This Date in Weather History
592 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 13 ratingsIn this daily podcast, you’ll learn something new each day. AccuWeather Meteorologist, Evan Myers takes a look back on weather events that impacted this date in the past, uncovering history that were shaped by unbelievable weather conditions.
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Episodes
1839: A Snow Hurricane
August 30, 2021 04:00 - 1 minuteThis Date in Weather History is often filled with stories of Hurricanes this time of the year. These monster storms all across the globe leave a trail a destruction and despair. They can change history and the fate of millions. Almost every storm’s impacts are a result of heavy rain, powerful wind and pounding rampaging sea and surf. On August 28, 1839, such a storm struck Charleston South Carolina with strong force to flood the streets and nearby farms. It moved quickly up the coast dumping...
2005: Hurricane Katrina
August 29, 2021 04:00 - 4 minutesHurricane Katrina was a large Category 5 Atlantic Hurricane that caused more than 1,200 deaths and $125 billion in damage in August 2005, particularly hard hit was the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time, the costliest tropical cyclone on record, and is now tied with 2017's Hurricane Harvey. The storm was the third major hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, and the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane to make landfall in the lower 48 states. Katrin...
1990: The Plainfield Tornado
August 28, 2021 04:00 - 4 minutesThe 1990 Plainfield tornado was a devastating tornado that occurred on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 28, 1990. The violent tornado killed 29 people and injured 353. It is the only F5 tornado ever recorded in August and the only F5 tornado to strike the Chicago area. Between 3:15 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. CDT on August 28th, 1990, a violent F5 tornado ripped through Kendall and Will counties. The tornado left a 16.4 miles-long damage which ranged from 600 yards to a half a mile in width. An estim...
1893: The Sea Island Hurricane
August 27, 2021 04:00 - 4 minutesOn August 27, 1893, a major hurricane which came to be known as the Sea Island Hurricane struck the United States near Savanah, Georgia. It was one of three deadly hurricanes during the 1893 Atlantic Hurricane Season; the storm killed an estimated 1,000–2,000 people, mostly from storm surge. .On August 15, 1893, a tropical storm formed off the west coast of Africa. It became a hurricane on the 19th, while crossing the Atlantic. The hurricane continued to strengthen, attaining Category 3 stat...
1883: The Eruption of Krakatoa
August 26, 2021 04:00 - 4 minutesThe eruption of Krakatoa, in August 1883 was one of the deadliest volcanic eruptions of modern history. It is estimated that more than 36,000 people died. Many died as a result of thermal injury from the blasts and many more were victims of the tsunamis that followed the collapse of the volcano into the sea. The eruption also affected the climate and caused temperatures to drop all over the world. The island of Krakatau is in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. In May 1883, the captai...
1635: The Great Colonial Hurricane
August 25, 2021 04:00 - 2 minutesThe Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635 hit the Jamestown Settlement in Virginia and the Massachusetts Bay Colony during August 1635. It is considered to be one of the earliest hurricanes to have struck New England, occurring just 15 years after the settlement at Plymouth rock. Although the hurricane’s exact track remains unknown, several historical accounts describe the storm. The storm is first mentioned on August 24, 1635, as it moved rapidly to the east of the Jamestown Colony in Virginia, ...
1992: Hurricane Andrew
August 24, 2021 04:00 - 5 minutesHurricane Andrew was a powerful and destructive Category 5 hurricane that struck the Bahamas, Florida and Louisiana in August 1992. It is the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida in terms of structures damaged or destroyed, and was the costliest in financial terms until Hurricane Irma surpassed it 25 years later. It was the strongest landfalling hurricane in decades and the costliest hurricane to make landfall anywhere in the United States, until it was surpassed by Katrina in 2005...
1724: "Great Gust of 1724"
August 23, 2021 04:00 - 1 minuteDuring the first few centuries of European settlement in North America the English Colonies were known to experience the direct and indirect impacts of tropical storms and hurricane. The collective memories of the indigenous people who originally inhabited the region warned the Europeans of the huge storms that could create massive flooding and strong, powerful and damaging winds. Then, as now, preparations still cannot stave off certain massive impacts of the tropical systems. On August 23,...
