The Nations Weather

NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY:

In the East today, heavy thunderstorms rolled across Florida during the early morning hours, dropping over an inch in some locations. Activity moved offshore by sunrise, but an upper-level trough caused scattered storms to redevelop over Florida and along the Gulf Coast from Florida to Louisiana. Elsewhere, an upper-level low brought light rain showers to parts of the Northeast. New York City picked up three tenths of an inch while Newark picked up nearly half an inch. Overcast skies continued to be entrenched along the New England coast.

In the central United States, severe thunderstorms pounded the Upper Midwest again. Severe storms rumbled across South Dakota and Nebraska early in the morning, pushing across Minnesota and Iowa as well. Later in the afternoon, Kansas and Missouri become the focus of redeveloping severe storms. Winds estimated to be around 60 mph toppled trees and power lines near Joplin, Mo. Into the evening hours, severe storms erupted across the Dakotas and Nebraska where storms dropped tornadoes near Regent, N.D. as well as several tornadoes across eastern South Dakota. To the south, widely isolated showers formed in the southern Plains early in the morning, but rainfall was very light. Most of this activity dissipated by mid-morning, although showers and isolated thunderstorms persisted in far southern Texas. Meanwhile, it was the hottest day in almost two years across Louisiana where many locations recorded triple digit high temperatures. New Orleans reported a high of 101 degrees while Alexandria came in at 102, both new record highs. The blistering heat also was found across Texas where Houston broke an all-time record for June with 104 degrees.

Today in the West, weak disturbances led to isolated showers and storms developing in the Four Corners Region during the late afternoon. A stray thundershower gave Las Vegas, Nev. a tenth of an inch of rain, which was a new daily record for the city. Most of this activity diminished by late evening. A few showers also developed in western Washington in association with a low pressure system approaching from the west. Onshore flow led to low clouds and fog during the morning across coastal Southern California.

WEATHER EXTREMES FOR YESTERDAY:

HIGHEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)............112 Bullhead City, Ariz.

HIGHEST HEAT INDEX (DEGREES F).............113 Alexandria, La.

LOWEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)..............30 Stanley, Idaho

.............................................. Cascade, Idaho

LOWEST WIND CHILL (DEGREES F)...............30 Stanley, Idaho

.............................................. Yellowstone, Wyo.

HIGHEST WIND GUST (MPH).....................70 Burton, Neb.

.............................................. Gibbon, Neb.

HIGHEST PRECIPITATION (INCHES)............1.67 Key West, Fla.

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY:

In 1925, Portland, Ore. had a high temperature of 101 degrees. This was the earliest in the season for Portland to reach 100 degrees.

In 1988, a heat wave gripped the central sections of the country. Highs of 100 degrees at Erie, Pa. and 104 degrees at Cleveland, Ohio, set new all-time records for those two locations. Chicago, Ill. tied a record with 105 degrees. In all, fifty-two cities reported record high temperatures for the date.

In 2003, heavy rains soaked central Minnesota. Elk River picked up 8.19 inches of rain total. Maplewood, Minn. received 4.36 inches of rain in only 4 hours while street flooding was reported in Saint Paul.

Filed by: DTN/Meteorlogix

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