Saturday,  Nov. 02, 2013 • Vol. 16--No. 109 • 9 of 27

Today in Weather History

1961: A snowstorm began in western South Dakota and spread to the remainder of the state on November 2nd, ending late on the 2nd in the extreme east. Snowfall was fairly minimal, with 1 to 3 inches falling over most of the central and eastern parts of the state, but the storm was accompanied by winds of 40 to 50 mph in eastern South Dakota. In addition, temperatures fell rapidly with the passage of a cold front with 24-hour changes of 40 to over 50 degrees. Huron dropped from 73 on the 1st to 21 only 24 hours later, a 52-degree drop.
1972: Freezing rain caused up to 2 inches of ice to form on trees, bushes, wires, cars and buildings. Many trees and utility lines were downed. Some of the greatest damage occurred from Tulare to Redfield and Doland and from Troy to Sisseton, in Spink, Brown, Day, Grant and Roberts Counties. Also, heavy snow up to 20 inches fell in south central South Dakota. Some snowfall amounts include; 5.2 inches in Huron; 10 inches in Wessington Springs; 12 inches in Platte; 12.5 in Bonesteel and 19.5 inches in Gregory.
1997: A strong low pressure system over the Great Lakes produced winds of 50 to near 60 mph over much of northern and central South Dakota. Half of an unsecured double-wide trailer was overturned by the strong winds in Fort Pierre. In McLaughlin, strong winds damaged a catwalk at the McLaughlin livestock auction. Half of the 400-foot walkway was tipped over by the winds. The high winds, along with six-foot waves, destroyed an 85-year old 40 x 75 foot dance hall located by Medicine Lake, 15 miles northwest of Watertown. In Aberdeen, brick from a top portion of an abandoned building collapsed. There were also widespread reports of tree limbs blown down.
1743: A hurricane off the eastern coast of the United States proved Ben Franklin's hypothesis that storms off the coast move in a northeasterly direction. The storm hit Franklin's residence in Philadelphia before striking a friend's house in Boston, despite winds at Philadelphia coming from the northeast. Franklin then correctly surmised that storms do not necessarily follow winds that are felt at the surface.
1946: Heavy wet snow fell in the southern Rockies. Denver recorded 31 inches in three days, one of its greatest snowstorms on record.
2000: Heavy thunderstorms pounded the Hawaiian Islands. Hilo, on the east coast of the Big Island, reported 27.24 inches of rain in a 24-hour period.
2003: The runners of the New York City Marathon felt the heat as warm weather sent 20 runners to the hospital due to dehydration.

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