The Nations Weather

NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY:

Across the eastern half of the country, a ridge of high pressure dominated much of the region. Clear skies and light winds allowed morning low temperatures to set new records in Syracuse, N.Y. at 6 degrees; Wallops Island, Va at 22; and Norfolk, Va at 23 degrees. Clouds moved across the Lower Mississippi Valley during the day, bringing rain showers by late evening. Showers started to erupt across the Mississippi Valley after sunset. Rainfall amounts were light. Further north, light snow showers occurred in the Upper Midwest in the evening hours. No accumulation was reported.

In the West, mostly quiet weather was observed across the region. A few light rain showers fell along the Texas Gulf Coast during the day, with rainfall amounts less than a quarter-inch. Besides a few high clouds in the northern Rockies, skies were mostly clear with dry conditions throughout the day, with the exception of dense fog along the West Coast. Temperatures struggled to warm in central and coastal California and the interior valleys of Oregon and Washington.

WEATHER EXTREMES FOR YESTERDAY:

HIGHEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F).............85 Gila Bend, AZ

HIGHEST HEAT INDEX (DEGREES F)..............85 Gila Bend, AZ

LOWEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)..............-1 Doe Lake, MI

.............................................. Stonington, MI

LOWEST WIND CHILL (DEGREES F)...............-3 Frenchville, ME

HIGHEST WIND GUST (MPH).....................58 McCook, NE

HIGHEST PRECIPITATION (INCHES)............0.23 Rockport, TX

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY:

In 1812, hurricane force southwest winds sank ships and unroofed buildings in Philadelphia, Penn. and New York City.

In 1863, a Civil War battle was fought on Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga, Tenn. Fog obscured parts of the mountain, aiding a Union victory when lookouts could not see the positioning of the enemy.

In 1992, over 200 car accidents occurred on Interstate 40 near Amarillo, Texas as a blizzard moved through the area. Snow drifted 15 feet high near Hugoton, Kan. Nineteen inches of snow fell in Lavern, Okla. Snowplows sent out to clear the roads were abandoned and were not found for days.

DTN-Meteorlogix/S McArthur

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