Weather on This Date

Weather on This Date - July 17

7/17/2018

Photo: John Kucko @john_kucko Overnight storms give way to a beautiful morning here in WNY (Letchworth SP)

July 17, 1934
One of the worst heat waves in the history of the nation commenced. During the last two weeks of the month extreme heat claimed 679 lives in Michigan, including 300 in Detroit alone. (The Weather Channel)

July 17, 1941
A prolonged heat wave over Washington State finally came to an end. Lightning from untimely thunderstorms was responsible for 598 forest fires. (David Ludlum)

July 17, 1952
Thunderstorms helped the temperature at Key West, FL, to dip to 69 degrees, to equal their July record established on the first of July in 1923. (The Weather Channel)

July 17, 1957
On a warm and sunny day at Wilmington, DE, with a high of 86 degrees, a dust devil suddenly appeared. It tore most the roof off one house, and stripped shingles from a neighboring house. A TV aerial was toppled, and clothes were blown off clothes lines. (The Weather Channel)

July 17, 1980
At this time back in 1980, Alabama and much of the southern U.S. was broiling in one of the greatest heat waves of all time, and taking place at the same time the 1934 heat wave took place. Birmingham and Atlanta had a record high of 105, Athens had a record high of 103; In Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, high temperatures exceeded 100° for 69 days between June 23 and September 6. (James Spann)

July 17, 1987
Slow moving thunderstorms caused flooding on the Guadalupe River in Texas resulting in tragic loss of life. A bus and van leaving a summer youth camp stalled near the rapidly rising river, just west of the town of Comfort, and a powerful surge of water swept away 43 persons, mostly teenagers. Ten drowned in the floodwaters. Most of the others were rescued from tree tops by helicopter. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

July 17, 1988
A dozen cities in the eastern U.S., and six others in California, reported record high temperatures for the date. Downtown San Francisco, CA, with a high of 103 degrees, obliterated their previous record high of 82 degrees. Philadelphia, PA, reported a record five straight days of 100 degree heat, and Baltimore, MD, reported a record eight days of 100 degree weather for the year. Afternoon and evening thunderstorms produced severe weather along the Middle Atlantic Coast, and over southern New England. (The National Weather Summary)

July 17, 1989
Thunderstorms produced severe weather from South Dakota to Louisiana, with 126 reports of large hail and damaging winds during the day and night. Thunderstorms in Nebraska produced hail four inches in diameter in Frontier County, and at North Platte, causing millions of dollars damage to crops in Frontier County. Thunderstorms in Oklahoma produced wind gusts to 90 mph at Peggs. Tahlequah OK was drenched with 5.25 inches of rain. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)

July 17, 2003
Severe thunderstorms with heavy rain moved across central Georgia. Wind gusts near 60 mph and hail up to golf ball sized accompanied these storms. Heavy rainfall from these storms dumped 6 to 8 inches of rain in just a few hours in the southwest part of Dooly County. This caused several streams and creeks to quickly rise out of their banks and flow across several roads. In Coney (Crisp County) Rossing Crossing Road was washed out due to the heavy rain. (NWS Atlanta)

Data courtesy of WeatherForYou