:00 p.m. on the 2nd. It was stranded in two feet of water for eight days (Shomette). The Liberty became "hopelessly stranded" in Back River, near Hampton. A number of locals boarded her, captured the crew, secured her goods, and set the ship afire in the first outright act of war. A full blockade of Hampton Roads thereafter brought shipping to a halt for three months. At least twenty-five died due to shipwreck.(Ref. The Independence Hurricane) 1882: Possibly the first photograph of a lightning strike was taken on this day by William Jennings in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 1887: The U.S. Army Signal Service station in Greenville, SC reported a minimum temperature of 50°F. This observation at Greenville still stands as the record low for the day. Additional stations across the state recorded low temps in the low 50's. 1935 - Perhaps the most intense hurricane ever to hit the U.S. struck the Florida Keys with 200 mph winds. The hurricane produced a fifteen foot tide and waves thirty feet high. 400 persons perished in the storm on that Labor Day. The barometric pressure at Matecumbe Bay FL hits a record low for the U.S. of 26.35 inches. (David Ludlum) 1950 - The temperature at Mecca, CA, soared to 126 degrees to establish a U.S. record for the month of September. The low that morning was 89 degrees. (The Weather Channel) 1950: The temperature at Mecca, CA soared to 126 degrees to establish a U.S. record for the month of September. The low that morning was 89 degrees. (The Weather Channel) (Ref. WxDoctor) (Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 1953: Boston, Massachusetts had 100 °F for the second time ever in September. Chicago, IL hit 101° for the second day in a row and the tenth of 11 consecutive days with a high temperature at 90° or higher. (Ref. NOAA Boston Weather Events) 1961: Denver, CO picked up 4.2 inches of snow, the earliest measurable snow for the Mile High City. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 1982: A wind gust of 121 mph was reported at the Chautauqua County Airport near Jamestown, NY causing an estimated half million dollars in damages to the terminal building, planes, cars and landing instruments. Rainfall totals exceeded two inches in places. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1985 1985 - After teasing residents along the Gulf of Mexico for two days, Hurricane Elena finally came ashore at Biloxi MS. The hurricane, packing winds of 127 mph, caused more than a billion dollars damage. (The Weather Channel) 1987 - Late evening thunderstorms in the Northern Plains Region produced wind gusts to 75 mph at Jordan MT, and a ""hot flash"" at Redig SD. The temperature at Redig rose from 66 degrees at 10 PM to 86 degrees at 11 PM as thunderstorm winds gusted to 36 mph. Nine cities in the Upper Ohio Valley, the Tennessee Valley and the Central Gulf Coast States reported record low temperatures for the date, including Elkins WV with a reading of 38 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 1988 - Unseasonably hot weather prevailed in the northwestern U.S. Afternoon highs of 98 degrees at Olympia WA, 98 degrees at Seattle WA, 105 degrees at Portland OR, and 110 degrees at Medford OR, established records for the month of September. Quillayute WA equalled their September record with an afternoon high of 97 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) 1989 - Eight cities in the Gulf Coast Region reported record high temperatures for the date as readings soared into the upper 90s. Houston TX and Port Arthur TX hit 99 degrees. Late evening thunderstorms, developing ahead of a cold front, produced wind gusts to 63 mph at Dickinson ND, and golf ball size hail in North Dakota and Nebraska. Winds along the cold front itself gusted to 62 mph at Buffalo SD. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 1996: After teasing the entire Atlantic coast with winds as high as 140 mph, Hurricane Edouard skirted New England without making landfall. Hurricane force winds were recorded on Nantucket and Cape Cod, but wind damage was relatively minor. 1996: Large swells from Hurricane Fran knocked five people out of an 18-foot fishing boat in Jupiter Inlet, FL. The Coast Guard rescued all five people. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 2002: An F3 tornado roared into downtown Ladysmith, WI at mid-afternoon, heavily damaging 64 blocks of the business district. Fortunately, it was Labor Day, and most of the stores were closed for the holiday or the toll would have been much worse. The National Weather Service came under fire for not issuing a tornado warning before the storm struck. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 2003: Indianapolis, IN was drenched with 7.20 inches of rain on this date for its greatest single day rainfall on record. (Ref. WxDoctor) 2006: Tropical Storm Ernesto dumped 8.93 inches of rain on Norfolk, VA for the city's greatest single day rainfall on record. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) (Sep. 1st-2nd) Heavy rains from the remnants of Tropical Storm Ernesto fell on SE PA. In Schwenksville, a man jumped into an overflowing retention basin to try to rescue his dog. The dog was sucked into and through the outflow pipe and survived; his master drowned. (Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA) 2008: Northeastern Illinois: In Chicago the thermometer at O'Hare IAP hits 94°F (34.4°C), and Midway tops out at 95°F (35°C), the first such high there in 761 days, and the warmest day of the year Kankakee, New Lennox, Plainfield and Palatine (my home town hit 97°F. (Ref. WxDoctor) 2002: An F3 tornado destroyed much of the downtown area of Ladysmith, Wisconsin. Overall damage was estimated at $20 million, but there were no fatalities.

60 / 59 partly cloudy another dry day upper 70s and low 80s. Warmer Wed - Fri SW flow with enough sun should get the warmest spots to mid / perhaps upper 80s with enough sun on Friday. Front comes through Friday night with some showers and storms bringing the chance of widespread rains since early August. A bit cooler but a nice dry weekend overall once passed Saturday morning. Warmer week overall above normal starting the 8th.

