Sunday,  July 28, 2013 • Vol. 15--No. 14 • 21 of 36

Today in Weather History

1986: Very intense thunderstorms developed in South Dakota and Nebraska and moved into Iowa. The first of these storms produced a tornado that crossed into Iowa south of Sioux City and slammed into a coal-burning power plant. This tornado caused between 25 and 50 million dollars damage to the plant. The tornado continued across farmland, then damaged a store and flattened a motel in Sloan before lifting up.

1945: A B-25 bomber crashed into 79th floor of the Empire State Building due to reduced visibility from thick fog. Three people on the plane and 11 people in the building were killed. A million dollars damage was done though the building's integrity was not compromised.

1952: A severe storm with hail up to an inch and a half in diameter broke windows, ruined roofs, and stripped trees of leaves near Benson, AZ. The temperature dropped to 37 degrees, and hail was three to four inches deep with drifts 46 inches high.

1997: Fort Collins, CO was inundated by a flood that sent a 20-foot wall of water rushing through the city. Five people died.

Record Breaking Lows

• A cool Canadian high pressure system located over the high plains ushered in record breaking daily low temperatures across central and northeastern South Dakota.
• A record daily low temperature of 40 degrees was set at Aberdeen this morning, breaking the old record of 44 degrees set in 1981.
• A record daily low temperature of 45 degrees was set at Clear Lake, breaking the old record of 47 degrees set in 1971.
• A record daily low temperature of 42 degrees was set at Sisseton this morning, breaking the old record of 44 degrees set in 1904.
• A low temperature of 44 degrees was tied at Pierre this morning, tying the old record of 44 degrees set in 1971.

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