1992: 8-12” of snow falls in parts of Alberta
August 22, 2021 04:00 - 3 minutesCut Bank, Montana is located in eastern Glacier County, located in extreme northwestern Montana just 30 miles south of the US Canadian border, just east of the cut bank of gorge along Cut Bank Creek. Cut Bank experiences a semi-arid climate with long, cold, dry winters and short, warm, wetter summers. In winter, bitterly cold arctic air masses move south and impact the eastern side of the American Continental Divide – right where Cut Bank is situated. During such invasions Cut Bank, with its...
1984: Vicious hailstorm shuts down Colorado State Fair
August 21, 2021 04:00 - 2 minutesWhen Colorado became a state in 1876, its state fair was already earning its place in history. The first recorded gathering was in 1869, when approximately two thousand people converged on what is now Pueblo for a horse exhibition; from that meager beginning was born the Colorado State Fair. The Colorado State Fair is an event held annually in late August in Pueblo. The state fair has been a tradition officially since October 9, 1872. The fairgrounds also host a number of other events during...
1910: Hurricane-force winds spread fires
August 20, 2021 04:00 - 4 minutesThe wildfire season started early in 1910 in the western U S because the winter of 1909–1910 and the spring and summer of 1910 were extremely dry, and the summer sufficiently hot to have been described as "like no others." The drought resulted in forests that were teeming with dry fuel, which had previously grown up on abundant autumn and winter moisture. Hundreds of fires were ignited by hot cinders flung from locomotives, sparks, lightning, and backfiring crews. By mid-August, there were 1...
1896: One of the best-documented waterspout sightings
August 19, 2021 04:00 - 1 minuteIn this age, where everyone has a cell phone, and almost every kind of event on planet Earth is recorded it is sometimes hard to harken back to the days when interesting events were missed entirely of if not missed, not recorded or remembered. But on August 19, 1896 one of the best documented sightings ever recorded of a waterspout occurred. It was visible by thousands of people about 8 miles north of Chappaquiddick Island, off the coast of Massachusetts. Three spouts altogether occurred bet...
1955: Hurricane Diane
August 18, 2021 04:00 - 4 minutesHurricane Diane was one of three hurricanes to hit the North Carolina coast during the 1955 Atlantic hurricane season. The system began as a tropical wave over the Atlantic Ocean, then developed into a tropical depression on August 7, 1955. Moving west-northwest, the depression became Tropical Storm Diane two days later. The storm turned north-northeast on August 11 and quickly developed into a hurricane about 400 miles northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The hurricane reached its peak inten...
1969: Hurricane Camille
August 17, 2021 04:00 - 3 minutesOn August 17, 1969, more than a half a century ago, Hurricane Camille slammed into the Mississippi coast, the storm still remains one of the most powerful and costly hurricanes on record to make landfall in the United States. Camille was the second-most-intense hurricane to hit the U.S. and remains one of only 4 category 5 hurricanes to strike the mainland U.S. The storm resulted in at least 259 fatalities and caused nearly $1.4 billion in damages at the time, which equates to more than $10 ...
1909: 884 days of dry weather kicks off in CA
August 16, 2021 04:00 - 1 minuteSan Bernardino, CA sits between Los Angles and the Sierra that run to the east. Located in an almost desert like region San Bernardino, California still manages to get 13 inches of rain, on average, per year from a combination of showers that drift westward from the mountains and large-scale winter storms that move in off the Pacific Ocean. In the period from 2018-2020 several inches of rain have fallen in the city each year after a very dry decade that led to water restrictions across the s...
1979: An Unusual August Chill
August 15, 2021 04:00 - 2 minutesThe winter of 1978-1979 had been particular cold and snowy across the mid-west and eastern states. The summer remained cool and autumn seemed to come early on August 15 1979 when an unusual August chill hit – the temperature in Detroit, MI dropped to 46 degrees - new record low, breaking an 1885 record. Kansas City, MO reached down to 56 degrees and broke a 1929 record low. Also, on August 15 the high temperature only reached 63 degrees in Kansas City the lowest August high temperature ever ...
1890: 3.15" of rain falls in an hour in Colorado Springs
August 14, 2021 04:00 - 2 minutesHuge billowing thunderstorms are commonplace across the Great Plains and often times just to the east of the Rockies. Fueled by tropical moisture flooding northeastward out of the Gulf of Mexico the humid weather provides the moisture needed for the storms the build. The catalyst is chilly air in the high atmosphere that has its origins in the artic regions. That cold air high aloft comes spirting down along the east slopes of the Rockies out of Canada. The swirling and twisting motion in th...