Global SST

SST anmaly

Records: Highs: EWR: 98 (2010) NYC: 97 (1953) LGA: 96 (2010) JFK: 92 (2012) Lows: EWR: 50 (1934) NYC: 51 (1869) LGA: 55 (1967) JFK: 54 (1985) Historical: 1859: One of the largest geomagnetic storms on record occurred on this day in 1859. 1862: The Battle of Ox Hill (or Chantilly) is also known as the only major Civil War battle to have been fought during a storm. “A severe thunderstorm erupted, resulting in limited visibility and an increased dependence on the bayonet, as the rain soaked the ammunition of the infantry and made it useless.” From Taylor, Paul. He Hath Loosed the Fateful Lightning: The Battle of Ox Hill (Chantilly), September 1, 1862. 1869: Cleveland Abbe issued the first Weather Bulletin for the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. It contained a few observations telegraphed from distant observers and the “probabilities” for the next day. The bulletin was written by hand. 1894 - A forest fire driven by high winds burned down the town of Hinkley, MN, killing 418 persons. (David Ludlum) 1894: The Great Hinckley Fire, which burned an area of at least 200,000 acres or perhaps more than 250,000 acres including the town of Hinckley, Minnesota occurred on this day. The official death count was 418 though the actual number of fatalities was likely higher. 1897 - Hailstone drifts six feet deep were reported in Washington County, IA. (The Weather Channel) 1914 - The town of Bloomington, MI, was deluged with 9.78 inches of rain in 24 hours to establish a state record. (31st-1st) (The Weather Channel) 1928: Leslie Gray from the Weather Bureau in San Franciso was the first weather forecaster to be deployed to a wildfire. 1935: The 1935 Labor Day Hurricane began intensifying from a tropical storm early in the day to a Category 2 by the end of this day. Over the next 24 hours the cyclone would go through "bombogenesis" intensifying to a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds estimated at 160 mph with gusts exceeding 200 mph. This was the first Category 5 storm to hit the U.S. The records aren't good enough to say whether any earlier storms that hit the USA would be Category 5 by today's standards. (Ref. Jack Williams, USA Today.com) 1939: Lightning hit and killed 837 sheep bedded down for the night on top of Pine Canyon in Northwestern Utah. Both the sheep and the earth were wet from the passing thunderstorm, causing the lightning's electrical discharge to move completely through the herd. The sheepherder was in a tent, was knocked temporary unconscious but escaped death. (Ref. National Weather Service in Utah Lightning Information) 1950: Palm Springs, CA set their all-time September high temperature record with 121°. Other daily record highs included: Yuma, AZ: 123°, Phoenix, AZ: 116°, Las Vegas, NV: 113°, Sacramento, CA: 108°, Tucson, AZ: 107°, Stockton, CA: 105°, Bishop, CA: 104°, Winnemucca, NV: 101°, Winslow, AZ: 99°, Reno, NV: 99°, Elko, NV: 97° and Ely, NV: 93°. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1952: A cold front brought damaging winds to Fort Worth, Texas, including the Carswell Air Force Base where thirty-five B-36 planes received damage. The anemometer indicated 90 mph winds before being smashed by debris. 1953: A heat wave that began in late August continued into early September continued across parts of the Midwest. Platteville, WI & South Bend, IN recorded their hottest September temperatures with 100° and 99° respectively. Fort Wayne, IN & Muskegon, MI tied their all-time September high temperature record with 100° & 95°. Other daily record highs included: Goshen, IN: 101°, Grand Rapids, MI: 97°, Lansing, MI: 96°. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1955 - The temperature at Los Angeles, CA, soared to an all-time high of 110 degrees during an eight day string of 100 degree weather. (David Ludlum) 1961: An F4 tornado traveled through parts of Butler and Bremer Counties in Iowa. Unfortunately, there is limited information in the Storm Data entry about this event. Per Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes, the tornado began NW of Dumont and ended NE of Horton. Several farms along the path were "leveled". It was reported at one farm that fruit jars were "sucked out of the basement" after the house was swept away. There were 7 injuries reported with this event and zero fatalities. 1974: Lt. Judy Neuffer became the first female to fly a Hurricane Hunter aircraft through the eye of a hurricane. 1979 - A home in Centerville TN was hit by lightning and totally destroyed. It marked the third time that the house had been hit by lightning since being built in 1970. (The Weather Channel) 1983: Record heat gripped parts of the northern Rockies. Several locations recorded record highs for September including: Miles City, MT: 106°, Billings, MT: 103° and Sheridan, WY: 103°. At Billings, it was the 8th consecutive day with high temperatures above 90°. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1985: Erratic Hurricane Elena baffled forecasters and Gulf Coast residents on the Sunday before Labor Day. The Hurricane had threatened the central Gulf Coast on Friday, only to turn east and spend Saturday menacing the Tampa Bay area with high winds, tides and heavy rains. By lunchtime Sunday, Elena was on the move again, but this time back to the west. The storm reached its minimum pressure of 951 millibars or 28.08 inches of mercury while the storm was 75 miles south of Apalachicola, FL. Elena's maximum reported coastal winds were over Dauphin Island, AL, where sustained winds of 105 mph with gusts to 135 mph were reported. Other maximum gusts reported ranged from 120 mph at Gulfport, MS, to 92 mph at Pensacola, FL. Maximum tides of 10 feet above normal were recorded at Apalachicola, FL, with reports of 6 to 8 feet above normal on Dauphin Island, AL. Approximately 1 million people were evacuated from low lying coastal areas during Elena’s approach. This large evacuation contributed to the fact that there were no deaths in the area of landfall. The four deaths which occurred resulted from falling trees and automobile accidents. One resident died of a heart attack. Total damage ranged from $1 to $1.5 billion dollars.(David Ludlum) (Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 1987 - Cool Canadian air invaded the Midwest. Six cities reported record low temperatures for the date, including Indianapolis IN with a reading of 44 degrees. Hot weather continued in the northwestern U.S. Five cities reported record high temperatures for the date, including Hanover WA, where the mercury soared to 106 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) 1988 - Thunderstorms produced heavy rain in the Upper Mississippi Valley. Ely, MN, was drenched with three inches of rain in two hours, and pelted with one inch hail. The heavy rain flooded streets and basements, and the high water pressure which resulted blew the covers off manholes. (The National Weather Summary)(Storm Data) 1989 - Thunderstorms developing ahead of a cold front produced severe weather in Oklahoma during the late afternoon and evening hours. Thunderstorms produced hail two inches in diameter west of Arapahoe, and wind gusts to 70 mph at Luther and south of Harrah. Early morning thunderstorms over Indiana drenched Kokomo with five to eight inches of rain, and spawned a tornado which injured three persons at Bruce Lake. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 1999: Erratic Dennis was downgraded to a Tropical Storm as he drifted aimlessly just off Cape Hatteras, NC. Dennis would move southward, then northwestward before making landfall on the 4th with winds of 70 mph. Dennis' heavy rains would set the stage for massive flooding when Hurricane Floyd arrived a few weeks later. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 2002: Across southern California, a heat wave sent temperatures soaring to 118° at Dulzura, 113° at Temecula, and 112° at Riverside and Menifee. Temperature gradients were remarkable near the coast. It was 77° at Newport Beach and 107° in Santa Ana, only ten miles difference, 72° in Oceanside Harbor and 87° in Oceanside Airport, only two miles difference, 81° in Sea World to 91° in San Diego - Lindbergh Field, only three miles difference. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 2003: By midnight, Indianapolis, IN recorded its wettest day on record with 7.20 inches. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 2008: Hurricane Gustav was the second most destructive hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm was the seventh tropical cyclone, third hurricane, and second major hurricane of the season. Gustav caused serious damage and casualties in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Cuba and the United States. Gustav caused at least $6.6 billion (2008 USD) in damages. Gustav triggered the largest evacuation in United States history up to 2008. Once into the Gulf, Gustav gradually weakened because of increased wind shear and dry air. It weakened to a Category 2 hurricane late on August 31, and remained at that intensity until landfall on the morning of September 1 near Cocodrie, Louisiana. In total, an estimated 153 deaths had been attributed to Gustav in the U.S. and Caribbean. 2017: The temperature at Downtown San Francsico reached 106° setting their all-time record high. The previous record was 103° on June 14th, 2000.

78 / 52 onshore flow another great day should touch 80 / 81. Overall dry continues till Thu then showers / storms possible, more humid SW flow. Overall warmer between the 4 - 11th.

Highs: New Brnswck: 82 EWR: 81 PHL: 81 TEB: 80 TTN: 80 LGA: 79 ISP: 79 NYC: 79 JFK: 77 * non intra hour highs BLM: 77 ACY: 76

81 / 46 here.

