22-26 August 2005

DataStreme Water in the Earth System will return for Fall 2005 with new Water News and Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 29 August 2005. All the current online homepage products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

• Near average precipitation across the nation in July -- Scientists at the National Climatic Data Center released their review of the weather across the nation and globe during July 2005. They report that when viewed nationwide, the July precipitation was close to the long-term average precipitation. However, the Rockies, the High Plains and the region extending from the mid-Mississippi Valley into the Upper Mississippi Valley and western Great Lakes remained unusually dry, while above average precipitation fell across the Southeast because of several landfalling tropical cyclones. [NOAA News]
• Storms produce deadly flooding in Romania -- As many as seven people died from storms that produced flooding across Romania during the first half of last week. [USA Today]
• North Texas experiences flooding -- Torrential rains early last week caused Lake Stamford in north Texas to rise to levels more than 9 feet above average, causing the evacuation of approximately 150 nearby residents as some houses had up to 5 feet of water. [USA Today]
• Droughts were widespread across the West in the past -- Researchers at the University of Arizona used over 400 years of annual streamflow data from the Upper Colorado, Salt and Verde River basins derived from their tree ring analyses to conclude that periodic occurrences of low streamflow and drought appeared to be widespread across the Southwest. [EurekAlert!]
• The Columbia River to receive new marine transportation system -- The administrator of the NOAA Ocean Service announced that a new Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System called PORTS® will be installed along the Columbia River to support marine transportation near Astoria, OR by providing accurate real-time meteorological and oceanographic data. [NOAA News]
• An international estuarine research reserve highlighted -- The NOAA Magazine highlights the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve, an estuarine region with coastal salt marshes and dunes lying between San Diego, CA and Tijuana, Mexico. [NOAA Magazine]
• Antarctic sea ice could increase -- Researchers from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and Texas A&M University report that increases in precipitation associated with higher air temperatures may be increasing the sea ice volume along the Antarctic coast in the Southern Ocean. This finding also indicates that polar regions of the southern hemisphere operate differently from those in the northern hemisphere, as sea ice near the North Pole appears to continue decreasing in size. [NASA]
• Rip currents can be deadly on Great Lakes -- While rip currents are assumed to pose a hazard primarily along the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts, they can also account for drowning deaths along Lake Michigan as indicated by scientists associated with the Michigan Sea Grant Program. [USA Today]
• Ivan becomes more costly -- The National Flood Insurance Program recently released an updated listing of the costs associated with last year's hurricanes, which indicates that the flood damage caused by the storm surge and torrential rain from Hurricane Ivan was approximately $1.37 billion, making this category 3 hurricane (on the Saffir-Simpson scale) the costliest hurricane of 2004 and the third costliest natural disaster, behind the 1992 Hurricane Andrew ($21.1 billion) and the 1994 Northridge, CA earthquake ($15.9 billion). [USA Today]
• Waterspouts on Lake Michigan terminate kayak trip -- Eight men who were kayaking across Lake Michigan from Milwaukee, WI to Muskegon, MI to raise money for cancer research early last week were forced to terminate their trip approximately 20 miles off Lower Michigan's western lakeshore when they spotted more than one dozen potentially dangerous waterspouts. [USA Today]
• A small microbe may exert large influence on carbon cycle and marine life -- Researchers at Oregon State University and Diversa Corporation of San Diego have discovered that the SAR11 genome, a group of small marine bacteria cells, appears to play a huge role of cycling carbon through the world's oceans. [EurekAlert!]
• Alien jellyfish invade country on ships -- Researchers from the University of New South Whales and the University of California, Davis report an exotic species of jellyfish appears to have been dispersed around the world by international shipping, often in ballast water. Alien species may cost the US on the order of $122 billion annually. [EurekAlert!]
