I've assembled as many interesting weather facts as I can to make this world weather trivia page. Obviously I didn't know all these facts off the top of my head. Some I discovered myself, but the I had to hunt around for the vast majority. The internet was, needless to say, a particulary handy source, especially regarding American weather. Another good source proved to be old weather periodicals, such as The Meteorological Magazine which seemed much more intent on facts and figures than research. If you scroll to the bottom of this page you'll find a list of sources. Incidentally, if any of these facts turn out to be wrong, or records quoted get broken please and let me know. Thanks.
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June 2
1975 Widespread sleet and
snow showers over the UK. Snow settled for a time in Buxton, Derbyshire
and on hills south of Birmingham, Edinburgh, Newark, Grantham and Peterborough.
Snow was also observed in Cambridge and Colchester and sleet showers were
reported in southern England, for example at Portsmouth. This is the latest
in the year that such widespread snow occurred over the UK since at least
the late 19th century.
June 3
1902 Europe's widest tornado
on record touches down at Javauges (Haute-Loire) killing one person. The
tornado track was 7km long and 3km wide. 7
1959 An 85 minute long hailstorm
at Salden, Kansas dumps 45cm hail on the town. Temperatures were 26.7C
at the start of the storm but dropped as low as 3.3C at the height of the
storm. 7
June 4
1825 A hurricane moving from
Cuba to New England caused major damage along the US coast from Florida
to New York. The hurricane was first reported at Santo Domingo on 28th
May before reaching Cuba on 1st June and Charleston on 3rd June. Finally
on 4th June the hurricane caused major damage to New York harbour with
the peak of the storm coming in the evening. Meanwhile, across the New
York area countless trees were blown down whilst also on the 4th Washington
was wet all day and in Philadelphia trees were blown down. 5
June 5
1859 Frost is reported across
an area extending from Iowa to New England. Lows dropped as low as -3.9C
in New York State and up to 5cm snow fell in Ohio. 7
June 6
Watch this space!
June 7
1816 During the "The Year
Without a Summer" snow fell over the northeastern USA on the 7th. Flurries
fell as far south as Boston and Salem and there were snowdrifts up to 50cm
deep near Danville, Vermont. 19
June 8
1953Michigan's worst tornado
on record. 115 people are killed in Flint by an 800m wide tornado rated
F5 on the Fujita scale. This is the last tornado in the USA to kill more
than 100 people, and also the 9th deadliest tornado on record in the USA.
22
June 9
1953 90 people are killed
by a tornado in Worcester, Massachussetts (the city's a little bit west
of Boston). The tornado was up to 1600m wide at times and tracked 46 miles
through Worcester County, mangling steel towers bulit to withstand 375
mph winds. Meanwhile debris from the tornado fell in the Boston area and
the Atlantic Ocean. This tornado is the 20th deadliest on record in the
USA. The same low pressure system that caused the Flint tornado the day
before (see above) caused this tornado as well as severe weather in New
Hampshire and Massachussetts. 22
1971 The largest tornado on
record in the USA was seen neer Gruver on the high plains of the Texas
Panhandle. The average width was 2500 yards and it was 2 miles wide at
times. 22
1984 Most probably the deadliest
tornado outbreak ever in Russia. At least 400 are killed in Ivanova, Gorki,
Kalinin, Kostroma and Yaroslav, towns all 150 to 200 miles north of Moscow.
21
1991 On the 8th and 9th more
than 750mm rain falls in Mumbai (Bombay), western India. This is the wettest
weather here in more than 40 years. 7
June 10
Watch this space!
June 11
1749 A waterspout off the
west Italian coast moves inland into Rome damaging property. 7
1963 A four hour thunderstorm
over Dublin dumped 185mm rain at Mount Merrion and was at the time Ireland's
wettest day on record. 2
June 12
1899 The USA's 8th deadliest
tornado on record strikes New Richmond, Wisconsin killing 117 people. 22
1947 Heavy wet snow affects
southern and central Wyoming dumping 46.7cm snow at Lander, 22.1cm at Cheyenne
and 11.4cm at Caspar. It's the latest snow on record for many places and
in some spots it's the heaviest snow on record.
1975 Sydney, Australia's joint
second longest dry spell on record comes to an end. This dry spell lasting
34 days started on 10 May. 24
1985 Winds of 335km/h measured
at a height of 2975m on Zugspitze in southern Germany. 1
June 13
1907 The USA's coldest June
night on record; lows at Tamarack, California drop down to -17C. 19
June 14
1876 1036.3mm rain falls in
24 hours at Cherrapunji, India. 23
June 15
1896 The USA's hottest June
day on record. Highs reach 52.8C at Fort Mojave, California. The low that
day was 36.1C. 7
1957 The wettest day on record
in Illinois when 420.1mm rain falls in 24 hours in East St. Louis.
June 16
Watch this space!
June 17
1965 Colorado registers its
record maximum 24 hour precipitation as 281.4mm rain falls at Holly. 11
June 18
2002 Much of central Europe
enjoyed a very hot day; temperatures in the Netherlands peaked close to
35C in Arcen, whilst over the border in Koblenz the high of 39.4C was a
new record June high. Meanwhile, the day before Auxerre in France reached
37C.