Quickly to 74 / 47

Records: Highs: EWR: 102 (1953) NYC: 100 (1953) LGA: 100 (1953) JFK: 97 (2010) Lows: EWR: 47 (1934) NYC: 50 (1976) LGA: 52 (1976) JFK: 46 (1965) Historical: 1587: Admiral Drake encountered a hurricane at Roanoke Island during the following year. Strong northeast gales caused him and his crew to "cut his cables" and set out to sea. It took six days to regroup after this treacherous storm. (Ref. for Hurricane of 1587) 1886 - A magnitude 7.3 earthquake shook Charleston, South Carolina around 9:50 pm on this day. This earthquake is the most damaging quake to occur in the southeast United States. This earthquake caused 60 deaths and between 5 to 6 million dollars in damage to over 2,000 buildings in the southeastern United States. 1886: The Charleston Earthquake of 1886 was the most damaging quake to hit the Southeastern United States. It occurred at 9:50 p.m. on August 31, 1886, and lasted just under a minute. The earthquake caused severe damage in Charleston, South Carolina, damaging 2,000 buildings and causing $6 million worth in damages, while in the whole city the buildings were only valued at approximately $24 million. Between 60 and 110 lives were lost. Some of the damage is still seen today. It was felt as far away as Boston to the north, Chicago and Milwaukee to the northwest, as far west as New Orleans, as far south as Cuba, and as far east as Bermuda. The earthquake is estimated to have been between 6.6 and 7.3 on the Richter scale with a Mercalli Intensity of X. The 1886 earthquake is a heavily studied example of an intraplate earthquake. The earthquake is believed to have occurred on faults formed during the break-up of Pangaea. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 1915 - The temperature at Bartlesville, OK, dipped to 38 degrees to establish a state record for the month of August. (The Weather Channel) 1922 - An incredible hailstorm occurred near West Chester, PA dropped so much hail that fields were covered with up to two feet of drifted hail the next day. 1934: A cool 49° minimum temperature equaled August record set on 24th in 1890 in Washington, DC. (Ref. Washington Weather Records - KDCA) A cool 46° minimum is the lowest August temperature on record for Richmond, VA. (Ref. Richmond Weather Records) Boston, Massachusetts recorded its highest pressure 30.48 inches of mercury for the month of August. (Ref. NOAA Boston Weather Events) 1935 - The most intense hurricane to make landfall was a modest tropical depression on this day. Called the Labor Day Hurricane, this storm went through phenomenal intensification to become a Category 5 hurricane by September 2nd. 1936: Among the many heat-related records established during the summer of 1936 was the number of days with highs 90° or above. Springfield, IL reported 69 such days during the year, 57 of which occurred between June and August. At Peoria, IL the total for the year was 64, a few days shy of the record of 68 degrees set in 1887. It was the hottest month ever recorded in Oklahoma City, OK with an average temperature of 88.7°. This is 7.5° above the normal for August, and 0.4° warmer than the second hottest months, a tie between July 1980 and July 1934. Also, the two hottest daily temperatures ever recorded in August in Oklahoma City occurred in 1936, along with the warmest daily minimum temperature ever recorded in the city. Many of the daily record highs set in 1936 are still records for their respective dates. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1949: Earliest snowfall known for Minnesota. A trace of snow fell at the new Duluth, MN Airport. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 1953: Areas from the upper Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes to the East Coast were in the midst of a late summer heat wave that continued into early September. Record highs included: Richmond, VA: 102°, Baltimore, MD: 102°, Newark, NJ: 102°, Bismarck, ND: 101°, Louisville, KY: 101°, Rockford, IL: 101°, Huntington, WV: 101°, Wilmington, DE: 101°, Philadelphia, PA: 101°, St. Louis, MO: 100°, Paducah, KY: 100°, New York (Central Park), NY: 100°, New York (LaGuardia Airport), NY: 100°, Washington, DC: 100°-Tied, Chicago, IL: 99°, Hartford, CT: 98°, Cincinnati, OH: 98°-Tied, Atlantic City, NJ: 97°, Boston, MA: 97°, Beckley, WV: 94°-Tied, Elkins, WV: 92 °F.(Ref. Many Additional Temperatures Listed On This Link) 1954 - Hurricane Carol swept across eastern New England killing sixty persons and causing 450 million dollars damage. It was the first of three hurricanes to affect New England that year. (David Ludlum) 1964: 11.40 inches of rain fell at Norfolk, VA, from Hurricane Cleo, setting their all-time 24 hour rainfall record. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 1967: Hurricane Kathleen brought a 3-day barrage of wind and storm surge to the Mexican coast, destroying the town of San Felipe and leaving 2,500 people homeless while sinking 60 vessels. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1971 - The low of 84 degrees and high of 108 degrees at Death Valley, CA, were the coolest of the month. The average daily high was 115.7 degrees that August, and the average daily low was 93.4 degrees. (The Weather Channel) 1974: Idabel, Okla.--Lightning struck and killed a 9- year-old boy while he was playing in his treehouse. (Ref. Lightning-The Underrated Killer.pdf) 1979: Hurricane David brought over $1 billion dollars in damage to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and killed over 1,200 people. Before making landfall, the Category 5 storm had maximum sustained winds of 175 mph. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1984 - Lightning ignited several forest fires in Montana, one of which burned through 100,000 acres of timber and grassland. (The Weather Channel) 1985: Hurricane Elena stalled off the coast of West Central Florida. More than 300,000 residents fled their homes. Although Elena never came closer than 80 miles to the Tampa Bay area, its 40 to 50 mph sustained winds caused tides 6 feet above normal on the beaches and 7 feet above normal in the bay. The storm killed 4 people, destroyed more than 250 homes and damaged thousands of others before reversing course and coming ashore in Mississippi. Total damages to man-made property in Florida were estimated at $213 million dollars. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 1987 - Eight cities in Washington and Oregon reported record high temperatures for the date, including Eugene OR and Portland OR with afternoon highs of 102 degrees. The high of 102 degrees at Portland smashed their previous record for the date by twelve degrees. Frost was reported in South Dakota. Aberdeen SD established a record for the month of August with a morning low of 32 degrees, and Britton SD dipped to 31 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) 1988 - August ended on a relatively mild and tranquil note for most of the nation. Forest fires in the northwestern U.S. scorched 180,000 acres of land during the last week of August. (The National Weather Summary) 1989 - Thunderstorms developing along a stationary front spread severe weather from Minnesota to Indiana through the course of the day and night. Thunderstorms in Minnesota produced baseball size hail near Saint Michael and Hutchinson, and drenched Moose Lake with nine inches of rain in six hours. Tucson AZ hit 100 degrees for a record 79th time in the year, surpassing a record established the previous year. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 1991: Portland, ME ended up with 15.22 inches of rain for the month, setting a new all-time monthly rainfall record for any month. The old record was 13.50 inches set in November 1983. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1993: Hurricane Emily raked the North Carolina Outer Banks. Winds reached 98 mph at the Cape Hatteras Weather Service Office along with 7.51 inches of rain. Another anemometer in the area recorded a wind gust to 107 mph. Diamond Shoals Coastal Marine Buoy was in the eye and recorded a low pressure of 964 millibars or 28.47 inches of mercury. After the eye passed, sustained winds hit 103 mph with a peak gust of 148 mph. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 1997: This year was only the third year in recorded history that no tropical storm occurred in August. The other two years were 1941 and 1961. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 1999: Residents of the low-lying North Carolina Outer Banks were on the run for a second time as unpredictable Hurricane Dennis. Dennis continued to perplex weather forecasters by lumbering back toward the coast after heading out to sea the day before. As the hurricane retrograded, blocked by high pressure, gale force winds and 14 foot seas pounded the coast. Roads were under water along Hatteras Island. At least 7 inches of rain fell in Brunswick County, North Carolina. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 2004: Hurricane Gaston made landfall north of Charleston, SC on Sunday morning 29 August 2004. It weakened to a tropical depression as it moved north into North Carolina. Rainfall in North Carolina was generally in the 50 to 100 mm (2-4 inches) range. During the early morning of 30 August 2004, Gaston was losing strength and no flooding rain was anticipated for Virginia. Later, as the storm moved across southern and central Virginia, supercell thunderstorms developed evolving into a very heavy rain event for central Virginia. Gaston strengthened back to a tropical storm as it moved off the Delmarva coast early 31 August 2004. The maximum unofficial rainfall report was 324 mm (12.60 inches) recorded in the city of Richmond, VA. (Ref. Monthly Weather Review)Richmond International Airport recorded 16.30 inches of rain for August making it the third wettest month on their records back to 1871. (Ref. Richmond International Airport Records) 179 tornadoes occurred for the month in the U.S. to set a new record for most tornadoes in August. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 2017: Harvey was a Category 4 hurricane at its peak. On Tuesday afternoon the 29th, the Mont Belvieu industrial suburb east of Houston recorded 51.12 inches of water, breaking the highest previous record of 48 inches from 1978’s Tropical Storm Amelia in Medina, Texas. Hurricane Harvey was the first major hurricane[nb 1] to make landfall in the United States since Wilma in 2005, ending a record 12-year period with no major hurricanes making landfall in the United States. In a four-day period, many areas received more than 40 inches (1,000 mm) of rain as the system meandered over eastern Texas and adjacent waters, causing catastrophic flooding. With peak accumulations of 51.88 in (1,318 mm), Harvey is the wettest tropical cyclone on record in the contiguous United States. The resulting floods inundated hundreds of thousands of homes, displaced more than 30,000 people, and prompted more than 17,000 rescues. The eighth named storm, third hurricane, and the first major hurricane of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season. Harvey has caused at least 51 confirmed deaths; 1 in Guyana, and 50 in the United States. Catastrophic inland flooding is ongoing in the Greater Houston metropolitan area. FEMA director Brock Long called Harvey the worst disaster in Texas history, and expected the recovery to take many years. Preliminary estimates of economic losses range from $30 billion to $150 billion, with a large portion of the losses sustained by uninsured homeowners. “This is as catastrophic as you could possibly imagine from a Category 4 storm.” (SE,TX After 30 to 45 inches of rain and more to come)