1831: Rare "Blue Sun" observed in southern U.S.
August 13, 2021 04:00 - 3 minutesThe appearance of a blue sun is triggered by volcanic dust, smoke from forest fires, desert dust, smog and other forms of pollution. Wavelengths of visible light that are blue in color become scattered from the rays of the sun reflected off of smog, smoke, or ash particles. The phenomena are extremely rare because the particles suspended in the air scatter blue wavelengths only when they are of a particular size. Smoke, volcanic ash and smog often provide clouds that are gray in color, setti...
1933: Temperature reaches 134° at Furnace Creek, CA
August 12, 2021 04:00 - 1 minuteDeath Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert. It is one of the hottest places on Earth, along with deserts in the Middle East and the Sahara. Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the point of lowest elevation in North America, at 282 feet below sea level. Interestingly it is only 85 miles east-southeast of Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States, with an elevation of 14,505 feet. On the afternoon of August 12, 1933, the mercury rea...
1980: Hurricane Allen
August 11, 2021 04:00 - 2 minutesHurricane Allen was a rare and extremely powerful Cape Verde hurricane that struck the Caribbean, eastern and northern Mexico, and southern Texas in August 1980. The first named storm and first tropical cyclone of the 1980 Atlantic hurricane season, it was the fifth most intense Atlantic Hurricane on record in terms of barometric pressure, behind Hurricane Rita, the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, Hurricane Gilbert, and Hurricane Wilma. It was one of the few hurricanes to reach Category 5 status o...
1778: Hurricane changes outcome of French/British naval battle
August 10, 2021 04:00 - 2 minutesThe Battle of Saratoga occurred in September and October, 1777, during the second year of the American Revolution. It included two crucial battles, fought eighteen days apart, and was a decisive victory for the Continental Army and a critical turning point in the Revolutionary War. It was the first major victory for the colonists and led to the signing of The Treaty of Alliance with France on February 6, 1778, creating a military alliance between the United States and France against Great Br...
1976: Hurricane Belle
August 09, 2021 04:00 - 1 minuteHurricane Belle was a Category 3 Atlantic Hurricane in August 1976. The storm, at one point, had winds around 120 miles per hour before it moved northward up the East Coast of the United State. The storm formed on August 6; it became Tropical Storm Belle on August 7. Later on, August 7, it became a hurricane. On August 9, Belle's winds peaked at 120 miles per hour. Because of Hurricane Belle's proximity to the United State, hurricane watches were issued from Georgia all the way up to Maine....
1812: The sinking of USS Hamilton and Scourge
August 08, 2021 04:00 - 3 minutesThe War of 1812 that is often called the Second War of American Independence and is viewed as an American invasion by Canada. Americans recall the “Star Spangled Banner,” and the Battle of Fort McHenry and the Battle of New Orleans. But there were significant naval actions on the Great Lakes. The catastrophic sinking of USS Hamilton and Scourge 200 years ago by a sudden squall turned the advantage to the British for a time. Both ships came to rest intact on their keels in 90 meters below the...
1918: Extreme heat halts war material production lines
August 07, 2021 04:00 - 2 minutesOn August 7, 1918 World War I was stalemated in Europe. The Allies, including the United States, Britain and France and the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary had been deadlocked in trench warfare for several years. The fields of northeast France were no-man’s lands. Unbeknown to the Germans the flood of a million American troops who had recently entered the war were preparing with their Allies to launch the great 100 days offensive that would sweep the Germans before them and end...
1983: Butterflies "carried" more than 625 miles in storm
August 06, 2021 04:00 - 1 minuteStorms often times carry birds and insects over long distances. Some people often believe that they carry odors as well. Those hundreds of miles inland in the northeast can swear they can smell the ocean when a brisk east wind brings moisture in from the Atlantic Ocean or when a tropical system sweeps up from the Gulf of Mexico people believes that it’ seems tropical. We certainly all know the impacts of dust and dirt that can be deposited hundreds of miles from a correct fire or dirt raised...
