Weather History

July 23, 2008: Hurricane Dolly made landfall as a Category 1 on South Padre Island, Texas. The storm, which was one of many tropical cyclones that impacted the CONUS in 2008, knocked out several hundred thousand customers' power and dropped over 15" of rain in TX. #wxhistory

July 23, 2005: A compact but fierce derecho trekked from northeast South Dakota to southeast Wisconsin. The line traveled for over 350 miles and had a maximum reported wind gust of 85 mph. The SPC received dozens of reports of fallen trees in Minnesota and Wisconsin. #wxhistory

July 23, 1973: A significant tornado tore through Pierre, South Dakota. While this event is documented by the NCDC and SPC as an F3, @sigtor2019 rated the twister F2. About 130 residences, including 54 trailers, were damaged to some degree. 10 people were injured. #wxhistory

July 23, 2010: The United States' record largest hailstone fell near Vivian, South Dakota. The stone was measured at an incredible 8.0" in diameter and had a weight of 1.9375 lbs. It was spawned by a powerful supercell that produced many other stones 6" or larger. #wxhistory

July 22, 1993: At 9:48 AM, the levee holding back the flooding Mississippi River at Kaskaskia, IL, ruptured. Residents were forced to flee on barges. By 2 PM, the entire town was underwater. This event was part of the larger Great Flood of 1993 in the Central US. #wxhistory

July 22, 2007: An outbreak of 10 tornadoes impacted Germany, Poland, and Ukraine. Four people were injured by an F2 northeast of the city of Lubin, and across the border in Ukraine, a pair of F3s produced significant damage in the Volyn Oblast. #wxhistory

July 22, 1903: A significant tornado impacted Passiac County, New Jersey. The F2 cut a 7-mile path through Paterson and surrounding communities. Six homes and 30 other buildings were destroyed, and 200 more were damaged. Two people were killed and 100 were injured. #wxhistory

July 22, 1895: Based on copyright information at the Library of Congress, this photo was taken on this day in 1895 in North Dakota. While the location is unknown, it is possible that the photo was taken near Grafton, ND, which had a tornado on July 13, 1895. #wxhistory

July 22, 2003: A powerful derecho swept through parts of the Southern US. Substantial damage occurred in Memphis, Tennessee, where wind gusts over 100 mph downed countless trees and knocked out power to several hundred thousand homes. Seven people were killed. #wxhistory

July 21, 1983: A small outbreak of nine tornadoes affected the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions. Three of the twisters were significant (F2+), the strongest of which was an F3 in Ocean County, New Jersey. An F2 destroyed mobile homes near Hartly, DE, killing two. #wxhistory

July 21, 1987: A massive F4 struck in northwestern Wyoming. The 1.5-mile wide wedge occurred at an elevation of >8000 ft, making this event the highest altitude violent tornado in US history. Around a million trees were snapped, uprooted, or debarked/denuded. #wxhistory

July 21, 1909: A Category 3 hurricane made landfall over Velasco, Texas (about 40 miles southwest of Galveston), devastating a quarter of the town. Damage in Galveston was mostly mitigated by the newly build Galveston Seawall. Sadly, 41 people lost their lives. #wxhistory

July 21, 2003: A "super derecho" struck parts of the Northeast. Over 150 wind reports were received as the MCS (which had a pseudo-eye) tore through PA and NY. Several tornadoes touched down, including an F3 near Ellisburg, PA & an F1 that struck a train viaduct. #wxhistory

July 20, 2017: A significant tornado struck Hamburg, New York, in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The EF2 damaged the Hamburg Fairgrounds, several homes, a garage, and a few other structures. Thankfully, no injuries or fatalities occurred. #wxhistory

July 20, 2005: Hurricane Emily made a final landfall in northern Mexico as a Category 3. Storm surge destroyed most of Laguna Madre (a coastal fishing community), while heavy wind damage and inland flooding was reported around several other towns. No lives were lost. #wxhistory

OTD in 1996, a powerful F3 tornado devastated two subdivisions near the town of Gamber, Maryland in Carroll County. Described as one of the most potent tornadoes on record in Maryland by NWS Baltimore/Washington, Twelve homes were destroyed and three people were injured. #MDwx

Lima, OH F3 #Tornado – July 19, 1950! The strongest of six tornadoes on this date tore through Lima and Beaverdam in Allen County, OH. Hundreds of homes were damaged and three were destroyed. A drive-in theater, built just two weeks earlier, was leveled. The Lennox Furnacing…

July 19-20, 2019: A powerful derecho tracked from Minnesota to lower Michigan. The line packed wind gusts over 100 mph and spawned seven weak tornadoes. Several counties in northern Wisconsin were hit hard by macrobursts that produced substantial treefall. #wxhistory