66 / 47 and clear. August closing out on a dry cooler note. Continued dry and cooler through mid week before flow bring a bit higher humidity and the chance of the first widespread meaningful rain Thu-Fri. Beyond there warmer overall as trough backs west and lifts out, and glimmer of late season heat depicted by mid month. 8/31 - 9/3 : Dry cooler upper 79s / low 80s highs 9/4 - 9/5 : Thu pm - Fri rain - more humid 9/6 - beyond : Warmer overall - tropics on alert - heat glimmer

Highs EWR: 79 BLM: 77 TEB: 77 New Brnswck: 77 JFK: 77 * no intra hour highs ISP: 77 PHL: 77 ACY: 77 LGA: 76 NYC: 76 TTN: 75

76 / 44 clouds now building down south

Trough backing west and Atlantic ridge extending west beyond this period should yield a net above normal stretch (9/7 - 9/15) ish

Records: Highs: EWR: 100 (1953) NYC: 98 (1973) LGA: 99 (1953) JFk: 95 (1973) Lows: EWR: 49 (1934) NYC: 50 (1965) LGA: 55 (1986) JFK: 51 (1965) Historical: 1776 - General Washington took advantage of a heavy fog to evacuate Long Island after a defeat. Adverse winds kept the British fleet from intervening. (David Ludlum) 1838 - A major tornado, possibly the worst in Rhode Island history, passed south of Providence. It uprooted and stripped trees of their branches, unroofed or destroyed many houses, and sucked water out of ponds. The tornado barely missed a local railroad depot, where many people were waiting for a train. The tornado injured five people. 1839 - A hurricane moved from Cape Hatteras NC to offshore New England. An unusual feature of the hurricane was the snow it helped produce, which whitened the Catskill Mountains of New York State. Considerable snow was also reported at Salem NY. (The Weather Channel) 1907: Snow fell on Monadnock Mountain in southern New Hampshire. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1915: Some of the chilliest August weather on record occurred from the Plains to the upper Midwest. Locations that reported their all-time coldest temperature for August included: Neillsville, WI: 31°, Rochester, MN: 32° (also earliest first occurrence of freezing temperatures), Fayette, IA: 33°, Winona, MN: 33°, Charles City, IA: 34°, Grand Meadow, MN: 34°, Lancaster, WI: 34°, La Crosse, WI: 35°, New Hampton, IA: 35°, Rockford, IL: 35 °F. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1950: On this date through the 31st, Hurricane Baker made landfall at Santa Rosa Island between Mobile, AL and Pensacola, FL with winds of 100 mph. At Pensacola, the lowest sea-level pressure was 991 millibars or 29.27 inches of mercury at 10 PM with a maximum wind speed of 42 mph from the southeast. A waterspout/tornado came ashore and unroofed a home and store at Apalachicola, FL. 23 homes were damaged. One other tornado was reported in Jackson County. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 1953: Five days with 100° or more the 29th to the 2nd at DC -100,103,102,102,101 (Ref. Washington Weather Records - KDCA) 1954: Hurricane Carol strengthened to Category 2 strength off the North Carolina coast with maximum sustained winds near 100 mph. Carol would accelerate over the next 24 hours and make landfall the next day over the Fire Island community of Point O' Woods on the eastern end of Long Island, NY with 100 mph sustained winds. An interesting note from Hurricane Carol was some of the strongest criticism came about the name of the storm. Editorials railed that it was not appropriate to give a nice name like Carol to a destructive hurricane. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 1955: Big Meadows had 23.88 inches, VA greatest monthly precipitation total. 1959: Severe thunderstorms moved south across western Oklahoma, leaving several swaths of extensive hail damage. The Weatherford area was especially hard hit. Hail up to golf ball size caused severe damage to roofs and windows on almost all homes and buildings in the Weatherford area. Other hail paths, some of which caused 100% crop damage, extended from Dill City, south to the Red River in Cotton County, over the Grandfield area, and from near Granite to Headrick. The storms continued into north Texas, where wind damage was reported in the Burkburnett, Wichita Falls, Iowa Park, and Henrietta areas. Wind gusts to 75 mph were measured. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1962: Hackberry, LA gets 22 inches of rain in 24 hours to establish the state record. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 1965: Canadian high pressure brought another chilly start to parts of the Great Lakes to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Raleigh, NC dropped to 46°; their coldest August reading. Other record lows included: Concord, NH: 32°, Elkins, WV: 37°, Binghamton, NY: 37°, Ste. St. Marie, MI: 38°, Worcester, MA: 38°, Buffalo, NY: 38°, Williamsport, PA: 38°, Beckley, WV: 39°, Hartford, CT: 39°, Roanoke, VA: 43°, Charleston, WV: 45°, Lynchburg, VA: 45°, Richmond, VA: 47°, Boston, MA: 48°, Norfolk, VA: 52°, Charlotte, NC: 53 °F. (Ref. Additional Temperatures Listed On This Link) 1967: Hurricane Katrina crossed the southern tip of Baja California and then traversed almost the entire length of the Gulf of California before making landfall again and rapidly weakening. More than two inches of rain fell in parts of southern California. Two inches fell at La Quinta and the city was cut off for several hours. 150 homes were damaged by floods in Palm Desert and Indian Wells. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1976: Another preview of fall as record lows were recorded across parts of Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. Grand Rapids, MI fell to 39°, the coldest ever recorded during the month of August. Scattered frost occurs in rural areas. Ste. St. Marie, MI: 35°, Detroit, MI: 41°, Muskegon, MI: 41°, Youngstown, OH: 41°, Toledo, OH: 41°-Tied, Dayton, OH: 43 °F. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1979: Hurricane David grew into one of the most intense storms ever to cross the Caribbean Sea. After wiping out the tiny island of Dominica with 150 mph winds, David crashed ashore in the Dominican Republic at peak intensity on this date, with wind gusts over 200 mph. The central pressure in the storm was at its lowest at 924 millibars or 27.29 inches of mercury. More than 1,200 people on the two-nation island were killed and over 80,000 were left homeless. Damage totaled more than $1 billion dollars in the Caribbean alone. Skipping through the Bahamas, David struck a glancing blow on Florida, just north of the Gold Coast, tore across Cape Canaveral and then moved up the East Coast on September 6th, downing trees and power lines well into New England. 