The "Great Flood" of 1843
August 05, 2021 04:00 - 3 minutesThe rain started in the morning of August 5, 1843 around 7:30 AM and increased in intensity all day in southeastern Pennsylvania. Area residents reported that by 3:00 PM winds had reached gale force and the rain continued at a furious pace. In the evening about 7:00 PM a wall of water, fueled by water levels that rose 5.5 inches in 40 minutes, came rushing down both the Crum and Ridley Creeks without warning. The water overflowed the banks of Crum Creek by more than 20 feet and Ridley Creek ...
1881: Temperature reaches 122°F across Europe
August 04, 2021 04:00 - 1 minuteSeville, Spain has a climate that features very hot, dry summers and mild winters with moderate rainfall. Like most Mediterranean climates, Seville is drier during summers and wetter during winters. Summer is the dominant season and lasts from May to October. Seville has the hottest summer in continental Europe among all cities with a population over 100,000 people, with average daily highs in July of 97 °F. Average daily lows in July are 67F and every year the temperature exceeds 104 °F on ...
1915: 5.77" of rain falls in Erie, PA
August 03, 2021 04:00 - 3 minutesA succession of storms unleashed 5.77 inches of rain in the Erie area between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. Aug. 3, 1915. Four inches of rain fell between 4 and 7 p.m. All of that water was funneled from the Mill Creek watershed into Mill Creek, which flowed through central Erie. As its waters rose, Mill Creek overflowed its banks into farmlands and yards in the Glenwood Hills area, according to historical accounts. Saturated soil along the creek’s banks collapsed, sending trees, barns, chicken coops, o...
1922: The Swatow Typhoon
August 02, 2021 04:00 - 2 minutesThe 1922 Swatow Typhoon was a devastating tropical cyclone that caused thousands of deaths in the Chinese city of Swatow, less than 200 miles north of Hong Kong on the Pacific Coast of China, in August 1922. Striking the city on August 2, 1922. The death totals make it one of the deadliest known typhoons in history. A tropical depression located near the Caroline Islands was first spotted July 27. It moved slowly to the northwest, gradually intensifying. On July 31, it crossed northern Luzon...
1985: 6" of rain falls in 24 hours in Cheyenne, WY
August 01, 2021 04:00 - 2 minutesOn August 1, 1985 severe thunderstorms formed over the high plans of Wyoming as a result of a southeast flow of warm and humid air all the way from the Gulf of Mexico and a cold front slicing southward out of Canada and through Montana. Cheyenne, Wyoming received just over 6” of rain on that day more than 1/3 their average rainfall for an entire year. Many areas were flooded and power and telephone outages were widespread. Before the heavy rain, funnel clouds and tornadoes spotted in about e...
1861: Cherrapunji, India records a total of 366.14" of rain in July
July 31, 2021 04:00 - 3 minutesAs the month of July 1861 came to a close on July 31 Cherrapunji, India recorded a total of 366.14" of rain during July 1861, a world record for 1 month. Cherrapunji also holds world record rainfall for a 12-month period; 1,041.78" from August 1, 1860 to July 31, 1861. To put that into perspective, the rainest major city in the United states, New Orleans, record for one year’s worth of rain is 102” in 1991 or slightly more than 25% of the record rainfall for one month in Cerrapunji. Cerrapun...
1933: The Florida-Mexico Hurricane
July 30, 2021 04:00 - 3 minutesThe 1933 Florida–Mexico hurricane was the first of two Atlantic hurricanes to strike the Treasure Coast region of Florida in the very active 1933 Atlantic hurricane season. It was one of two storms that year to inflict hurricane-force winds over South Texas, causing significant damage there. The fifth tropical cyclone of the year, it formed east of the Lesser Antilles on July 24, rapidly strengthening as it moved west-northwest. As it passed over the islands, it attained hurricane status on ...
1878: "Rainy Day" in Waynesburg, PA
July 29, 2021 04:00 - 1 minuteJuly 29th is traditionally known as a “Rain Day” in Waynesburg, PA. It all began in 1878 when a farmer casually told drug store clerk William Allison that it always seemed to rain on July 29th in this southwestern PA town. The clerk made a note of it and started keeping a yearly tabulation. It has rained 112 out of the past 136 years. The day is celebrated in Waynesburg each year with a Rainy-Day Festival including banquets and a pageant. On average it rains every 3rd day in July in the town...
