Weather history miscellany

[Randi]

NASA Earth Observatory



What Lake Bonneville Left Behind une 4, 2026

At its peak, ancient Lake Bonneville would have been a sight to behold. Nearly as large as Lake Michigan, the Ice Age lake spread across much of western Utah and parts of Nevada and Idaho. When it eventually receded, it left behind flat, bright playas and salt flats rich with minerals—a landscape that would later serve as the setting for feats of engineering and technological ingenuity, as well as epic tales of exploration and desperation.
Lake Bonneville began forming about 55,000 years ago during a cool, wet period, when volcanic eruptions in what's now southeastern Idaho diverted the Bear River, causing water to gather in Gem Valley and other basins to the south. For tens of thousands of years, a natural dam at Red Rock Pass helped confine the lake.
Then, about 18,000 years ago, water breached that dam, unleashing a torrent that entered the Columbia River system. Over a six-week period, amid one of North America's largest floods, lake levels plummeted by more than 350 feet (105 meters). As the climate warmed and dried in subsequent millennia, the lake shrank dramatically, leaving remnants that include today's Great Salt Lake, Utah Lake, and Sevier Lake.

[Randi]

https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in ... ory_aug_25

1814: In the early afternoon, a strong tornado struck northwest Washington D.C. and downtown. The severe tornadic storm arrived the day after the British Troops had set fire to the Capitol, the White House, and other public buildings. The storm's rains would douse those flames. The tornado did major structural damage to the residential section of the city. The tornado's flying debris killed more British soldiers than by the guns of the American resistance. The storm blew off roofs and carried them high up into the air, knocked down chimneys and fences and damaged numerous homes. Some homes were destroyed. It lifted two pieces of cannon and deposited them several yards away. At least 30 Americans were killed or injured in the heavily damaged buildings, and an unknown number of British killed and wounded.

1948: One of the worst tornadoes to strike New Zealand occurred at Hamilton on this day. This estimated F2 tornado killed three people, injuring dozens, and destroying or severely damaging almost 150 houses and 50 business premises in Hamilton and Franklin.

[Randi]

MODIS Image of the day



Dust in Algeria(8/24/2026)

The billowing tan cloud covered an area of about 127,000 square kilometers (49,000 square miles), which is roughly the size of the country of Slovakia or slightly larger than the U.S. state of Ohio. In most of this area, the dust was so thick that it obscured the ground from view.
Sand seas, including Erg Chech, sprawl across the borders of Algeria, Mauritania, and Mali while the Tenéré Desert occupies much of Niger. These sandy regions within the larger Sahara Desert provide ample material for dust storms whenever the air becomes gusty, especially in hot weather. High temperatures destabilize air near the ground, allowing even light winds to loft dust particles into the air.

https://www.geonames.org/6776928/erg-chech.html

[Randi]

https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in ... ory_aug_26

1864: A train running from Cincinnati to Chicago was derailed by a tornado in Dearborn County, Indiana, or 75 miles southeast of Indianapolis. Two passenger cars were lifted from the tracks and dropped in a ravine which injured 30 people.

1976: A weak tornado touched down briefly in the Hockley Hills near Kiana, AK, about 29 miles north of the Arctic Circle. This tornado is the most northerly report of a tornado on record. Kiana is 545 miles northwest of Anchorage, Alaska.

1992: Hurricane Andrew made a second landfall near Burns Point, LA as a Category 3 hurricane. Morgan City, LA recorded sustained winds of 92 mph with a peak gust of 108 mph. Hammond, LA was deluged with 11.92 inches of rain. As Andrew moved inland and weakened, it spawned 47 tornadoes from this date through the 28th from the South to the Mid-Atlantic States.

[Randi]

For Joan...

NASA Earth Observatory

1989

2025

A Changing World for Emperor Penguins

With their charming waddles, heat-conserving huddles, and tuxedo-like plumage, emperor penguins are among the world's most recognizable animals. Recent satellite surveys estimate that hundreds of thousands of the flightless birds live in 66 colonies spread around Antarctica's inaccessible, frozen coastlines. But those numbers could fall in the coming decades because emperor penguins rely on landfast (or fast) ice—a type of sea ice attached to the shoreline—to breed, raise chicks, and molt.
While Antarctic sea ice remained relatively stable between the late 1970s and 2015, it has been declining since 2016, and climate projections suggest that trend will continue. How landfast ice is faring remains poorly understood and is an active area of study. However, one study suggests that it has declined in West Antarctica and the Weddell Sea in recent decades even as it has trended upward in the Bellingshausen Sea and East Antarctica.

