May 4 Weather History

...1812... A storm produced snow from Philadelphia to Maine. A foot of snow fell near Keene NH, and in Massachusetts, nine inches fell at Waltham, located near Boston.

...1893... 2.41 inches of rain fell at Newport, Rhode Island, setting the record high for the date.

...1917... A late season snowstorm in northwest Texas produced up to eight inches of snow in Potter County and Armstrong County.

...1922... Austin TX was hit twice by tornadoes which struck within thirty minutes of each other. Twelve persons were killed in the tornadoes.

...1964... At Newport, Rhode Island the low temperature dipped to 33 degrees, breaking the record of 34 degrees set in 1911.

...1977... A tornado 500 yards in width struck Pleasant Hill MO severely damaging the high school and grade school. Only minor injuries were reported among the more than 1000 teaches and students due to excellent warnings and prior tornado drills.

...1978... An F3 tornado moved in from the Gulf of Mexico and tore a path of devastation through the High Point section of Pinellas County in Florida. The path length was only 1.5 miles but 3 people were killed, 94 were injured, and damages totaled $43 million.

...1981... The wind gusted to 46 miles per hour at Newport, Rhode Island on this day and was later tied in 2014.

...1984... The barometric pressure fell to 29.12 inches at Newport, Rhode Island, breaking the record of 29.28 set the year before in 1983.

...1987... Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the southeastern U.S., with South Carolina hardest hit. Thunderstorm winds toppled trees seventy feet high in Spartanburg County SC, and knocked homes off their foundations near Bishopville SC.

...1988... Thunderstorms produced large hail in North Carolina, but brought welcome rains to much of the rest of the eastern U.S. Residents of New England finally saw sunshine after about a week of clouds and rain.

...1989... Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the Southern Plains Region and the Lower Mississippi Valley. Thunderstorms spawned fifteen tornadoes, and there were 340 reports of large hail and damaging winds. Hail three inches in diameter, and 9.39 inches of rain, resulted in more than 130 million dollars damage at Monroe LA. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 100 mph at Epps LA and Fort Worth TX. A thunderstorm north of Mineral Wells TX produced high winds which unroofed a nightclub, turning it into a "topless club."

...1990... Thunderstorms produced severe weather from the Lower Ohio Valley to Virginia and the Carolinas. A tornado at Augusta Springs VA killed two people and injured ten others, and another tornado caused 1.7 million dollars damage at Colonial Heights VA. Temperatures soared into the 90s in northern California. The high of 98 degrees in downtown Sacramento was their hottest reading of record for so early in the season.

...2001... At Newport, Rhode Island the temperature soared to 87 degrees, breaking the record of 84 degrees set in 1965.

...2007... An EF5 tornado tracked 26 miles through Commanche and Kiowa Counties in Kansas. Over 90 percent of the town of Greensburg was destroyed with 11 fatalities, 63 injuries, and $250 million in damages. The tornado was 1.7 miles wide at one point.

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