SEPTEMBER 16TH
HISTORIC WEATHER EVENTS
...1881...
Iowa's earliest measurable snow of record fell over western sections of the
state. Four to six inches was reported between Stuart and Avoca. (The
Weather Channel)
...1928...
Hurricane San Felipe, a monster hurricane, which left 600 dead in
Guadeloupe, and 300 dead in Puerto Rico, struck West Palm Beach FL causing
enormous damage, and then headed for Lake Okeechobee. When the storm was
over, the lake covered an area the size of the state of Delaware, and
beneath its waters were 2000 victims. The only survivors were those who
reached large hotels for safety, and a group of fifty people who got onto a
raft to take their chances out in the middle of the lake. (David Ludlum)
...1984...
The remains of Tropical Storm Edourd began to produce torrential rains in
the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Port Isabel reported more than 21
inches. (The Weather Channel)
...1987...
Overnight rains soaked Arkansas, with 5.25 inches reported at Bismarck. In
the town of Malvern, up to four feet of water was reported over several
downtown streets, with water entering some homes and businesses.
Thunderstorms in Texas drenched Lufkin with 4.30 inches of rain in just
three hours. Evening thunderstorms produced severe weather in Missouri. A
small tornado near Kirksville lifted a barn thirty feet into the air and
then demolished it. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1988...
Hurricane Gilbert moved ashore into Mexico. The hurricane established an
all-time record for the western hemisphere with a barometric reading of
26.13 inches. Winds approached 200 mph, with higher gusts. Gilbert
devastated Jamaica and the Yucatan Peninsula. (The Weather Channel)
Hurricane Gilbert made landfall 120 miles south of Brownsville TX during
the early evening. Winds gusted to 61 mph at Brownsville, and reached 82
mph at Padre Island. Six foot tides eroded three to four feet off beaches
along the Lower Texas Coast, leaving the waterline seventy-five feet
farther inland. Rainfall totals ranged up to 8.71 inches at Lamar TX.
Gilbert caused three million dollars damage along the Lower Texas Coast,
but less than a million dollars damage along the Middle Texas Coast. (The
National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1989...
Showers and thunderstorms, respresenting what remained of Hurricane Octave,
brought locally heavy rains to California, impeding the drying process for
raisins and other crops. Sacramento CA was soaked with 1.53 inches of rain
in six hours. At Phoenix AZ, the afternoon high of 107 degrees marked a
record seventy-six days with afternoon highs 105 degrees or above. (The
National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)