July 22-23 Weather History

[Mid-Atlantic Weather Station (MAWS) Mailing List]

Note:  Still waiting for AMS to finish their website reorganization and maintenance, and to resume their weekly Weather & Climate News reports.

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               ...HISTORICAL WEATHER FACTS FOR JULY 22ND...
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1918...   A single bolt of lightning struck 504 sheep dead in their
          tracks at the Wasatch National Forest in Utah.  Sheep
          often herd together in storms, and as a result the shock
          from the lightning bolt was passed from one animal to
          another. 

1986...   Hurricane Estelle passed 120 miles south of the Hawaiian
          Islands creating a ten to twenty foot surf. The large
          swells resulted from a combination of high tides, a full
          moon, and 50 mph winds.  The hurricane also deluged Oahu
          Island with up to 6.86 inches of rain on the 24th and
          25th of the month.

1987...   Barrow AK receives 1.38 inches in 24 hours, an all-time
          record for that location.  The average annual precip-
          itation for Barrow is just 4.75 inches.  (21st-22nd)
          Thunderstorms in Montana produced 4 to 6 inches of rain
          in Glacier County causing extensive flooding along Divide
          Creek.  Missoula MT received 1.71 inches of rain in 24
          hours, a record for the month of July.

1988...   Six cities in the south central U.S. reported record low
          temperatures for the date, including Pueblo CO with a
          reading of 48 degrees.  Thunderstorms over the Atlantic
          Coast Region drenched Wilmington NC with 6.49 inches of
          rain in about eight hours. 

1989...   Showers and thunderstorms prevailed across the
          southeastern third of the country.  Afternoon thunder-
          storms in Florida produced wind gusts to 86 mph at
          Zephyrhills, and gusts to 92 mph at Carrollwood and Lutz.
          Thunderstorm winds gusting to 69 mph at Crystal Lake
          damaged nineteen mobile homes.

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               ...HISTORICAL WEATHER FACTS FOR JULY 23RD...
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1788...   A weather diary kept by George Washington recorded that
          the center of a hurricane passed directly over his Mount
          Vernon home.  The hurricane crossed eastern North
          Carolina and Virginia before moving into the Central
          Appalachians.  Norfolk VA reported houses destroyed,
          trees uprooted, and crops leveled to the ground.

1898...   A two hour thunderstorm deluged Atlanta GA with
          4.32 inches of rain.  More than a foot of water flooded
          Union Depot.  Many street car motors burned out while
          trying to run through flooded streets.  It grew so dark
          before the afternoon storm that gas lights were needed.

1923...   Sheridan WY was drenched with 4.41 inches of rain, an all-
          time 24 hour record for that location.  Associated
          flooding washed out 20 miles of railroad track.  (22nd-
          23rd)

1987...   Thunderstorms produced a record ten inches of rain in six
          and a half hours at Minneapolis MN, including 5.26 inches
          in two hours.  Flash flooding claimed two lives and
          caused 21.3 million dollars damage.  Streets in
          Minneapolis became rushing rivers, parking lots became
          lakes, and storm sewers spouted like geysers.   A tornado
          hit Maple Grove MN causing five million dollars damage.
          Baseball size hail was reported at Olivia MN. 

1988...   Thunderstorms produced severe weather in Lower Michigan
          and northern Ohio, over eastern sections of the Dakotas,
          and over the Central High Plains Region.  Showers and
          thunderstorms soaked Wilmington NC with another two
          inches of rain, following six and a half inches the
          previous day.

1989...   Morning thunderstorms in the central U.S. drenched
          central Oklahoma with up to six inches of rain.
          Afternoon thunderstorms produced wind gusts to 85 mph at
          Fort Smith AR.  Evening thunderstorms over Florida
          spawned a tornado which touched down three times in south
          Fort Myers causing nearly three quarters of a million

          dollars damage.

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