June 19
Watch this space!
June 20
1921 292mm rain falls in 24
hours in Circle, Montana setting a 24 hour precipitation record for the
state. 7
1957 A tornado rated F5 on
the Fujita scale killed 10, including 6 children in one family, injured
103 and damaged or destroyed more than 1300 homes in Fargo, North Dakota.
There might well have been more casualties had the media not been able
to announce the imminent arrival of the tornado. This also led to large
numbers of photographers going outside to meet and capture the tornado
on film. Later scientists were able to study these pictures (stills and
motion).
1970 Norway's hottest day
on record; temperatures reach 35.6C in Nesbyen.
1992 Snow mixed with rain
was reported in Alpena, Michigan, in spite of the fact that it was the
first day of summer here.
2000 The first thunderstorm
on record at Barrow, Alaska dumps 4.1mm rain on the town in just a couple
of minutes. 7
June 21
1942 Asia, and Israel's, hottest
day on record. Highs reach 53.9C at Tirat Tsvi. 13
June 22
1947 Holt in the USA records
305mm rain in just 42 minutes. 6
1972 The remnants of Hurricane
Agnes dump up to 305mm rain on Pennsylvania and New York State causing
floods and more than $2 billion in damage. In Pennsylvania 122 are killed.
7
June 23
1944 The USA's 14th deadliest
tornado on record strikes Shinnston, West Virginia killing 100 people.
22
2002 Temperatures at Milan,
Italy dropped no lower than 27.9C, the highest minimum temperature on record
here since at least 1980. 25
June 24
1904 24 people are killed
when a tornado strikes the Karachatov Village area of Moscow. 7
1946 Wisconsin registers its
record maximum 24 hour precipitation as 297.7mm rain falls at Mellen. 11
1954 Hurricane
Alice dumps 686mm rain on the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas causing
floods which leave the US 90 roadway under 9m water. 7
1994 Australia's coldest night
on record; lows drop to -23.0C at Charlotte Pass, New South Wales.
June 25
1953 Temperatures reach 30C
in Anchorage, Alaksa, the hottest day on record here. 7
1967 Two of the Netherlands
most powerful tornadoes ever touch down at Chaam and Tricht killing 6 people
and injuring at least 18 people. Over the border in Belgium 2 people were
killed at Oostmalle near Antwerp by a tornado. The day before tornadoes
had killed 8 people at Palluel and Pommereuil in France. 21
June 26
Watch this space!
June 27
1915 Alaska's hottest day
on record; temperatures reach 38.0C at Fort Yukon.
1947 The Netherlands records
its hottest June day on record when highs reach 38.4C in Maastricht.
1994 Temperatures reach 48.9C
in Tipton, Oklahoma, the state's hottest day on record. It's also the hottest
day on record in New Mexico where highs reach 50C at Lakewood. 9
2003 France records its hottest
June day on record; temperatures reached 41.5C in Lezignan-Corbieres.
June 28
1892 Utah's hottest day on
record. Temperatures in Saint George reach 46.7C.
1947 The USA's 22nd deadliest
tornado on record strikes Lorain and Sandusky in Ohio killing 85 people.
22
1954 South Carolina's hottest
day on record. Temperatures in Camden reach 43.9C.
1960 Kentucky registers its
record maximum 24 hour precipitation as 264.2mm rain falls at Dunmor. 11
1976 The UK records its joint
hottest June day on record when highs reach 35.6C in Southampton.
1994 Laughlin, Nevada reaches
51.1C, the highest temperature on record in Nevada.
June 29
1904 Two tornadoes hit Moscow,
killing at least 30 people. 21
1931 Temperatures reach 42.8C
in Monticello, Florida, the state's hottest day on record. 9
1947 Sweden's joint hottest
day on record; temperatures reach 38.0C in Målilla.
1957 The UK records its joint
hottest June day on record when highs reach 35.6C at Camden Square, London.
1975 North Dakota registers
its record maximum 24 hour precipitation as 205.8mm rain falls at Litchville.
11
1994 Temperatures reach 53.3C
in Lake Havasu, Arizona, the state's hottest day on record. Over the statelinein
Nevada it's also the hottest day on record here as highs peak at 51.7C
in Laughlin. On the same day Australia measures its coldest night on record
when lows drop to -23.0C at Charlotte's Pass in New South Wales. 9,
13
June 30
1912 A late afternoon tornado
in Regina, SK became Canada's deadliest tornado when during 3 minutes of
mayhem 40 people were killed, another 300 were injured and 500 buildings
were destroyed leaving a quarter of the population homeless. The city didn't
finish paying for the damage from this tornado until 1958.
1976 Northern Ireland's joint
hottest day on record; temperatures reach 30.8C at Knockarevan, Co. Fermanagh.
1983 Tasmania's coldest night
on record. Lows at Shannon drop down to -13.0C. 13
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Dan Suri, last updated 20 October 2003