This Date in Weather History for October 20,2012

Here's the tidbits for "This Date in Weather History",for Saturday,October 20,2012,from examiner.com/weather-history,enjoy:










1770
A devastating storm struck eastern New England causing extensive coastal damage from Massachusetts to Maine, and the highest tide in 47 years.
1924
A weak hurricane made landfall near Marco Island, FL with gusts to 90 mph on the afternoon of the 20th. The storm moved across the peninsula, exiting into the Atlantic near Ft. Lauderdale as a tropical storm early on the 21st.
1952
Central Park in New York City had their earliest measurable snowfall with a half inch falling.
1956
The temperature reached 57° at the Esparanza Base research station, Antarctica located at 63 degrees south for the continents highest temperature.
1957
On this date through the 21st, Southern California was hit by the second major storm of the month, causing widespread thunderstorms. Waterspouts were sighted off Point Mugu and Oceanside. Santa Maria was drenched with 1.13 inches of rain in two hours and hail drifts to 18 inches in East Los Angeles.
1983
The remnants of Eastern Pacific Hurricane Tico caused extensive flooding in central and south central Oklahoma. Oklahoma City set daily rainfall records with 1.45 inches on the 19th, and 6.28 inches on the 20th. Tulsa set a 24 hour rainfall record for the month of October as 5.63 inches fell. Shawnee, OK picked up 14 inches over the two days.
Cottonwood Creek, in the Guthrie area in Oklahoma reached a record crest of 29.6 feet. West sections of Guthrie were flooded, requiring the evacuation of more than 500 people. A four-foot deep "wall of water" reportedly moved across the rapidly rising water, and washed cars and trucks off the streets. One man, who was holding onto a car, was swept away and drowned. The flooding resulted in about $2.5 million in damages.
1987
Cold arctic air invaded the Upper Midwest, and squalls in the Lake Superior snowbelt produced heavy snow in eastern Ashland County and northern Iron County of Wisconsin. Totals ranged up to 18 inches at Mellen.
In the western U.S., Bakersfield, CA reported a record 146 days in a row with daily highs 80° or above.
1988
Unseasonably warm weather continued in the western U.S. In California, afternoon highs of 96° at Redding and Red Bluff, CA were records for the date.
Sacramento & Bishop, CA tied their previous high temperature records with 88° and 84° respectively.
1989
Many cities reported record low temperatures for the date as readings dipped into the 20s and 30s across much of the south central and southeastern U.S. Lows of 32° at Lake Charles, LA and 42° at Lakeland, FL were records for October, and Little Rock, AR reported their earliest freeze on record. Snow blanketed the higher elevations of Georgia and the Carolinas. Melbourne, FL dipped to 47° shortly before midnight to surpass the record low established that morning.
Showers and thunderstorms brought heavy rain to parts of the northeastern U.S. Autumn leaves on the ground clogged drains and ditches causing flooding. Up to 4.10 inches of rain soaked southern Vermont in 3 days. Flood waters washed 600 feet of railroad track, resulting in a train derailment.
Squalls off the Great Lakes buried Marquette, MI under 12.7 inches of snow, a record October 24-hour total.
1991
The Oakland Hills Fire exploded in the hills above the city. Whipped into a conflagration by high “Diablo” winds, the fire raged into a firestorm that killed 25 people and caused over $1.5 billion in damage. Fortunately, the “Diablo” winds died before the flames reached downtown Oakland.
1992
A clipper system brought light snow to parts of the upper Midwest. The following locations had their earliest measurable snowfall: Galesville, MN: 2 inches, Lansing, IA 2 inches, Readstown, WI: 2 inches, and Lynxville, WI: 1 inch. Dodge, WI tied 10/20/82 for the earliest snowfall with 2 inches.
1996
New England was in the middle of a four day nor'easter which dumped tremendous rainfall totals, especially over eastern sections. 19.19 inches of rain fell at Camp Ellis, ME. 13.03 inches was recorded at Newburyport, MA. Portland, ME set a new all-time 24 hour rainfall record with 13.32 inches. Other rainfall totals included 17.21 inches at Sanford, ME, 12.23 inches at Portsmouth, NH, 11.21 inches at Bedford, MA, and 7.89 inches at Boston, MA. The storm tapped moisture from Hurricane Lili, far to the southeast over the Atlantic, which contributed to the excessive rainfall. The nor'easter also produced high winds along coastal sections. A wind gust to 81 mph was recorded at Little Compton, RI. One person was killed and total damage was over $50 million dollars.
2002
17 people were injured, 3 seriously, when a Japan Air Lines domestic flight encountered severe turbulence.
2003
A persistent Pineapple Express flow dropped torrential rains across the Pacific Northwest. Seattle, WA broke a one-day rainfall record, 5.02 inches, shattering the old record of 3.41 inches. Governor Gary Locke declared a state of emergency for 7 counties as 10 rivers in Washington rose above flood stage.
Record heat continued across parts of the west as many locations reported record highs including: Palm Springs, CA: 106°, Yuma, AZ: 105°, Borrego Springs, CA: 104°, Phoenix, AZ: 103°, Tucson, AZ: 97°, Victorville, CA: 95°, Idyllwild, CA: 86°, Bishop, CA: 86, Reno, NV: 85°, Palomar Mountain, CA: 84°, Pendleton, OR: 84°, Boise, ID: 84°, Winnemucca, NV: 83°-Tied, Ely, NV: 80°, Eugene, OR: 80°, Pocatello, ID: 80°, Flagstaff, AZ: 77°, Portland, OR: 77°, Salem, OR: 77°, Yakima, WA: 77°, Burns, OR: 76° and Big Bear Lake, CA: 76°.
2004
An unusually strong early season low pressure system brought significant amounts of rain to much of the southwest. Not just daily, but monthly record rainfall was received in only one day across parts of southern California. The same happened again on the 27th. The monthly record rainfall was exceeded in only six hours in many locations of Orange County. Totals for last two weeks of October were 4 to 8 inches in lower elevations, and up to 14 inches at Lake Arrowhead. A storm wind of 39 mph was measured at Lindbergh Field from the south, the strongest October wind on record. 1.95 inches of rain fell at Riverside and 3.15 inches fell at Santa Ana, their greatest daily amounts on record for October. 3.5 inches of snow fell in Idyllwild, their greatest daily amount on record for October. Widespread flooding occurred.
Mt. Charleston, NV reported a 24 hour precipitation total of 9.78 inches of rain. This was supported at Kyle Canyon which reported 8.75 inches of rain. This total is most likely a state record for 24 hour precipitation. With the amount of rainfall received, it’s amazing that no flooding was reported.
Typhoon Tokage blasted across Japan triggering flash floods that washed away entire hillsides, killing 55 people and leaving at least 24 people missing. The last time storms killed more people was in September 1988.
2008
Storms with prolonged, heavy rains that caused flash floods claimed the lives of 11 people in Morocco. The flash floods inundated dozens of homes and destroyed many clay houses.