Historical Weather Events

HISTORICAL WEATHER EVENTS - 24 April

From the files of the Aviation Weather Center, Kansas City, MO and Intellicast

...1899...Two women and one son lived to tell the story of being picked up by a tornado and carried more than a fourth of a mile, flying far above the church steeples, before being gently set down a gain. The young boy and one of the ladies said they had the pleasure of flying alongside a horse. The horse "kicked and struggled" as it flew high above, and was set down unharmed about a mile away. (The Weather Channel)
...1908...Severe thunderstorms spawned eighteen tornadoes across the Central Gulf Coast States claiming the lives of 310 persons. Three F4 tornadoes accounted for most of the deaths and damage. The state of Mississippi was hardest hit. A tornado near Hattiesburg, MS killed 143 persons and caused more than half a million dollars damage. Four violent tornadoes accounted for 279 of the 310 deaths. The deadliest of the four tornadoes swelled to a width of 2.5 miles as it passed near Amite, LA. The tornado also leveled most of Purvis, MS, as only seven of the 150 houses in town were left standing. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel) (Intellicast)
...1987 ...Showers and thunderstorms produced heavy rain in the Middle Atlantic Coast Region. Up to seven inches of rain drenched Virginia in three days. Morgantown, WV received 4.27 inches in 24 hours, and flooding was reported in south central West Virginia. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1988...Low pressure produced high winds and severe thunderstorms in the Southern Plains Region. Strong thunderstorm winds destroyed two mobile homes at Whitt, TX injuring two persons. Winds associated with the low-pressure system gusted to 70 mph at Guadalupe Pass, TX. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1989...Twenty cities in the central U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. Russell, KS was the hot spot in the nation with a reading of 101 degrees. Evening thunderstorms produced severe weather from Colorado to Wisconsin. Hail four and a half inches in diameter was reported at Sargeant, NE. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1990...Thunderstorms produced severe weather from the Southern High Plains to north central Kansas. Thunderstorms spawned ten tornadoes, including one that injured four persons and caused 1.5 million dollars damage at Shattuck, OK. Thunderstorms also produced softball size hail at Wheeler, TX, wind gusts to 85 mph southwest of Arnett, OK, and 13. 45 inches of rain near Caldwell, TX, which resulted in the worst flooding in recent memory for that area. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
...1993...An F4 tornado struck Tulsa and Catoosa, OK. Seven people were killed and 100 were injured. A second tornado (F3) touched down from the same thunderstorm cell and ripped through Catoosa, doing heavy damage and injuring 30 people. Seventy percent of the businesses in Catoosa were damaged or destroyed. Total damage was 100 million dollars. (Intellicast)
...2003...The temperature soared to a maximum of 70 degrees in Juneau Alaska. This is the earliest record of 70 degree reading to occur in Juneau.
...2010...April Tornado Outbreak- During a major severe weather outbreak across the South on 22-25 April, 142 tornadoes raked the region, including 77 on the 24th alone. Ten died from the long-track tornado that swept across Mississippi on 24 April. A long-lived twister left a trail of destruction extending over 149 miles from Louisiana through Mississippi, resulting in 10 deaths and 75 injuries. This EF4 storm, which grew to a width of 1.75 miles, sported the fourth longest track in Mississippi history. This storm destroyed part of Yazoo City, Mississippi. The Swiss Reinsurance Company estimated insured damages with this outbreak at $1.58 billion. (National Weather Service files)