This Day in Weather History: March 16th

On This Day In

                   Weather History

March 16th

Local and Regional Events:

March 16, 2012:

Temperatures reaching eighty degrees or higher in March across central and northeast South Dakota is a rare occurrence, and for this to occur in mid-March is exceedingly rare. On March 16th, several locations across the area set record highs by topping the 80-degree mark including Aberdeen, Mobridge, and Pierre. Sisseton and Watertown also set records for March 16th. Aberdeen topped out at 81 degrees, Mobridge reached 83 degrees, with 86 degrees at Pierre. Click HERE for more information.

Local Climate Information:

Click HERE for daily climate information for Aberdeen, Mobridge, Pierre, Sisseton, and Watertown.

Click HERE for daily climate information for Sioux Falls, Huron, Mitchell, and Sioux City.

U.S.A and Global Events for March 16th:

1885: On this date through the 21st, Pointe-des-Monts, Quebec Canada received 98 inches of snowfall.

1942: A deadly tornado outbreak occurred over the Central and Southern US on March 16-17^th. The tornado outbreak killed 153 people and injured at least 1,284. The best estimate indicates this event contained 13 F3 tornadoes, 6 F4s, and one F5. The F5 tornado occurred north of Peoria, Illinois, in the towns of Alta, Chillicothe before crossing the Illinois River and striking the town of Lacon. A quarter of the homes in Lacon were destroyed, and debris was carried for 25 miles.

The tornado track above is an estimate from the information provided by Thomas Grazulis's book, Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991.

The photograph above is the tornado that would eventually hit Lacon. This photo was taken near Spring Bay, which is east of the 5-mile marker on the tornado track map. The photo is the courtesy of Donald Cox (Genealogytrail.com.) Click HERE for more photos from Lacon, Illinois.

In Kentucky, an estimated F3 tornado destroyed the Cox's Creek Baptist Church, which is southeast of Louisville. Click HERE for more information from the Bullitt County History Museum.

1986: A small but rare tornado touched down perilously close to Disneyland in Anaheim, California.

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