1982 - A tropical depression brought torrential rains to portions of southern Texas. Up to twelve inches fell south of Houston, and as much as eighteen inches fell southeast of Austin. The tropical depression spawned fourteen tornadoes in three days. (David Ludlum) Record cold gripped the northeastern U.S. Thirty-one cities in New England reported record lows, and areas of Vermont received up to three inches of snow. (The Weather Channel) 1985: Massive evacuations were ordered for beach front communities along the northern Gulf Coast as Hurricane Elena made her move toward the coast just before a busy Labor Day weekend. A cold front approached from the northwest, which collapsed the steering currents around Elena, and the storm began to recurve. It approached Florida, moving quite close to Tampa Bay and Cedar Key, before high pressure bridged the frontal boundary and steered Elena back towards the west. Elena intensified as it accelerated west-northwest, and was a major hurricane by the afternoon on September 1st peaking later that day at 125 mph. The hurricane made landfall near Biloxi, MS on September 2 as a major hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 120 mph. Rainfall ranged from 2 inches at Key West to 11 inches at Apalachicola. 1987 - Eight cities in California and Oregon reported record high temperatures for the date, including Redding CA and Sacramento CA where the mercury hit 100 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) 1988 - Thunderstorms drenched Georgia and the Carolinas with heavy rain, soaking Columbia, SC, with 4.10 inches in three hours. Fresno CA was the hot spot in the nation with a record high of 109 degrees. Duluth MN tied their record for the month of August with a morning low of 39 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) 1989 - Thunderstorms developing ahead of a cold front produced large hail in Montana and North Dakota during the evening and early nighttime hours. Hail three inches in diameter was reported 20 miles south of Medora ND, and thunderstorms over Dawson County MT produced up to three inches of rain. Thunderstorms produced golf ball size hail at Roundup MT, Dazey ND and Protection KS. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 1993: Three people were hurt by lightning in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. Two of them were huddled under an umbrella on the side of a road, watching a wrecker operator connect their stalled vehicle to his tow truck. Lightning struck the umbrella and then traveled to the wrecker operator. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 2000: Little Rock, Arkansas: The temperature rises to 111 °F at the North Little Rock Airport, setting a new record for the hottest temperature ever observed at the location. (Ref. WxDoctor) 2001: Thunderstorms developed over northern Illinois during the evening hours. A series of thunderstorms moved across northern Cook County, dumping torrential amounts of rainfall. Flooding was reported on portions of the Kennedy and Edens expressways. The 93 mile deep tunnel was filled to capacity with 1.6 billion gallons of water forcing the Wilmette licks to be opened to dump 75 million gallons of storm and sewer water directly into Lake Michigan. O'Hare Airport received 4.31 inches of rain, most of which fell between 9 pm and 11 pm. This rainfall brought the total for the month to 12.25 inches, making this the second wettest month on record for Chicago. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 2003: Lightning struck and killed a man at Busch Gardens near Williamsburg, VA . (Ref. Lightning - Virginia Weather History) 2004": At landfall the storm, Gaston was originally classified as just shy of hurricane strength. While wind damage in South Carolina was minimal, the slow-moving storm produced five to ten inches of rain along its path, causing extensive flooding. Gaston moved north over land, weakening to a tropical depression but still bringing torrential rain to central Virginia, where at least eight people were killed in the ensuing floods. Richmond International Airport had 6.68 inches, Ashland recorded 10.61 inches, including 4.33 inches in one hour. The Richmond (West End ) reported 12.60 inches of rain and Mechanicsville had 10.70 inches. The Shockoe Bottom entertainment district near downtown Richmond was devastated by the flooding. Total damage was estimated at about $130 million. Ref. (Weather Underground Hurricane History Archives - Gaston) 2008: Hurricane Gustav set the world record for the highest wind gust measured in a tropical cyclone with a reading of 211 mph measured in Paso Real de San Deigo, Cuba. “The wind peaked and the anemometer mast fell over sharply interrupting the measurement…” (Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA) 2011: Even before Hurricane Irene dumped rain on the Northeastern United States over the weekend, parts of New England were very soggy. The rain gauge at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York recorded 7.8 inches (19.8 cm) on Aug. 14, breaking the previous daily record of 6.27 inches (15.9 cm), set in 1984. Before Irene, Robinson told LiveScience, New Jersey was having its sixth-wettest August since statewide records started in 1895. Then Irene moved in as the second-largest rainstorm in the state since 1895. Preliminary estimates peg New Jersey's August rainfall at 16.5 inches (41.9 centimeters), making it the rainiest month ever recorded in the state. (Ref. LifeScience.Com)

55 / 46 clear (for now). Mid - upper 70s today and tomorrow and overall dry as we close out the month. Trough into the east , cuts off next tue - THu and still need watch for the first widespread meaningful rain in a while. Other wise trough backs west by the 5/6 and warmer - near - above normal. Still lots of onshore flow but a warmer / more humid flow should get us above normal as Atlantic ridge builds west. No heat in sight but warmer overall beyond the 6th.

