ATM OCN 100 (Fall 1999 Lecture 2) - Weather Trivia Did You Know?

ATM OCN (Meteorology) 100

Fall 1999 Lecture 2

DID YOU KNOW??

This Date in Weather History

24 September

...1888...The earliest frost of record hit the southern states covering South Carolina, Georgia and northern Florida (Intellicast)
...1926...The temperature at Riverside Ranger Station Yellowstone Park dipped to nine degrees below zero, the coldest reading of record in the U.S. during September. Severe freezes were widespread over the northwestern U.S. causing great crop destruction. In Washington State, Spokane County experienced their earliest snow of record. Harney Branch Experiment Station in Oregon reported a temperature of 2 degrees above zero to establish a state record for the month of September. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
...1950...A smoke pall from western Canada forest fires covered much of the eastern U.S. Daylight was reduced to nighttime darkness in parts of the Northeast. The color of the sun varied from pink to purple, blue, or lavender. Yellow to gray-tan was common. (24th-30th) (The Weather Channel)
...1972...Lightning struck a man near Waldport, OR, a young man who it so happens was carrying thirty-five pieces of dynamite. (The Weather Channel)
...1985...Hurricane Gloria in the western Atlantic reached a pressure of 918.6 millibars (27.13 inches), the strongest ever in this part of the Atlantic. Winds reported by reconnaissance aircraft was measured sustained at 156 mph. The media immediately declared Gloria, the "Killer Storm of the Century" preparing the east coast for atmospheric Armageddon. (Intellicast)
...1986...A strong F2 tornado touched down near Vina, CA. A mobile home was destroyed and 11 other buildings damaged or demolished. Fifty acres of walnut groves were flattened. (Intellicast)
...1987...The first full day of autumn proved to be a pleasant one for much of the nation, with sunny skies and mild temperatures. Thunderstorms again formed over Florida and the southwestern deserts, and also formed along a cold front in the northeastern U.S. A storm spotter at Earp, CA sighted a couple of funnel clouds, one on the California side of the state line, and the other on the Arizona side. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1988...Thunderstorms developing along a stationary front produced large hail and damaging winds in the southeastern U.S., with reports of severe weather most numerous in North Carolina. Golf ball size hail was reported at Tick Creek and a number of other locations in North Carolina. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1989...Forty-seven cities between the Rockies and the Appalachians reported record low temperatures for the date. Lows of 38 degrees at Abilene, TX, 34 degrees at Jackson, KY, and 36 degrees at Midland, TX established records for the month of September. The low of 36 degrees at Midland smashed their previous record for the date by thirteen degrees. Fayetteville, AR and Springfield, MO reported their earliest freeze of record. Thunderstorms produced torrential rains in northeastern Florida. Jacksonville was deluged with 11.40 inches of rain, and flash flooding resulted in two deaths. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

25 September

...1934...Cut Bank, MT hit a low temperature for the day of 4 below zero. Heavy snow accompanied the cold with 32 inches falling in Glacier National Park. (Intellicast)
...1939...A west coast hurricane moved onshore south of Los Angeles bringing unprecedented rains along the southern coast of California. Nearly five and a half inches of rain drenched Los Angeles during a 24 hour period. The hurricane caused two million dollars damage, mostly to structures along the coast and to crops, and claimed 45 lives at sea. "El Cordonazo" produced 5.66 inches of rain at Los Angeles and 11.6 inches of rain at Mount Wilson, both records for the month of September. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
...1987...Hurricane Emily which had battered Cape Hatteras crossed the island of Bermuda during the early morning. Emily, moving northeast at 45 mph, produced wind gusts to 115 mph at Kindley Field. The thirty-five million dollars damage inflicted by Emily made it the worst hurricane to strike Bermuda since 1948. Parts of Michigan and Wisconsin experienced their first freeze of the autumn. Snow and sleet were reported in the Sheffield and Sutton areas of northeastern Vermont at midday. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1988...Low pressure off the Northern Pacific Coast brought rain and gale force winds to the coast of Washington State. Fair weather prevailed across most of the rest of the nation. (The National Weather Summary)
...1989...Twenty-three cities in the south central U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date, including Topeka, KS with a reading of 33 degrees, and Binghamton, NY with a low of 25 degrees. Showers and thunderstorms in the southeastern U.S. drenched Atlanta, GA with 4.87 inches of rain, their sixth highest total of record for any given day. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

26 September

...1936...Denver, CO was buried under 21.3 inches of snow, 19.4 inches of which fell in 24 hours. The heavy wet snow snapped trees and wires causing seven million dollars damage. (26th-27th) (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
...1942...A severe freeze was experienced in the Dakotas and Minnesota from the 26th to the 28th. The temperature at Parshall, ND dropped to 4 degrees. (Intellicast)
...1950...Residents of the northeastern U.S. observed a blue sun and a blue moon, caused by forest fires in British Columbia and Alberta. (David Ludlum)
...1955...Hurricane Janet underwent extreme deepening in the Caribbean south of Cuba. Janet went from category 1 to a category 4 in only 24 hours. A reconnaissance plane was lost in Janet on this day, the only recon plane ever lost in an Atlantic hurricane. On the 27th, the winds were estimated to have reached 200 mph. Janet made landfall on the 28th with sustained winds of 175 mph, killing 500 and doing $40 million damage (Intellicast)
...1963...San Diego, CA reached an all-time record high of 111 degrees. Los Angeles hit 109 degrees. (David Ludlum)
...1970...Santa Ana winds brought fires to Los Angeles County, and to points south and east. Half a million acres were consumed by the fires, as were 1000 structures. Twenty firemen were injured. (25th-29th) (The Weather Channel)
...1979...In the midst of a hot September for Death Valley, California, the afternoon high was 104 degrees for the second of three days, the coolest afternoon highs for the month. (The Weather Channel)
...1987...Freezing temperatures were reported in the Northern and Central Appalachians, and the Upper Ohio Valley. The morning low of 27 degrees at Concord, NH tied their record for the date. Temperatures soared into the 90s in South Dakota. Pierre, SD reported an afternoon high of 98 degrees. (The National Weather Summary)
...1988...Unseasonably warm weather prevailed across Florida. Afternoon highs of 92 degrees at Apalachicola and 95 degrees at Fort Myers were records for the date. (The National Weather Summary)
...1989...Rain spread from the southeastern states across New England overnight. Cape Hatteras, NC reported measurable rainfall for the fourteenth straight day, with 15.51 inches of rain recorded during that two week period. Phoenix, AZ reported a record high of 108 degrees, and a record 134 days of 100 degree weather for the year. Afternoon temperatures were only in the 40s over parts of northwest Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. (The National Weather Summary)

--From the files of Weather Facts at the Aviation Weather Center, Kansas City, MO

See also monthly almanac files from Dr. Dewpoint of Intellicast.

Last revision 22 September 1999

Produced by Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D.

Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706

hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu

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