HISTORICAL WEATHER EVENTS - 16 August

• ...1777...The Battle of Bennington, delayed a day by rain, was fought during the Revolutionary War. The rain delayed British reinforcements, and allowed the Vermont Militia to arrive in time, enabling the Americans to win a victory by defeating two enemy forces, one at a time. (David Ludlum)
• ...1909...A dry spell began in San Bernardino County of southern California that lasted until the 6th of May in 1912, a stretch of 994 days! Another dry spell, lasting 767 days, then began in October of 1912. (The Weather Channel)
• ...1987...Afternoon and evening thunderstorms developing along a cold front produced severe weather from Oklahoma to Wisconsin and Lower Michigan. Thunderstorms in central Illinois produced wind gusts to 80 mph at Springfield that toppled two large beer tents at the state fair injuring 58 persons. Thunderstorms also drenched Chicago, IL with 2.90 inches of rain, making August 1987 their wettest month of record at 13.23 inches. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• ...1988...Thunderstorms developing along a slow moving cold front produced severe weather from North Dakota to Lower Michigan during the day. Nine tornadoes were sighted in North Dakota, and thunderstorms also produced hail three inches in diameter at Lakota, ND, and wind gusts to 83 mph at Marais, MI. Thirty-seven cities in the northeastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date, including Rockford, IL with a reading of 104 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• ...1989...Late afternoon and evening thunderstorms in the Central High Plains Region produced golf ball size hail at La Junta, CO, Intercanyon, CO, and Custer, SD. Afternoon thunderstorms over South Texas drenched Brownsville with 2.60 inches of rain. Fair skies allowed viewing of the late evening full lunar eclipse from the Great Lakes Region to the Northern and Central Plains Region, and across much of the western third of the country. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• ...1992...One of the most destructive United States hurricanes of record started modestly as a tropical wave that emerged from the west coast of Africa on 14 August. The wave spawned a tropical depression on 16 August, which became Tropical Storm Andrew the next day. (National Weather Service files)