Highs: EWR: 81 ACY: 81 BLM: 80 PHL: 80 New Brnswk: 79 TEB: 79 LGA: 78 ISP: 78 NYC: 78 JFK: 77 * missing intra hour highs TTN: 77

So far the cool week has not exceeded last weeks -8 to -11 departures 8/20 - 8/21 EWR: 8/26: 83 / 65 (-1) 8/27: 79 / 61 (-5) 8/28: 80 / 57 (-6) NYC: 8/26: 79 / 63 (-4) 8/27: 75 / 61 (-7) 8/28: 78 / 61 (-5) LGA: 8/26: 80 / 65 (-4) 8/27: 76 / 63 (-6) 8/28: 79 / 64 (-4) JFK: 8/26: 85 / 63 (0) 8/27: 77 / 63 (-4) 8/27: 8/28: 76 / 60 (-6)

Records: Highs: EWR: 100 (1953) NYC: 98 (1973) LGA: 100 (1953) JFK: 98 (1953) Lows: EWR: 49 (1934) NYC: 50 (1965) LGA: 51 (1982) JFK: 51 (1982) Historical: 1559: Hurricane along Gulf Coast from Pensacola to Mobile. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 1816: Any remaining hopes of harvesting a corn crop were dashed by heavy frosts in northern New England. This was the second time this summer with heavy frosts. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1863: A devastating killing frost affected most of Minnesota, killing vines and damaging corn. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 1876: A torrential downpour inundated St John's, Newfoundland Canada with 6.8 inches of rain, the greatest single daily accumulation ever recorded in the province. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1893: A very destructive hurricane devastated the Georgia/South Carolina coast on the 27th. A tremendous wave submerged the offshore islands near Charleston and Savannah, killing between 1,000 and 2,500 people. The storm recurved to the northeast, passing through eastern Pennsylvania, still maintaining hurricane strength. Norfolk, VA, and New York City both measured a gust to 60 mph. To the west, Buffalo, NY received 4.22 inches of rain. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1960 - The storm that would become Hurricane Donna forms near Cape Verde off the African coast. It would go on to cause 150 deaths from Puerto Rico to New England over the next two weeks. 1962 - Hackberry, LA, was deluged with twenty-two inches of rain in 24 hours, establishing a state record. (The Weather Channel) 1965 - A national record for the month of August was established when 2.5 inches of snow fell atop Mount Washington NH. Temperatures in New England dipped to 39 degrees at Nantucket MA, and to 25 degrees in Vermont. For many location it was the earliest freeze of record. (David Ludlum) 1978: The remnants of Tropical Storm Debra spawned a tornado in southern Memphis, TN. The twister was two miles long and 75-100 yards wide, left 26 injured and did $4.6 million damage. No thunder or lightning was observed. The tornado came within one mile of Elvis Presley's Graceland. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 1979: The strong winds of powerful Hurricane David leveled the island of Dominica in the Lesser Antilles, resulting in 56 deaths and leaving 60,000 of the islands 80,000 inhabitants homeless. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 1982: Canadian high pressure settled across the Mid-Atlantic brought record lows from the Great Lakes to the East Coast. The morning low of 39° at Pittsburgh, PA was their coldest reading ever in August. Cool air from Canada continues pouring in, Houghton Lake, MI: 29°, Ste. St. Marie, MI: 29°, Alpena, MI: 30°, Toledo, OH: 34°, Sterling (Dulles Airport), VA: 38°, Hartford, CT: 39°, Chicago, IL: 43°-Tied, Baltimore, MD: 49°, Richmond, VA: 50 °F. (Ref. Additional Temperatures Listed On This Link) 1983 - A devastating hail storm struck portions of central South Dakota. In a small part of Faulk County, hail pounded the area for two straight hours. At times, the hail was the size of baseballs. Of course, this incredible hailstorm devastated crops in the area and took out windows in area buildings. In one home, the windows were shattered, the curtains shredded, and glass shards and water ruined much of the upper floor. On some houses, the paint was peeled off by the continual pounding of the hail. Also, funnel clouds were reported just east of Lake City, and near Langford and Veblen in Marshall County. In Veblen, a pole barn was blown over, and shingles were torn off. 1984: The high temperature in Topeka, KS reached 110° for only the second time since the Dust Bowl days of the 1930's. The highest temperature on record at Columbia, MO for the month of August: 110° was recorded. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 1986: The minimum temperature was 49° in Washington DC that tied all-time August record minimum temperature. (Ref. Washington Weather Records - KDCA) Canadian high pressure across the Ohio Valley brought record chill from the Ohio Valley to the East Coast and Southeast. Record lows included: Concord, NH: 32°, Caribou, ME: 35°, Beckley, WV: 36°-Tied, Goshen, IN: 37°, Dayton, OH: 41°, Atlantic City, NJ: 41°-Tied, Asheville, NC: 42°, Roanoke, VA: 42°, Huntington, WV: 43°-Tied, Lynchburg, VA: 47°, Richmond, VA: 47°, Baltimore, MD: 47 °F. (Ref. Many Additional Temperatures Listed On This Link) 1987 - Some of the most powerful thunderstorms in several years developed over the piedmont of North Carolina, and marched across central sections of the state during the late afternoon and evening hours. Baseball size hail was reported around Albemarle, while thunderstorm winds downed giant trees around High Falls. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 1988 - Cool air invaded the north central U.S. Ten cities reported record low temperatures for the date, including Bismarck ND with a reading of 33 degrees. Deerfield, a small town in the Black Hills of South Dakota, reported a low of 23 degrees. The remnants of Tropical Storm Chris drenched eastern Pennsylvania with up to five and a half inches of rain, and produced high winds which gusted to 90 mph, severely damaging a hundred boats in Anne Arundel County MD. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 1989 - Evening thunderstorms produced destructive lightning in West Virginia. The lightning caused widepsread damage, particularily in Doddridge County. Numerous trees were downed closing many roads. Fire companies had a difficult time tending to the many homes and trailers on fire. Anchorage AK reported a record 9.60 inches of rain for the month of August. The average annual precipitation for Anchorage is just slighty more than fifteen inches. Three day rainfall totals in northwest Missouri ranged up to 8.20 inches at Maryville. (The National Weather Summary) 1991: Severe thunderstorms struck parts of southwest and central Oklahoma late in the evening. Rush Springs experienced winds stronger than 80 mph, and a bus barn and several mobile homes were destroyed in the area. The storms also produced golf ball sized hail northeast of Durham. In Kansas, thunderstorm wind gusts of 65 mph, combined with golf ball-size hail, blew out the windows of a few houses 3 miles west of Dodge City. At Garden City, lightning struck service transformers, electric lines, and buildings causing power outages and several structural fires. Lightning also caused one house fire that resulted in $20,000 damage. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1995: The 1995 North Atlantic Hurricane Season was one of the busiest on record. The National Hurricane Center had their hands full on this date, as they tracked dissipating Tropical Storm Jerry, a strong tropical wave and four named storms: Hurricane Humberto, Hurricane Iris, Tropical Storm Karen and Tropical Storm Luis. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 1999: Parts of the Outer Banks of North Carolina were being evacuated as large Category 2 Hurricane Dennis continued to move towards the coast with top winds of 105 mph. The National Hurricane Center cautiously waited for the hurricane to make a much-anticipated turn to the east that would carry it out to sea and away from land. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 2000: The mercury reached 105° at Mobile, AL, setting an all-time record high. The record high also established a new mark for most 100 degree days in a summer with 8. Heavy rainfall totaling nearly 2.00 inches of rain soaked the northwest part of Las Vegas, NV. Several swift water rescues were performed after people ignored warning signs. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 2005 - Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Plaquemines Parish in southeastern Louisiana early on the 29th with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph, a strong category-three, and the third most-intense landfalling hurricane in U.S. history. The center of the hurricane passed just east of New Orleans, where winds gusted over 100 mph. Widespread devastation and unprecedented flooding occurred, submerging at least 80 percent of the city as levees failed. Farther east, powerful winds and a devastating storm surge of 20-30 feet raked the Mississippi coastline, including Gulfport and Biloxi, where Gulf of Mexico floodwaters spread several miles inland. Rainfall amounts of 8-10 inches were common along and to the east of the storm's path. Katrina weakened to a tropical storm as it tracked northward through Mississippi and gradually lost its identity as it moved into the Tennessee Valley on the 30th, dum 2017: Harvey was a Category 4 hurricane at its peak. It has since been downgraded to a tropical storm. But the hurricane scale is based on wind speed, not volume of water, and Harvey has continued to funnel tremendous amounts of moisture into Texas. The flood of epic proportions the southeast part of the city moved past 49 inches for the storm which breaks the Texas and Lower 48 states record for the most amount of rain ever recorded from a tropical system – pending verification. On Tuesday afternoon the 29th, the Mont Belvieu industrial suburb east of Houston recorded 51.12 inches of water, breaking the highest previous record of 48 inches from 1978’s Tropical Storm Amelia in Medina, Texas. “This is as catastrophic as you could possibly imagine from a Category 4 storm.” 2020: Just before dawn on Saturday morning the 29th, Laura became a post-tropical cyclone or remnant low as it was located approximately 90 miles to the west of Charleston, WV. Winds surrounding this remnant low were 25 mph. Laura had no impact on the Springfield Park Station or the Glen Allen area. In terms of wind speed, Laura tied the 1856 Last Island hurricane as the strongest landfalling hurricane on record in the state of Louisiana since 1851; however, the 1856 Last Island hurricane had a lowest minimum pressure of approximately 934 mb (27.58 in Hg). Significant storm surge was generated by the winds accompanying Hurricane Laura, which resulted in coastal flooding. Widespread torrential rains with amounts ranging from six to ten inches fell across western Louisiana and eastern Texas. With widespread damage caused by strong winds, a significant storm surge and rains, over half a million people were without power.

