The Nations Weather

NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY:

In the East, scattered showers and thunderstorms continued to plague New England and New York through the day as an upper level disturbance lingered in the area. Southern New England was once again hit by severe weather, with a few reports of hail and strong winds found across the region. Quarter size hail covered the ground at a country club in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, with drifts of hail up to 3 inches in some spots. A water spout also formed near North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Meanwhile, to the south, a stalled out frontal boundary continued to bring showers and storms to the Southeast during the day and into the overnight. Lightning caused several injuries and 1 fatality in Florida, with large hail and strong wind gusts also affecting the state as well as other portions of the Southeast. Moderate to heavy rain also drenched the region, with record rainfalls set in South Carolina. Charleston International Airport reported 4.15 inches of rain, breaking the previous record of 2.84 inches set back in 1950. In downtown Charleston, 2 feet of standing water made several roads impassable, and in Cornelia, Georgia, water reached as high as waist deep in some spots. The highest rainfall of the day, at 4.75 inches, soaked North Charleston, South Carolina.

Across the central United States, a storm system produced showers and thunderstorms across the Plains and Mid Mississippi Valley through the day and into the overnight hours. A few clusters of showers and storms brought severe weather to the Central and Southern Plains, while more severe activity developed and pushed into the Northern Plains. Baseball size hail fell in Wichita, Kansas and Lemmon, South Dakota, while wind gusts of up to 80 mph battered Richmond and Tushka, Kansas, as well as Vetal, South Dakota. A few tornadoes also caused damage across the Dakotas and Illinois. Moderate to heavy rain accompanied this activity, with 1 to 3 inches generally reported. Outside of the shower and storm activity, hot weather brought record temperatures to Texas. Record high temperatures were hit at Midland, Amarillo, Del Rio, and McAllen.

In the West, an upper level trough of low pressure produced showers and thunderstorms over Montana as well as Idaho. Several reports of hail were found across the eastern portion of Montana, before the storms cleared out of the area. Golf ball size hail was reported near Frazer. Showers and storms also developed over southern portions of Arizona and New Mexico, with strong wind gusts causing downed trees and power lines. Dry weather was found across the rest of the region.

WEATHER EXTREMES FOR YESTERDAY:

HIGHEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)............116 Death Valley, CA

HIGHEST HEAT INDEX (DEGREES F).............120 Alice, TX

LOWEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)..............29 Polebridge, MT

LOWEST WIND CHILL (DEGREES F)...............29 Polebridge, MT

HIGHEST WIND GUST (MPH).....................80 Richmond, KS

.............................................. Tushka, KS

.............................................. Vetal, SD

HIGHEST PRECIPITATION (INCHES)............4.75 North Charleston, SC

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY:

In 1968, Columbus, Mississippi received 15.68 inches of rain in 24 hours, establishing a state record.

In 1982, wind shear caused Pan AM flight 759 to crash after takeoff from New Orleans International Airport. All 145 people on the plane were killed, along with 8 people on the ground.

In 1987, a tornado touched down near Munising, Michigan, destroying part of a commercial dog kennel. 1 of the missing dogs was later found unharmed, in a tree top half a mile away.

Filed by: DTN/Meteorlogix

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