[Michael]

[Randi]

https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in ... ory_aug_27

1854: A tornado struck downtown Louisville around noon on Sunday, August 27th, 1854. It first touched down near 25th Street, southwest of downtown and lifted at the intersection of 5th and Main Streets. Although the tornado was only on the ground for a little over two miles, the twister claimed at least 25 lives. Many of those who perished were killed in the Third Presbyterian Church, where 55 people were gathered for Sunday church services. Straight-line winds that accompanied the tornado did significant damage to the Ohio River, where at least one boat sunk. Click HERE for more information from the NWS Office in Louisville, Kentucky.

[Randi]

NASA Earth Observatory

August 6, 2026

August 14, 2026

Rare, Widespread Snow in the Atacama Desert

In August 2026, back-to-back winter storms left parts of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile covered in a rare blanket of snow. The typically arid region has seen snowfall before, notably in 2025 and before that in 2011. But one of the 2026 events was unusually widespread, stretching from the Andes to near the Pacific coast.

[Randi]

https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in ... ory_aug_28

1990: Between 3:15 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. a devastating F5 tornado ripped a 16.4 mile-long path through portions of Kendall and Will counties in northern Illinois. A total of 29 people were killed, and 350 more were injured. An estimated $160 million in damages occurred. The tornado's path width ranged from 200 yards to half a mile. A total of 470 homes were destroyed, and another 1000 homes were damaged. Sixty-five thousand customers lost power.

The image above is an aerial view of damage path looking east from Illinois 126 west of Plainfield.
For more see https://www.weather.gov/lot/1990_08_28_ ... eldTornado and https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001878.htm

[Randi]

https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in ... ory_aug_29

1960: The storm that would become Hurricane Donna forms near Cape Verde off the African coast. It would go on to cause 150 deaths from Puerto Rico to New England over the next two weeks. Click HERE for more information from the History Channel.

[Randi]

MODIS Image of the day



True-color image of East Africa(8/28/2026)

Most of the area captured in this image encompasses arid, hot desert that supports little agriculture, although mobile pastoralism is practiced where conditions permit. Rusty red color marks areas where the land is especially harsh, with high temperatures and little vegetation. Patches of light green show the growth of vegetation.
This region has been suffering from widespread drought and food scarcity, although good rains in February brought a flush of vegetative growth. However, below-average rains in June-August have raised the specter of below-average harvests in Ethiopia, according to the August 2026 Country Brief for Ethiopia published Relief Web. In addition, the report expresses concern that negative impacts of El Niño will increase food insecurity by November of this year.
The Somalia Country Brief published on Relief Web reiterates the concerns of serious impacts of El Niño which could continue drought while creating severe flooding in some locations, especially in the south, disrupting an already insufficient supply of food for many within Somalia. The report states that the country is “entering a critical new phase of hunger, where drought, conflict, displacement, sharply reduced humanitarian assistance, and rising food and fuel prices are converging faster than families can recover.” As of August, “Somalia remains one of the world’s worst malnutrition crises in the world, with an estimated 1.88 million children under five projected to suffer acute malnutrition in 2026,” according to the report.

[Randi]

https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in ... ory_aug_30

1838: A major tornado, possibly the worst in Rhode Island history, passed south of Providence. It uprooted and stripped trees of their branches, unroofed or destroyed many houses, and sucked water out of ponds. The tornado barely missed a local railroad depot, where many people were waiting for a train. The tornado injured five people. Click HERE for an account of the storm from Robert Hare, M.D., Professor of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania, published January 1, 1839.

2002: Typhoon Rusa dumps torrential rains across South Korea, causing widespread flooding from the 30th through September 1st. Typhoon Rusa was the most powerful typhoon to hit South Korea since 1959. Nearly 90,000 people were evacuated. The province of Gangwon was hit the hardest, where an estimated 36 inches of rain fell in less than 48 hours. The torrential rains flooded nearly 36,000 homes. The Korean Defense Ministry reported flood waters submerged 16 jet fighters and 622 military buildings and facilities at Kangnung airbase.

[Randi]

https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in ... ory_aug_31

1922: An incredible hailstorm occurred near West Chester, PA dropped so much hail that fields were covered with up to two feet of drifted hail the next day.

[Randi]

MODIS Image of the day



Smoke Over Russia(8/28/2026)

Warm temperatures combined with widespread tree damage due to Siberian silkmoth infestation set the stage for a vicious fire season in northern Russia in 2026. By June, IQAir reported that roughly 90 active fires had been reported in the forests of Krasnoyarsk Krai, a region of Russia, triggering the declaration of a regional wildfire emergency. Most of these were burning in remote, rugged terrain that was accessible only by air.