66 / 58 into the trough and Upper low spinning over Northern New England pushing series of clouds through and last night some isolated showers/downpours. Overall cooler / drier pattern marches on - trough redeepens a bit more west next week, still watch the trough cut off a low next tue-wed-thu period for some rain before ridging brings warmth beyond there.

stray shower , though it was a 15 minute down pour here. 0.19 looks to dry up east of CPA

Highs TEB: 81 EWR: 80 New Brnswck: 80 ACY: 80 PHL: 80 BLM: 79 LGA: 79 TTN: 79 ISP: 78 NYC: 78 JFK: 77

Rain moving through

Clouds in the way today

Records: Highs: EWR: 102 (1948) NYC: 100 (1948) LGA: 99 (1948) JFK: 98 (1973) Lows: EWR: 51 (1941) NYC: 50 (1885) LGA: 54 (1986) JFK: 53 (1986) Historical: 1816: Frosts continue in New England i 1898 - Torrents of rain accompanied by a furious wind upset the rain gage at Fort Mohave AZ. However, water in a wash tub set out on the mesa, clear of everything, measured eight inches after the 45 minute storm. (The Weather Channel) 1911 - Saint George, GA, was deluged with 18.00 inches of rain in 24 hours to establish a state record. (The Weather Channel) 1954: Thunderstorm winds and hail struck Alachua and Orange Counties in Florida. A tornado touched down briefly in Orlando and ripped up three large oaks. Considerable wind damage to roofs and several automobiles were hit by falling trees. A child was killed by lightning at Lake City, FL. Several others were injured. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1959 - Lieutenant Colonel William Rankin bailed out of his plane at a height of 46,000 feet into a violent thunderstorm, and lived to write about the 45 minute journey (which normally would have been a thirteen minute descent). He described it as one of the most bizarre and painful experiences imaginable. (The Weather Channel) 1964: NASA launched the first NIMBUS weather satellite. More advanced than the pioneering TIROS satellites, the NIMBUS program featured new cameras and sensors that continued well into the 1970s. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1968: One man was seriously injured by lightning while riding on a roller coaster at a Denver, CO amusement park. An airline employee was injured when lightning struck a jetliner he was servicing at Stapleton International Airport. A lightning caused fire did extensive damage to a house and to several others. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1971 - Heavy rains from Tropical Storm Doria caused devastating floods in central and northeast New Jersey resulting in 138 million dollars damage. In southeastern Pennsylvania, high winds downed trees and power lines, and in New York City, heavy rains flooded streets and subways. (David Ludlum) 1973 - An F4 tornado touched down near Canaan, New York, and moved to western Massachusetts. Three people were killed in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts when a truck stop was destroyed, and another person died in a ruined house nearby. 1974: Central New Jersey--Lightning resulted in one death. Sanford, NC -- A woman in her backyard was hit by lightning and died in a hospital. (Ref. Lightning-The Underrated Killer.pdf) 1977: Severe flooding hit parts of southwest Oklahoma after 8 to 10 inches of rain fell over the area. The hardest hit areas were between the West Cache and Blue Beaver Creeks, near the communities of Cache, Faxon, and Medicine Park, all in Comanche County. Six children had to be rescued by helicopter from a knoll between the two creeks, while several other families had to be evacuated. Damage was quite severe as many houses reportedly had two to four feet of water flowing through them. The floods also washed away several bridges. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1978: Hail up to six inches deep was recorded during a severe thunderstorm at Colorado Springs, CO. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 1980: Two inches of snow fell at Sherman Pass, WA. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History) 1982: A strong cold front pushed through bringing record low temperatures across parts of the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. Record lows included: International Falls, MN: 30°, Duluth, MN: 34°, Marquette, MI: 36°, Lansing, MI: 36°, Ste. St. Marie, MI: 37°-Tied.(Ref. Additional Temperatures Listed On This Link) 1985: In the early morning hours eight inches of rain pounded Le Mars, IA. Every home in town had some problems and houses that had never had water in their basements suddenly had 6 inches of water standing on their floors. Later that afternoon, more severe weather developed in northwest Iowa pounding several counties with golfball size hail and high winds in excess of 60 mph. Window and tree damage was extensive across Emmett, O'Brien, Cherokee, Clay, Buena Vista and Plymouth Counties. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 1986 - The temperature at Apalachicola, FL, dipped to 62 degrees to shatter their previous August record by four degrees, having tied their August record high of 99 degrees on the 2nd of the month. (The Weather Channel) 1987 - Severe thunderstorms broke the heat in the southeastern U.S. and the Gulf Coast Region, but not before seven cities reported record high temperatures for the date. The severe thunderstorms produced wind gusts to 80 mph downing large trees around Horse Shoe NC, and pelted southeastern Meridian MS with hail two inches in diameter. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 1988 - Tropical Storm Chris spawned a tornado near Manning, SC, which killed one person, and spawned three tornadoes in North Carolina. Chris produced one to two foot tides, and three to six inch rains, over coastal South Carolina. Severe thunderstorms in New York State and Vermont, developing ahead of a cold front, spawned a tornado which killed one person at Hector NY, produced tennis ball size hail at Brandon VT, and produced wind gusts to 80 mph at Lyndonville VT. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) 1989 - Early morning thunderstorms in Nebraska produced 4.50 inches of rain around McCook, and 4.65 inches near Auburn and Brownville. Showers in Montana pushed the rainfall total for the month at Havre past the previous August record of 3.90 inches. (The National Weather Summary) 1990 - Between 3:15 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. a devastating F5 tornado ripped a 16.4 mile-long path through portions of Kendall and Will counties in northern Illinois. A total of 29 people were killed, and 350 more were injured. An estimated $160 million in damages occurred. The tornado's path width ranged from 200 yards to half a mile. A total of 470 homes were destroyed, and another 1000 homes were damaged. Sixty-five thousand customers lost power. 