Weather History

This Day In Weather History

In 2013, an epic blizzard began a 2-day rampage from the Northern Rockies to the Northwestern Plains. Hardest hit were the Black Hills of South Dakota, where many areas were overwhelmed by 3 to 5 feet of snow. The situation was greatly magnified by winds that gusted to around 70 mph. This produced near zero visibilities, which lasted as long as 3 hours, and whipped the snow into drifts as high as 10 feet. Around 38,000 people lost power. The 19.0 inches of snow measured in Rapid City was a single day record for October; burying the previous record of 4.0 inches measured on October 26, 1996.

While a blizzard raged in Eastern Wyoming and Western South Dakota, severe thunderstorms raked Eastern Nebraska and Northwest Iowa with hail as large as baseballs and tornadoes. The most violent tornado was an EF 4 that hit Wayne, Nebraska, where 15 were injured.

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In 1987, Southern California continued to "shake and bake" with high temperatures from 105 to 111, and two moderate earthquakes that occurred three days apart. High temperatures soared to 108 degrees in downtown L.A. on the 3rd and 4th, while 111 degrees scorched San Luis Obispo. The earthquakes, which struck the Southern San Gabriel Valley, occurred on the 1st and 4th, registering 5.9 and 5.4 on the Richter Scale, respectively.
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