1898: Heavy hailstorm strikes Chicago
July 28, 2021 04:00 - 2 minutesHail storms regularly strike the mid-west in the summertime. Most modern office buildings in Downtown areas are fitted with glass that can withstand the weight and destruction of the ice balls from the sky. This has not always been the case and paths of destruction were experienced as the storms producing the hail moved though. Years of suffering the consequences have led to new safety standards and technology for the glass. One the most notorious hail storms to hit an American city before t...
1943: The first "Hurricane Hunters"
July 27, 2021 04:00 - 3 minutesThe 1943 Surprise hurricane was the first hurricane to be entered by a reconnaissance aircraft. The first tracked tropical cyclone of the 1943 Atlantic hurricane season, this system developed as a tropical storm while situated over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico on July 25. The storm gradually strengthened while tracking westward and reached hurricane status late on July 26. Early on July 27, it became a Category 2 hurricane on the modern-day Saffir-Simpson scale and peaked with winds of 10...
1890: The "Great Cyclone" strikes S. Lawrence, MA
July 26, 2021 04:00 - 2 minutesThe Boston Globe reported on July 26, 1890 that "At first the trees swayed a little and the grain bent down on the hills. Then shingles flew off from old roofs and the orchards sent down their unripe fruit. After about 30 seconds of an avalanche of wind broke and came tearing down upon the tenement houses and workshops and stores with the force of a Niagara. Big elms and maples that were planted with care away back in the days of the Salem witches, bowed their graceful tops to the streets, a...
1956: Sinking of the Andrea Doria
July 25, 2021 04:00 - 3 minutesAs Stockholm and Andrea Doria were approaching each other head-on in the heavily used shipping corridor on the night of July 25, 1956, the westbound Andrea Doria had been traveling in heavy fog for hours. The captain had reduced speed slightly had activated the ship's fog warning whistle and had closed the watertight doors. However, the eastbound Stockholm had yet to enter what was apparently the edge of a fog bank, and was seemingly unaware of it and the movement of the other ship hidden wi...
1930: Strongest tornado in Europe on record
July 24, 2021 04:00 - 2 minutesThe European continent is not free from tornado events. While in the USA, some 1,200 tornadoes could be observed annually, on the European continent only 300 events every year are recorded. Europe experiences less frequent events than USA, but storms can be really devastating. Storms occur when warm humid air near the surface lay under drier air aloft with temperatures decreasing rapidly with height, providing energy for the storms through the production of instability. Large changes in wind...
1788: Hurricane over George Washington's Mt. Vernon
July 23, 2021 04:00 - 1 minuteOn July 23, 1788 after causing ship disasters southeast of Bermuda, a hurricane moved northwestward over the tidewater area of Virginia, and right over George Washington's Mt. Vernon Plantation. At Ocracoke Inlet, southwest of Cape Hatteras, 6 ships were wrecked and 11 were driven ashore with 2 dismasted. As the storm center passed just to the east of this point, the wind shifted. This caught ships unaware and added to the disaster. An account from Norfolk stated that: "at 3am the wind sudde...
1498: Columbus' third voyage affected by excessive heat
July 22, 2021 04:00 - 2 minutesOn Christopher Columbus' third voyage after leaving the Cape Verde Islands, his 4 ships drifted WSW in the equatorial current. A ship’s account from July 22, 1498 states that "The wind stopped so suddenly the heat was so excessive and immoderate that there was no one who dared to go below after the casks of wine and water which burst, snapping the hoops of the pes; the wheat burned like fire; the bacon and salted meat roasted and putrefied." This calm area known to sailors around the world a...
1861: The first Battle of Bull Run
July 21, 2021 04:00 - 3 minutesOn July 21, 1861, a hot and dry summer Sunday, Union and Confederate troops clashed outside Manassas, Virginia, in the first major engagement of the Civil War, the First Battle of Bull Run. Union General McDowell hoped to march his men across a small stream called Bull Run in the vicinity of Manassas, Va. that was well-guarded by a force of Confederates under General Beauregard. McDowell needed to find a way across the stream and through the Southern line that stretched for over six miles al...
1977: Devasting flash flood strikes Johnstown, PA
July 20, 2021 04:00 - 3 minutesOn July 20, 1977 a flash flood devastated Johnstown, Pennsylvania, killing 84 people and causing millions of dollars in damages. This flood happened 88 years after the Horrible Flood of 1889 that was one of the worst weather-related disasters in US history that killed more than 2,000 people. Johnstown sits in a deep valley, hard against the Conemaugh river. In that earlier flood, the dams in the Conemaugh Valley failed, bringing disaster to Johnstown and as fate would have it the combination...