[Randi]

https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in ... ory_sep_01

1862: The Battle of Ox Hill (or Chantilly) is also known as the only major Civil War battle to have been fought during a storm. “A severe thunderstorm erupted, resulting in limited visibility and an increased dependence on the bayonet, as the rain soaked the ammunition of the infantry and made it useless.” From Taylor, Paul. He Hath Loosed the Fateful Lightning: The Battle of Ox Hill (Chantilly), September 1, 1862.

1894: The Great Hinckley Fire, which burned an area of at least 200,000 acres or perhaps more than 250,000 acres including the town of Hinckley, Minnesota occurred on this day. The official death count was 418 though the actual number of fatalities was likely higher.

1952: A cold front brought damaging winds to Fort Worth, Texas, including the Carswell Air Force Base where thirty-five B-36 planes received damage. The anemometer indicated 90 mph winds before being smashed by debris. Click HERE for more information from the website theaviationgeekclub.com

From the Climatological Data for Texas, September 1952.

[Randi]

NASA Earth Observatory

August 23

August 24

Ice Island Survives Run-In With Joe Island

Summer is prime iceberg season in Greenland’s glacier-fed fjords, and 2026 was no exception. Especially notable was the berg that broke from the Petermann Glacier along Greenland’s northwest coast in August. Roughly the size of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, it was the largest calving event by any Arctic glacier since 2020.
Iceberg calving is a routine part of an outlet glacier’s life cycle. Scientists watch the process closely, however, along with numerous other observations of the ice and its environment, for longer-term signs of instability. Petermann is one of Greenland's largest marine-terminating glaciers and acts as a gatekeeper for ice flowing from the ice sheet into the ocean. Its future stability has implications for sea level rise.

https://www.geonames.org/3831353/joe-o.html

[Randi]

Huge 6.6-inch hailstone sets Illinois state record

Illinois has experienced an unprecedented year for severe weather, with the state tallying more tornadoes than any year in history. And now, another extreme weather record has been officially broken.
A hailstone measuring 6.6 inches in diameter found in Kankakee, Illinois, on March 10, 2026, has been confirmed as a state record.

[Randi]

NASA Earth Observatory



Drought Intensifies Across Puerto Rico(August 25, 2026)

The month of May typically marks the onset of the wet season in Puerto Rico. But in 2026, rain had largely failed to materialize as of late August, and much of the U.S. territory found itself in the throes of drought. The dry conditions have contributed to water shortages and rationing in some areas, leading Puerto Rico’s governor to declare a state of emergency in late July and the U.S. government to issue a drought disaster declaration for more than two dozen cities and towns in late August.

[Randi]

https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in ... ory_sep_03

1834: A strong hurricane made landfall near Georgetown, South Carolina.

1930: A Category 4 hurricane devastates the Dominican Republic on this day. This storm killed more than 8,000 individuals, which is it the fifth deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record.

Cropped Version of September 3, 1930, Weather Map, Courtesy of NOAA.

The image above is courtesy of the NOAA Photo Library. http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/htmls/wea02216.htm

1970: During the early evening hours, amid a severe hailstorm at Coffeyville, Kansas, a stone 17.5 inches in circumference and nearly two pounds in weight was recovered. Average stone size from the storm was five inches in diameter, with another stone reportedly eight inches in diameter. This hailstone is currently the third-largest hailstone in the U.S.

NCAR scientist Nancy Knight holds a hailstone that fell in Coffeyville, Kansas, in 1970.
The largest hailstone ever documented, it weighs 0.75 kilograms (1.67 pounds) and spans 14.4 centimeters (5.67 inches).

[Randi]

https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in ... ory_sep_04

1766: A hurricane made landfall at modern-day Galveston, Texas. The following is from David Roth of the Weather Prediction Center. “A mission, named San Augustine de Ahumado was located in what is nowadays known as Chambers County. This mission was destroyed and subsequently abandoned. A seven-foot storm surge put the area under water. A richly-laden treasure fleet of 5 galleons en route from Vera Cruz to Havana was driven ashore and had to wait many weeks for assistance to come. La Caraqueña wrecked on Galveston Island while El Nuevo de Constante sank along the western Louisiana coast. Fortunately, much of the treasure and people aboard were saved.”

2000: Houston and College Station, Texas recorded their hottest day on record when highs reached 109° and 112° respectively. Houston has tied their record on August 27th, 2011. Other daily record highs included: Wichita Falls, TX: 111°, Waco, TX: 111°, Dallas, (DFW), TX: 111°, Austin, (Bergstrom), TX: 110°, Austin (Camp Mabry), TX: 110°, Dallas, TX: 110°, Victoria, TX: 110°, San Antonio, TX: 109°, Shreveport, LA: 108°, Corpus Christi, TX: 107 °F.