1992: The coolest August temperature ever recorded in Wichita Falls, TX when the temperature fell to a cool 53°. Rapidly intensifying Typhoon Omar cut right across the U.S. territory of Guam in the western Pacific. At the time of landfall winds were sustained at 125 mph around the eye. Anderson Air Force Base had sustained winds of 104 mph with a peak gust to 150 mph, recorded a pressure reading of 945.8 millibars or 27.93 inches of mercury, and was deluged with 16.41 inches of rain. Agana Naval Air Station reported wind gusts exceeding 170 mph and a low pressure reading of 932 millibars or 27.52 inches of mercury. One person was killed, 132 people were injured, over 4,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, and total damage was $487 million dollars. This was the strongest typhoon to strike Guam since Typhoon Pamela in 1976. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) 2001: Snow plows in the summer! Hail mostly three quarter inches in diameter but a few stones as large as 1 1/4 inches in diameter fell on the west side of Silver City, New Mexico for 40 minutes and accumulated to a depth of 6 inches. Many vehicles were stranded until snow plows could clear hail from the roadways. (Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2007 Accord Publishing, USA) 2002: A very far to the north occurrence for this phenomenon. A funnel cloud was seen and photographed from near Wonder Lake in, AK’s Denali National Park. The funnel appeared several miles north of the lake; the bottom of the visible funnel almost touched the ground. (Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA) 2003: Two men were struck and injured by a nearby lightning strike at the Albemarle County, VA Fair in the North Garden area of the county. (Ref. Lightning - Virginia Weather History) 2005 - Hurricane Katrina attained Category 5 status on the morning of August 28 and reached its peak strength at 1800 UTC that day, with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph and a minimum central pressure of 902 mbars (26.6 inHg). 2011: Many homes in Chesterfield, VA area were hit by trees and power outages over the Richmond and Glen Allen area is still about 70 percent. (Ref. Richmond Times Despatch) (NWS, Sterling Reporter Volume 10, Issue 4 Page5) (NWS, Sterling Reporter Volume 10, Issue 4 Page6) 2012: Sixth of the top ten weather events - Hurricane Isaac. August 28-29th Category 1 Isaac made landfall in Southeast Louisiana and moved slowly northward across the state bringing heavy rain and flooding to Louisiana and Mississippi. Five died, some 900,000 customers lost power in Louisiana, and losses totaled $2.35 billion. Top 2012 Weather Events (Ref.Weatherwise May/June 2013 volumn 66 /number3 page 17) 2017: Harvey was a Category 4 hurricane at its peak. It has since been downgraded to a tropical storm. But the hurricane scale is based on wind speed, not volume of water, and Harvey has continued to funnel tremendous amounts of moisture into Texas. The flood of epic proportions is not finished with Houston and large parts of southeast Texas. After 30 to 45 inches of rain, quite possibly the greatest rain storm in U.S. history, another 10 inches could still fall. Meanwhile, excessive rains have pushed into New Orleans, which was under a flash flood warning Tuesday morning. In the 24 hours ending Tuesday morning, 4-12 inches of new rain had fallen across in Houston, adding more water to a landmass that is fully saturated. “This is as catastrophic as you could possibly imagine from a Category 4 storm.” (The NWS said Monday the 28th that parts of Harris County had seen 30 inches of rain.) (15 inches of rain and more to come)Computer Models Indicate Harvey Will Stall Over Texas (SE,TX After 30 to 45 inches of rain and more to come) 2020: Thursday PM (2020 - August 27) At that time, Laura's outer bands had begun moving onshore along the Louisiana coast, accompanied by strong winds, steady rain and several possible tornadoes. Hurricane Laura made landfall along the Louisiana Gulf Coast near Cameron, LA just after midnight on Thursday morning (27 August) as a high-end category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. The minimum central pressure at landfall was 938 millibars (27.70 inches of mercury). At the time of landfall, a National Ocean Service tide station at Calcasieu Pass, LA observed a water level rise of 9.19 ft Mean Higher High Water due to the storm surge. Simultaneously, the strong winds pushed so much water toward the coast that the Neches River even flowed backward for a time, according to a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgage in Beaumont, TX USGS News. Following landfall, Laura continued traveling northward across Louisiana as a hurricane before weakening to a tropical storm when winds fell below 75 mph by noon on Thursday when the center of the system was approximately 50 miles to the east-southeast of Shreveport, in northwest Louisiana. By late Thursday evening, Tropical Storm had traveled to the north and north-northeast across Arkansas before weakening to a tropical depression approximately 30 miles to the north-northeast of Little Rock, AR. On Friday the 28th, Tropical Depression Laura continued curving toward the northeast as it traveled across northeastern Arkansas and then across southeastern Missouri and into western Kentucky. Just before dawn on Saturday morning, Laura became a post-tropical cyclone or remnant low as it was located approximately 90 miles to the west of Charleston, WV. Winds surrounding this remnant low were 25 mph. In terms of wind speed, Laura tied the 1856 Last Island hurricane as the strongest landfalling hurricane on record in the state of Louisiana since 1851; however, the 1856 Last Island hurricane had a lowest minimum pressure of approximately 934 mb (27.58 in Hg). Significant storm surge was generated by the winds accompanying Hurricane Laura, which resulted in coastal flooding. Widespread torrential rains with amounts ranging from six to ten inches fell across western Louisiana and eastern Texas. With widespread damage caused by strong winds, a significant storm surge and rains, over half a million people were without power.