The Nations Weather For Friday

NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY:

In the East, a low-pressure system brought rain showers and thunderstorms to the Northeast and the Delmarva. Ping-pong-sized hail was reported at Suffolk, Virginia and Spotsylvania, Virginia. Very heavy rain fell with this activity, with 2.29 inches of rain reported at New York City, New York; 1.82 inches of rain at Wilmington, Delaware; and 1.78 inches of rain at Baltimore, Maryland. Further south, showers and thunderstorms also affected southwestern portions of the Ohio Valley and the Tennessee Valley. There were many large hail reports and many reports of strong winds causing downed trees and power lines. One storm produced strong thunderstorm winds that overturned 12 railroad cars in Worthington, Indiana. Florida had its fair share of shower and thunderstorm activity, as there were numerous wind and hail reports as well.

Active weather also plagued the central portion of the country, as scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms developed across the Plains region and the Upper Midwest. There were two tornado reports across the eastern Dakotas. A wind gust of 79 mph was reported at Fergus Falls, Minnesota, and another wind gust of 67 mph was reported at Brownfield, Texas. Baseball size hail fell at Mooreton, North Dakota and tennis ball size hail fell at Urbank, Minnesota. Heavy rains of over an inch fell over many locations as well. Sioux City, Iowa received 1.56 inches of rain. As for the Middle and Lower Mississippi Valley, fair and dry conditions prevailed.

In the west, widely scattered showers and thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and evening hours across the Rocky Mountains and the High Plains. There were no reports of severe weather, and rainfall amounts remained light. Further west, mostly cloudy skies and occasional showers affected the Pacific Northwest.

WEATHER EXTREMES FOR YESTERDAY:

HIGHEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)............107 Death Valley, CA

HIGHEST HEAT INDEX (DEGREES F).............113 Dothan, AL

LOWEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)..............29 Bellemont, AZ

LOWEST WIND CHILL (DEGREES F)...............28 Ely, NV

HIGHEST WIND GUST (MPH).....................79 Fergus Falls, MN

HIGHEST PRECIPITATION (INCHES)............2.29 New York, NY

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY:

In 1835, a tornado ripped through New Brunswick, New Jersey killing five people and scattering debris as far as Manhattan Island. This was the first tornado track scientists were able to study.

In 1987, thunderstorms fired up across the Southern Plains, the Southeast, and down into Florida. A woman in Knox City, Texas was struck by lightning while in her car, and another man was struck near his home in Manatee County, Florida.

In 2006, up to 11 inches of rain fell in Houston, Texas, causing the Houston Fire Department to rescue more than 500 people from flood waters.

DTN/Meteorlogix: K HAUGEN

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