The Nations Weather

NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY

High pressure continued to dominate most of the East Coast Tuesday with mainly quiet and cool conditions for this time of the year. Only a few isolated showers were found across the New England area today, but rainfall amounts were light there.

It was however fairly active across the Gulf Coast states and across portions of Florida Tuesday. Scattered showers and thunderstorms dominated these areas throughout the day before dying off during the evening. Not too much severe weather was reported with this activity but some heavy rains occurred with many areas seeing an inch or two in isolated spots. There was some minor hail and wind reports yesterday across Mississippi and some hail across Florida. There was even a tornado reported 4 miles east-northeast of Lakeland, Florida during the afternoon. This tornado uprooted a 4 to 5 foot tree which fell onto a carport and part of a house here.

More active weather occurred across a lot of the middle of the United States on Tuesday. The most active was across northwest Texas, Oklahoma, and into far southeast Kansas through the day. Numerous reports of hail and even some wind reports came out of the storms over these states. Large hail reports came out of Norman, Oklahoma where it was up to two inches in diameter. Even larger hail was reported just west of Crowell, Texas and was 2.75 inches in diameter. Across the Dakotas a storm system also produced some active weather there yesterday.

Thunderstorms producing some damaging wind reports, especially in the western half of South Dakota and North Dakota. A couple reports during the overnight hours Tuesday night a tornado touchdown 1 mile south of Mullen, Nebraska. Non-thunderstorm wind gusts were also up through the day Tuesday across the rest of the Midwest and Plains as a storm system moved through. Gusts were commonly in the 30 to 40 mph range and a gust of 43 mph was even reported at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport during the late afternoon.

Across the West it was overall quiet, especially in the Southwest where it was hot and dry. However, it was showery and windy across the Northern Rockies and into the Pacific Northwest Tuesday. Wind gusts to 60 mph were reported over many of the peaks across the Cascades, Northern Rockies, and Olympic Mountains. With this wind there was even a report of a dust storm across Fremont County, Idaho, where visibilities for a short time were reduced to zero miles from the blowing dust.

WEATHER EXTREMES FOR YESTERDAY:

HIGHEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)...........106 Gila Bend, AZ

HIGHEST HEAT INDEX (DEGREES F)............106 Laredo, TX

............... Alice, TX

LOWEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F).............24 Saranac Lake, NY

LOWEST WIND CHILL (DEGREES F)...............9 Mullan Pass, ID

HIGHEST WIND GUST (MPH)....................62 Sandburg, CA

HIGHEST PRECIPITATION (INCHES)...........2.10 Mena, AR

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY:

In 1930, the only official US hail death occurred on this day near Lubbock, Texas. A farmer was caught out in an open field and killed by the large hail that fell that day.

In 1980, an F3 tornado ripped directly through the center of Kalamazoo, Michigan, killing 5 and injuring 79. About 1,200 people were left homeless from this tornado.

In 1995, a severe weather outbreak occurred on this day. A wind gust of 136 mph was recorded from a storm in Peru, Indiana, and there were 184 reports of severe weather, including nearly three dozen tornadoes.

DTN-Meteorlogix: Tony Dello

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