• Global and US Hazards/Climate Extremes-- A review and analysis of the global impacts of various weather-related events, including drought, floods and storms during the current month. [NCDC]
• Global Water News Watch -- Other water news sources can be obtained through the SAHRA Project at the University of Arizona [SAHRA Project]
• Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

• 22 August 1994...Hurricane John while about 390 miles south of Hilo, HI was found to have winds at 170 mph and pressure down to 920 mb, making it the strongest hurricane ever in the Central Pacific. It was the third category 5 storm in this area in a month, unprecedented since records began. (Intellicast)
• 23 August 1933...The Chesapeake-Potomac hurricane made landfall over Nag's Head, NC and moved over Norfolk, VA, Chesapeake Bay and Washington, DC. Winds gusted to 88 mph at Norfolk, VA. A tide seven feet above normal flooded businesses in Norfolk, and damage in Maryland was estimated at seventeen million dollars. Sixty percent of Atlantic City, NJ was flooded as was 10 square miles of southwest Philadelphia, PA. Forty seven people were killed and damage was estimated at $47 million (in depression-era dollars) (David Ludlum) (Intellicast)
• 23-24 August 1992...Hurricane Andrew on its way to Florida with winds of 150 mph, struck northern Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas. The storm surge reached 23 feet. Total damage on the islands topped $250 million. At about 5 AM on the 24^th, Andrew made landfall near Homestead, FL with a central pressure of 922 millibars (27.22 inches). Fowey Rocks coastal marine buoy recorded maximum sustained winds of 141 mph and a peak gust of 169 mph and the National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables had sustained winds of 115 mph with a peak gust of 164 mph. A record storm surge of 16.7 feet occurred in Biscayne Bay. Homestead AFB was practically wiped out. More than 120,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, leaving 250,000 homeless. Forty one died and damage exceeded $25 billion, making Andrew by far the most costly hurricane in U.S. history. Andrew was the third most intense hurricane to strike the mainland behind Camille (1969) and the Labor Day Hurricane (1935) (Intellicast)
• 23-24 August 1998...Almost 18 inches of rain deluged Del Rio, TX between 8 AM on the 23^rd and 6 AM on the 24^th because of stalled remnants of Tropical Storm Charley. Violent flash flooding from San Felipe Creek left residential lots swept bare of homes, with asphalt streets gone. Nine people were killed and 150 injured. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 24 August 1906...A cloudburst deluged Guinea, VA with more than nine inches of rain in just forty minutes. (David Ludlum)
• 24 August 1988...A tropical depression drenched the Cabo Rojo area of southwestern Puerto Rico with up to ten inches of rain. San Juan received 5.35 inches of rain. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
• 24-29 August 1785...Hurricane ravaged the Eastern Caribbean Sea from St. Croix, Virgin Islands to Cuba during the last week of August. Over 142 people were reported dead from the storm's impact. (The Weather Doctor)
• 25 August 1885...A severe hurricane struck South Carolina causing 1.3 million dollars damage at Charleston. (David Ludlum)
• 25 August 1927...The August Gale, a hurricane, raged across the East Coast, crossing the Cabot Strait between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland during the early morning hours. Hundreds of small boats in Newfoundland ports were among the storm's victims. (The Weather Doctor)
• 25 August -7 September 1979...Hurricane David crossed the island of Dominica on the 29^th, with winds to 145 mph. Roseau, the capital, was devastated. Fifty-six people were killed on Dominica and 60,000 of the island's 80,000 residents were made homeless. About three-quarters of the coconut and banana crop were destroyed. The central pressure in David fell to 924 millibars (27.28 inches) on the 30^th as it moved south of Puerto Rico. At that time, highest sustained winds reached 173 mph. On the 31^st, winds of 150 mph from Hurricane David brought over $1 billion in damage to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, killing over 1200. (The Weather Doctor) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 25 August 1987...Morning thunderstorms produced heavy rain in eastern Nebraska and southwestern Iowa. Stanton, IA reported 10.50 inches of rain. Water was reported up to the handle of automobiles west of Greenwood, NE. Rainfall totals for a two-day period ranged from 7 to 14 inches across southwestern Iowa. Crop damage was in the millions for both states. Subsequent flooding of streams in Iowa the last week of August caused millions of dollars damage to crops, as some streams crested ten feet above flood stage. A new record for monthly rainfall was set at Chicago when a storm brought the total to 15.73 inches erasing the previous record for any month which had been 14.17 inches in September, 1961 (Storm Data) (Intellicast)