1993: Mississipi River rises to 46' and floods St. Louis, MO
July 19, 2021 04:00 - 3 minutesOver the course of a three-month period in the summer of 1993, a slow-moving and historic flooding disaster unfolded across the midwestern United States, leaving economic ramifications that would be felt for years to come. Over 17 million acres were flooded across nine states across the Midwest during the summer of 1993, starting in June and lasting through August. This is an area larger than the entire state of West Virginia. “The magnitude and severity of this flood event was simply overwh...
1942: Heavy rain and storms in PA causes flooding and damage
July 18, 2021 04:00 - 2 minutesLate in the evening of Friday, July 17, 1942 heavy rain began falling in southern New York. The weather system producing the heavy rain and thunderstorms intensified and moved into Pennsylvania. The storm stalled out over Smethport and Port Allegany PA, on Saturday, July 18th. Most of the rain, incredibly feel in just a 5-hour period. People living in the region reported in the local press after the storm that the electrical storm was the worst they had ever witnessed. Water quickly began to...
1996: The 2nd most-costly weather disaster in Illinois history
July 17, 2021 04:00 - 2 minutesHeavy rain on July 17, 1996, produced several rainfall records and was the second most costly weather disaster in Illinois history. The 16.94 inches recorded at Aurora still stands as the statewide record for the most rain from a single 24-hour period. The 10.99 inches on the west side of the Chicago metro area was the most ever recorded in the Chicago urban area. Just as impressive as the point values was the size of the area covered by heavy rainfall. It was estimated that 16.3 inches fell...
1945: The first nuclear device detonates in New Mexico
July 16, 2021 04:00 - 3 minutesJuly 16, 1945 the first nuclear devise ever detonated in Earth history occurred at the Trinity site near Alamogordo, New Mexico. From a weather perspective, scientists wanted good visibility, low humidity, light winds at low altitude, and westerly winds at high altitude for the test. The best weather was predicted between July 18 and 21, but the Potsdam Conference near the end of WWII between the Allies was due to start on July 16 and President Truman wanted the test to be conducted before t...
1643: One of the first reports on weather's impacts in America
July 15, 2021 04:00 - 3 minutesWeather reporting up until the mid-1700’s was sketchy at best across North America. Colonial leaders who formed the path to independence of our country were avid weather observers. Thomas Jefferson purchased a thermometer from a local Philadelphia merchant while in town for the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. He also purchased a barometer — one of the only ones in America at the time — a few days later from the same merchant. Jefferson made regular observations at Monticello fro...
1886: Twenty-four hundredths of an inch of rain falls in L.A.
July 14, 2021 04:00 - 2 minutesRainfall in Southern California in the summertime is almost non-existent. In fact, the climate takes on desert-like conditions. The average rainfall in June, July and August in Los Angles is less than a quarter of an inches of rainfall – 2 tenths of an inch to be exact. July is the driest month with barely more than a spritz of rain at an average of one hundredth of an inch – the lowest measurable total of rainfall that is officially observed. In contrast New Orleans is generally regarded as...
1816: Snow falls in New England
July 13, 2021 04:00 - 3 minutesThe year 1816 featured unprecedented cold conditions throughout the United States and Europe. The key cause was the eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Tambora in April 1815, the largest volcanic explosion in recorded history. “Mount Tambora ejected so much ash and aerosols into the high atmosphere that the sky darkened and the sun was blocked from view in many places around the world that year. The eruptions killed up to 100,000 people – some immediately from the blasts – and tens of thousands of...
1984: Rapidly-developing storm pounds Munich, Germany
July 12, 2021 04:00 - 2 minutesMunich, the German state of Bavaria’s capital, is home to centuries-old buildings and numerous museums. The city is known for its annual Oktoberfest celebration and its beer halls, including the famed Hofbräuhaus, founded in 1589. Munich lies on the elevated plains of Upper Bavaria, about 30 miles north of the northern edge of the Alps at an altitude of almost 2,000 feet. The proximity to the Alps brings heavy thunderstorms and high volumes of rainfall than other parts of Germany. Showers an...