The Nations Weather

NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY:

In the East yesterday, Tropical Storm Hanna cleared the Northeastern U.S. coastline by late morning. However, the storm dropped significant rainfall throughout much of the Mid-Atlantic/New England. Notable locations and rainfall amounts include Hartford, Connecticut (6.19 inches), North Grafton, Massachusetts (6.41 inches), and Nashua, New Hampshire (6.56 inches). Most locations across the Mid-Atlantic and New England received roughly 2-4 inches with isolated areas in the 5 to 6 inch range. There were also numerous reports of flooding throughout region and many roadways were closed due to flooding. Several buildings across the Northeast reported structural damage from the heavy rainfall; many basements were filled with several feet of water. Emergency crews made several water rescues throughout the day. While the highest winds were reported in North Carolina where Hanna made landfall, gusts along the Cape in Massachusetts reached the 40-plus miles per hour range. Elsewhere across the eastern third of the country, a few showers and thunderstorms were noted over the eastern Great Lakes Region in response to a weak surface front moving through the region. There was one lone severe thunderstorm in Leelanau County in Michigan, which produced hail 0.88 inches in diameter. Otherwise, skies were variably cloudy across the rest of the region.

In the central United States yesterday, a cool and showery pattern continued as several clusters of precipitation were noted over the Plains and Upper Midwest. Rainfall was generally a quarter of an inch or less throughout the day, but isolated locations received nearly half an inch. Otherwise, skies were partly cloudy across southern Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley. A few thunderstorms came inland from the Gulf and affected the southern Texas coastline as well.

Yesterday in the West, showers and thunderstorms continued across the northern Rockies. Rainfall was generally a quarter of an inch or less but a few spots in northern Wyoming received nearly half an inch of rain. Isolated severe storms developed in eastern Colorado and New Mexico, including a storm that produced 59 mile-per-hour wind gusts at Clines Corners, New Mexico. A ridge of high pressure over the rest of the region kept clear skies and dry conditions over the Great Basin, Desert Southwest, California, and the central and southern Rockies. A record low was observed in Boundary Dam, Washington yesterday morning with a temperature of 33 degrees. This broke the old daily record low of 34 that was set in 2005.

WEATHER EXTREMES FOR YESTERDAY:

HIGHEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)............118 Death Valley, CA

HIGHEST HEAT INDEX (DEGREES F).............118 Death Valley, CA

LOWEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)..............27 Fossil Butte, WY

LOWEST WIND CHILL (DEGREES F)...............22 Ely, NV

HIGHEST WIND GUST (MPH).....................59 Clines Corners, NM

HIGHEST PRECIPITATION (INCHES)............6.56 Nashua, NH

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY:

In 1909, 8.08 inches of rain fell in 24 hours at Topeka, Kansas, which was the all-time daily rainfall record for the city.

In 1965, Hurricane Betsy produced 165 mile-per-hour wind gusts at Big Pine Key, Florida. The hurricane killed four people in Florida.

In 1987, thunderstorms produced 4 to 8 inches of rain in a 3-6 hour period in parts of Virginia. The Staunton River at Altavista, Virginia crested at 34.44 feet, and the resulting flood caused $47 million in damage.

DTN-Meteorlogix/G LOULIS

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