On This Day In

                   Weather History

December 4th

Local and Regional Events:

December 4, 1993:

Winds gusting to 40 to 60 mph combined with snow cover along with new snow to cause blizzard conditions making travel hazardous across north central and northeast South Dakota. Several vehicles were stranded or slid into ditches. The winds toppled a private building under construction at Selby in Walworth County. New snowfall amounts were generally from one to three inches.

U.S.A and Global Events for December 4th:

December 4, 1952:

The month of December started off with chilly temperatures in London. This cold resulted in Londoners to burn more coal to heat up their homes. Then on December 5, a high pressure settled over the Thames River causing a dense layer of smog to develop. The smog became so thick and dense by December 7 that virtually no sunlight was seen in London. Most conservative estimates place the death toll at 4,000, with some estimating the smog killed as many as 8,000 individuals. Click HERE for more information from the Meteorological Office in the United Kingdom.

Piccadilly Circus in the smog on December 5, 1952.

December 4, 2002:

A total solar eclipse was experienced by millions of people from Africa to Australia, and from space. Click HERE for an animation from the EUMETSAT.

Space Station science officer Don Pettit looked out the window on Wednesday during the total solar eclipse of Dec. 4th, and this is what he saw: The dark spot near the Earth's limb is the Moon's shadow.

Click HERE for more This Day in Weather History from the Southeast Regional Climate Center.