The Nation's Weather

National Weather Summary for Thursday, July 24, 2008

NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY:

Heavy rains, high winds and small hail pounded the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic portions of the country on Wednesday. Rainfall averaged upwards of half an inch in some areas, with numerous reports of rainfall over 1 inch. Wilmington, Delaware reported a total rainfall of 2.33 inches with 2.15 inches recorded in Albany, New York. Areas of flooding and flash flooding plagued the region as a result, with numerous underpasses filled with water and roads becoming impassable. Winds also downed trees and power poles, making recovery efforts slow going in the region. Scattered showers and thunderstorms also fired across portions of the Deep South and Florida ahead of a slow moving cold front, with high winds and heavy rains reported in those regions. Rainfall locally approached 2 inches across the eastern Florida coastline, with a few reports of small hail mixed in. High pressure allowed for fair and dry conditions across the Ohio and Tennessee Valley, as well as the western portions of the Great Lakes.

Rain was a major theme in the central portion of the country as Hurricane Dolly (now Tropical Storm Dolly) made landfall in southern Texas after the noon hour. It brought winds reaching up to 100 mph, extremely heavy rains and even isolated tornadoes to the southern tip of Texas. Rainfall has already surpassed the 7 inch mark at Brownsville, Texas, with numerous other places in the 2-6 inch range. To the north of the storm, rain was nothing more than a wish as extreme heat approached dangerous levels in portions of Oklahoma and northern Texas. The northern and central Plains, however, were favored by afternoon showers and thunderstorms ahead of a low forming in the lee of the Rockies. One report of 2.25 inch hail came in from near Rapid City, South Dakota, with numerous other reports of nickel to golf ball sized hail in the area. Dry conditions held across the upper and middle Mississippi Valley, as well as the northern Great Lakes.

Rain stole the weather show in the western third of the country as well, with monsoonal thunderstorms sparking off across the Rockies and Desert Southwest. Coverage was a bit more spotty than the past few days with only one report of nickel-sized hail near Payson, Arizona. Rainfall still induced pockets of flash flooding with how saturated the ground has become, but reports of that were even a bit more isolated. Dry conditions held from the Pacific Northwest southwards through the western Great Basin and California through the day.

WEATHER EXTREMES FOR YESTERDAY:

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

HIGHEST HEAT INDEX (DEGREES F).............108 Manchester, OK

LOWEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)..............35 Stanley, ID

LOWEST WIND CHILL (DEGREES F)...............14 Hoopa, CA

HIGHEST WIND GUST (MPH).....................74 Harlingen, TX

HIGHEST PRECIPITATION (INCHES)............6.29 Brownsville, TX

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY:

In 1936, the all-time record high temperature were established in Alton, Kansas and Minden, Nebraska at 121 and 118 degrees, respectively.

In 1947, 1 of the most powerful lightning strokes was recorded at 345,00 amperes in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In 1990, weak Tropical Storm Claudette produced 43 inches of rain in Alvin, Texas, setting a 24 hour record for the United States.

DTN-Meteorlogix/S Dumblauskas

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