• 25 August 1989...Morning thunderstorms drenched Spencer, IN with 4.10 inches of rain in three hours causing extensive street flooding. Evening thunderstorms in eastern Kansas produced up to six inches of rain around Emporia, and four inches of rain in just forty-five minutes near Parsons, and also produced wind gusts to 70 mph at Lake Melvern. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 26 August 1883...Krakatoa Volcano exploded in the East Indies. The explosion was heard more than 2500 miles away, and every barograph around the world recorded the passage of the air wave, up to seven times. Giant waves, 125 feet high and traveling 300 mph, devastated everything in their path, hurling ashore coral blocks weighing up to 900 tons, and killing more than 36,000 persons. Volcanic ash was carried around the globe in thirteen days producing blue and green suns in the tropics, and then vivid red sunsets in higher latitudes. The temperature of the earth was lowered one degree for the next two years, finally recovering to normal by 1888. (David Ludlum)
• 26 August 1949...A hurricane made landfall at Delray Beach, FL. Winds reached 153 mph at the Jupiter Lighthouse before the anemometer failed. The hurricane caused 45 million dollars damage to crops, and also caught the Georgia and South Carolina coast resulting in another two million dollars damage. (David Ludlum)
• 26 August 1992...Hurricane Andrew made its second landfall along the Louisiana coast near Burns Point, as a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. Morgan City recorded wind gusts of 108 mph. Hammond was deluged with nearly a foot of rain. Total additional damage was estimated at 1.8 billion dollars. Andrew, which had made its initial US landfall in South Florida on the 24^th, was the most costly natural disaster in US history, with total damage reaching up to $30 billion. Additionally, record hurricane evacuation of 2.4 million people took place in Florida and Louisiana. (Intellicast) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 27 August 1973...The largest documented Canadian hailstone fell at Cedoux, Saskatchewan. The stone weighed 0.55 pounds and measured 4.5 inches across. (The Weather Doctor)
• 27 August 1881...As many as 335 people were lost in the Georgia Hurricane, especially severe at Savannah and Charleston, SC. (Intellicast)
• 27 August 1893...The first of three great hurricanes that year struck South Carolina drowning more than 1000 persons in a tidal surge at Charleston. Landfall was just south of Savannah, GA where sustained winds hit 120 mph. (David Ludlum)
• 27 August 1964...Hurricane Cleo battered Miami and the South Florida area, marking the first direct hit for Miami in fourteen years. Sustained winds of 100 mph gusted to 135 mph, and the hurricane caused 125 million dollars damage. (David Ludlum)
• 27 August 1970...Elko, NV was deluged with 3.66 inches of rain in just one hour, establishing a state record. (The Weather Channel)
• 27 August 1995...Remains of Tropical Storm Jerry unloaded 12.32 inches of rain in 24 hours in Greer, SC, a record for 24 hours, for a rain event and for August. At Antreville, 17.00 inches fell in 24 hours, setting a 24-hour rainfall record for the Palmetto State. (Intellicast)
• 28-30 August 1839...A hurricane moved from Cape Hatteras, NC to offshore New England. An unusual feature of the hurricane was the snow it helped produce, which whitened the Catskill Mountains of New York State. Considerable snow was also reported at Salem, NY. (The Weather Channel)
• 28 August 1898...Torrents of rain accompanied by a furious wind upset the rain gage at Fort Mohave, AZ. However, water in a wash tub set out on the mesa, clear of everything, measured eight inches after the 45-minute storm. (The Weather Channel)
• 28 August 1911...Saint George, GA was deluged with 18.00 inches of rain in 24 hours to establish a state record that was subsequently broken by the current record of 21.10 inches in July 1994. (The Weather Channel)
• 28 August 1966...As much as 3.78 in of rain fell in one hour at Porcupine Mountain, Manitoba. (The Weather Doctor)
• 28 August 1971...Heavy rains from Tropical Storm Doria caused devastating floods in central and northeast New Jersey resulting in 138 million dollars damage. Newark set an all-time 24-hour record of 7.84 inches. The Princeton area had 11 inches in 36 hours. In southeastern Pennsylvania, high winds downed trees and power lines, and in New York City, heavy rains flooded streets and subways. Doria made landfall on western Long Island with wind gusts of 75 mph in southern New England. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast)
• 28 August 1988...Tropical Storm Chris spawned a tornado near Manning, SC, which killed one person, and spawned three tornadoes in North Carolina. Chris produced one to two foot tides, and three to six inch rains, over coastal South Carolina. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• August 1813...Hurricane devastated Martinique, causing more than 3000 deaths. (The Weather Doctor)

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Prepared by AMS WES Central Staff and Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D., email hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu
ã Copyright, 2004, The American Meteorological Society.