Weather History For June 17

1859
Hot Santa Ana winds in southern California roasted fruit on one side toward the wind at Santa Barbara.
(Sandra and TI Richard Sanders - 1987)

1882
A tornado traveled more than 200 miles across the state of Iowa killing 130 persons. The tornado touched down about ninety miles west of Grinnell, and struck the town and college around sunset, killing sixty persons, and causing more than half a million dollars damage. Traveling at nearly 60 mph, the tornado hit Mount Pleasant about 11 PM causing another half a million dollars damage.
(David Ludlum)

1946
The third deadliest tornado in Canadian history struck southwestern Ontario from Windsorto Tecumseh. 17 people were killed and hundreds injured. Damage was conservatively estimated at $1.5 million dollars.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1959
A tropical depression spawned several tornadoes, the most severe in Miami, FL since 1925. A tornado moved northeast through Miami, across Biscayne Bay and then out to sea. 77 people were injured, mostly from flying glass. On this date through the 21st, heavy rains over the southern peninsula caused considerable flooding in poorly drained and low lying agricultural areas and some residential sections. Some highways also sustained flood damage. High tides along the west coast from Tampa south damaged boat docks and caused beach erosion. 5-day rain totals were mostly 7 to 12 inches with some scattered amounts 15 inches or more reported. This Depression went on to become a hurricane and killed 33 lobster fishermen in the Canadian Maritimes.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1960
Heavy rains just west of Binghamton, NY produced 3 inches in less than 30 minutes. Flash flooding was reported in Johnson City, Vestal, and the northern sides of Endicott, NY.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1965
Holly, CO was deluged with 11.08 inches of rain to establish a state 24-hour rainfall record.
(The Weather Channel)

1967
This was the 24th consecutive day of at least a trace of precipitation at Denver, CO. Precipitation totaled 5.87 inches during that period; more than a third of their total annual rainfall.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1968
On this date through the 18th, Tropical Depression Brenda crossed Key West, FL and moved through central Florida exiting into the Atlantic near Jacksonville. This storm gained hurricane strength north of Bermuda.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1971
Hurricane Bridget passed just 30 miles off of Acapulco, MX. The storm was the worst in 25 years as winds gusted to 100 mph. The flagship of the Admiral of the Mexican Navy went down during the storm.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1978
An F2 tornado hit the showboat "Whippoorwill" on Pomona Lake in Osage County, Kansas as it left the dock for a dinner cruise. 16 of the 58 passengers drowned as the boat capsized, making the twister the deadliest tornado of the year.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1982
On this date through the 18th, a subtropical storm moved from the southeast Gulf of Mexico, northeast across the central Florida Peninsula into the Atlantic causing at least 12 tornadoes, On the Manatee River, 20 families were evacuated. The Peace River crested a week after the storm causing the evacuation of 130 families. A one and a half year old boy drowned in a flooded drainage ditch, and a Brevard County woman drowned when her canoe turned over, her four year old son was rescued after clinging to the canoe for six hours. 12 tornadoes were reported between the morning of the 17th and the morning of the 18th from Dade and Broward Counties to Polk and Volusia counties. On the evening of the 17th, a tornado destroyed five trailers and two cars in northwest Hendry County, killing a man in a trailer and seriously injuring his wife. Another tornado moved through the Lake Josephine area in Highlands County destroying 23 homes and mobile homes and damaging many more, injuring nine people. The 10 other tornadoes caused much property damage, but no deaths or serious injuries.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1985
The highest wind occurrence at Columbia, MO was recorded at 95 mph. This wind occurred on the same day that a tornado struck the Columbia Regional Airport causing damage to 22 planes.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1987
Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the south central U.S. Thunderstorms in Kansas produced wind gusts to 76 mph at Lyons and baseball size hail at Garden City. The Edwards Aquifer, which supplies water to San Antonio, TX, reached a record level of 699.2 feet following a record 18.43 inches of rain in thirty days. Torrential rains between mid May and mid June sent 8.8 million-acre feet of water down the rivers of southern Texas, the largest volume in 100 years of records.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988
Thunderstorms produced large hail and damaging winds in Georgia and the Carolinas. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 75 mph at Eden, NC.
(The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1989
Unseasonably cool air, responsible for 37 records lows in the central U.S. on the 15th and 16th, including a low of 33 degrees at Valentine, NE on the 15th, overspread the eastern U.S. ending a three day siege of severe weather.
(The National Weather Summary)

2004
A man was struck by lightning while visiting the Lincoln Memorial as he took shelter under a tree in the midst of a passing thunderstorm. His clothes and shoes were shredded from the bolt as he was knocked unconscious and later transported to the hospital. He recovered from the lightning strike and was released four days later.
(Ref. Scott Summer of the DC Weather Examiner)

2008
A 440-yd-wide EF4 tornado destroyed 15 homes in the Miller reach area of Manhattan, KS, on the 11th. Today, a neighborhood home which was spared tornado damage was hit by lightning from a non-severe thunderstorm. $55,000 damage was caused by the ensuing fire.
(Ref. Weather Guide Calendar with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Accord Pub. 2010, USA)

1990
Extensive damage was also reported from Climbing Hill to Correctionville. Microburst winds of 105 mph were recorded at the Spencer Airport.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1991
Record cold occurred over the Pacific Northwest. New record low temperature marks were established at Burns, OR with 31° and Yakima, WA with 36°.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1992
Four consecutive days of severe thunderstorms and heavy rains from the 15th through the 18th resulted in flooding across northeast and east central South Dakota. Heavy rains of 5 to 20 inches caused extensive flooding, washing out numerous roads, bridges, and culverts and drowning livestock. Many crops in northeast and east central South Dakota were either flooded out by the heavy rains or severely damaged by hailstorms. The Big Sioux River swelled to almost three miles wide in places. Many houses and farm buildings were left as islands after being completely surrounded by water. The main flooding along the Big Sioux River extended from the Watertown area to near Dell Rapids and lasted for a week.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1998
A freak snowstorm dropped up to 8 inches of snow over the Snowy Mountain Range in Wyoming. The snow stranded travelers on the Snowy range pass and required plows to assist them in getting out.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2001
Tropical Storm Allison formed off the coast of Texas and moved inland on the 6th.The storm remained well organized and brought torrential rain and flooding from Texas, through the southern states and into the Mid-Atlantic region on its 10 day journey to the Atlantic Ocean. Allison regained tropical storm strength again east of Atlantic City, NJ. Rainfall amounts of more than 10 inches were measured in the northwest suburbs of Philadelphia, PA.
(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

2009
Abercrombie, North Dakota:
Torrential rains drench Abercrombie with 7.5 inches of rain, shattering the previous daily maximum rainfall record of 2.0 inches set in 1959 and exceeding the previous all-time rainfall record of 4.9 inches set on 30 June 1958.
(Ref. WxDoctor)

2014

TOP 10 U.S. Weather Events 2014
Severe Weather: June 14-19. Dozens of tornadoes raked the Midwest, with the standout event being the twin EF4 tornadoes that destroyed much of the town of Pilger on June 16 in northeast Nebraska.
Ref. (Weatherwise MAY-JUNE 2015, page 14)