14-18 June 2004

Water in the Earth System will return for Fall 2004 with new Water News and Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 30 August 2004. All the current online homepage products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

• Inventory of nation's estuaries commences --- Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently announced the commencement of the National Estuaries Restoration Inventory that will track progress at attainment of the goals of the Estuary Restoration Act of 2000. [NOAA News]
• 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.

• 14 June 1903...The "Heppner Disaster" occurred in Oregon. A cloudburst in the hills sent a flood down Willow Creek, and a twenty foot wall of water swept away a third of the town in minutes, killing 236 residents and causing 100 million dollars damage. (David Ludlum)
• 14 June 1990...Four inches of rain in about 75 minutes on the saturated headwaters of Pipe and Wegee Creeks and the Cumberland Run in southeastern Ohio created a wall of water 10 to 30 feet high that devastated the community of Shadyside. Twenty-four people were killed. One person reported ankle-deep water running down the side of a hill when he was seeking higher ground. Some bodies were found in the Ohio River 30 miles downstream. (Intellicast) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 14 June 1998...Flooding from 13.18 inches of rain falling in 24 hours at Atlantic, IA destroyed 21 homes. Saturated soil around Lake Panorama began sliding into the lake in the evening. Three homes "cracked" beyond repair as the earth sank 12 to 18 inches. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 15 June 1662...A fast was held at Salem, MA with prayers for rain, and the Lord gave a speedy answer. (David Ludlum)
• 15 June 1879...McKinney, ND received 7.7 inches of rain in 24 hours, a state record. This 24-hour state precipitation record has since been broken in June 1975 with an 8.10-inch reading. (The Weather Channel)
• 15 June 1957...East Saint Louis, IL was deluged with 16.54 inches of rain in 24 hours, a record for the state of Illinois. In July 1996, this record was broken when 16.91 inches fell. (The Weather Channel)
• 16 June 1965...Thunderstorms dumped torrential rains along the east slopes and on the plains east of Denver, CO. Up to 14 inches fell at both Palmer Lake and Larkspur and 12 inches at Castle Rock, resulting in a wall of water down the west and east branches of Plum Creek. Damage to roads and bridges in Larkspur, Castle Rock, and Sedalia was extensive. The flood then reached the South Platte River near Littleton and proceeded through Denver. Flood waters spread to 1/2 mile or more in width and destroyed homes, trailer courts, and businesses. the flood caused 230 million dollars damage and 8 deaths along the entire South Platte River basin. (Intellicast)
• 16 June 1984...Sixty-four cars parked near Westby, WI were swept 0.25 miles by a flash flood. Some people just "hung on" as they climbed on top of cars caught in trees. One person said "I had no idea anything like that ever happening around here." No deaths were reported. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 16-18 June 1972...The greatest three-day rainfall in Hong Kong since 1889 produced 25.68 inches and resulted in disastrous landslides and building collapses. More than 100 people died, while thousands were made homeless. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 17 June 1965...Holly, CO was deluged with 11.08 inches of rain to establish a state 24-hour rainfall record. (The Weather Channel)
• 17 June 1987...Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the south central U.S. The Edwards Aquifer, which supplies water to San Antonio TX, reached a record level of 699.2 feet following a record 18.43 inches of rain in thirty days. Torrential rains between the mid May and mid June sent 8.8 million acre feet of water down the rivers of southern Texas, the largest volume in 100 years of records. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 18 June 1875...A severe coastal storm (or possible hurricane) struck the Atlantic coast from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia. Eastport, ME reported wind gusts to 57 mph. (David Ludlum)
• 18 June 1991...Atlanta, GA set a new record for the amount of the rain in one hour as 3.47 inches fell between 6:52 and 7:52 PM EDT. (Intellicast)

• 19 June 1932...A hailstorm in Honan Province, China, killed two hundred and injured thousands of people. The hail fell for two hours and damaged four hundred villages. (Northern Indiana NWSFO)

• 19 June 1938...A cloudburst near Custer Creek, MT (near Miles City) caused a train wreck killing forty-eight persons. An estimated four to seven inches of rain deluged the head of the creek that evening, and water flowing through the creek weakened the bridge. As a result, a locomotive and seven passenger cars of the Milwaukee Road's The Olympian plunged into the swollen creek. One car, a tourist sleeper, was completely submerged. (David Ludlum) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 19 June 1969...Flash floods resulted as a rainstorm dropped 1.65 inches in 40 minutes over the mountainous terrain approximately 6 miles west-northwest of Castleford, ID. The flood cut a 40 foot deep gap at the Salmon Falls Creek road crossing. A two-foot high wall of water swept down another road. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 19-26 June 1972...Hurricane Agnes (a category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale) moved onshore along the Florida Panhandle near Cape San Blas and Apalachicola with wind gusts to 80 mph, and then exited Maine on the 26^th. This hurricane moved northeast and joined with an upper level disturbance, producing from 10 to 20 inches of rain along its path along the Eastern Seaboard. In the Middle Susquehanna Valley of Pennsylvania, 24 hour rainfall amounts were generally 8 to 12 inches, with up to 19 inches in extreme southwestern Schuylkill County. At Wilkes-Barre, PA the dike was breached destroying much of the town. Agnes was responsible for 125 deaths, mainly due to flooding from North Carolina to New York State, and total damage was estimated at more than three billion dollars. The torrential rains from Hurricane Agnes resulted in one of the greatest natural disasters in U.S. history. Agnes caused more damage than all other tropical cyclones in the previous six years combined (which included Celia and Camille). (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
• 20 June 1874...Intense thunderstorm brought 8 hours of heavy rain and incredible lightning to southern Manitoba. Lightning stampeded a herd of 250 police horses. (The Weather Doctor)
• 20 June 1921...Circle, MT received 11.50 inches of rain in 24 hours, a record for the state. The town of Circle received a total of 16.79 inches of rain that month to establish a rainfall record for any town in Montana for any month of the year. (The Weather Channel)
• Month of June...According to a 1969 US Army technical report, the average dewpoint temperature at Ras Andahglie and Assab, Eritrea (Ethiopia) average slightly more than 84ºF. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)

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URL: WES/news.html

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