...1904... A flash flood near Pueblo CO washed a train from the tracks killing 89 passengers. A bridge, weakened by the floodwaters sweeping through the valley below, gave way under the weight of the train dashing all but the sleeping cars into the torrent drowning the occupants. Rail service was frequently interrupted in the Rocky Mountain Region and southwestern U.S. that summer due to numerous heavy downpours which washed out the railroad beds delaying trains as much as five days.

...1918... Philadelphia PA established an all-time record with a high of 106 degrees. New York City experienced its warmest day and night with a low of 82 degrees and a high of 102 degrees. Afternoon highs of 108 degrees at Flemington NJ and Somerville NJ established state records for the month of August.

...1931... The high temperature at Newport, Rhode Island peaked at 92 degrees, breaking the old record of 89 degrees set in 1924.

...1946... 4.87 inches of rain fell at Newport, Rhode Island, breaking the previous record of 1.07 inches set in 1895 and it was the second highest rainfall for the month of August at the station.

...1955... At Newport, Rhode Island a wind gust of 45 miles per hour was recorded, breaking the old record of 26 miles per hour set in 1950.

...1957... Two records were broken at Newport, Rhode Island on this day. The low relative humidity was a dry 33%, breaking the old record of 39% set in 1953 and the dew point fell to 52 degrees, breaking the previous record of 54 degrees set in 1954.

...1980... Hurricane Allen bottomed out at 899 millibars (26.55 inches) while moving through the Yucatan Channel in the southeastern part of the Gulf of Mexico. This was the second lowest pressure ever recorded in the western hemisphere up to this time. Allen's winds at the time were sustained at 190 mph.

...1984... El Paso TX normally receives 1.21 inches of rain in August. They got it in forty-five minutes, with four more inches to boot, during a storm which left Downtown El Paso under five feet of water.

...1986... A rare outbreak of seven tornadoes occurred in New England. One tornado carved its way through Cranston RI and Providence RI causing twenty injuries. Rhode Island had not reported a tornado in twelve years, and three touched down in 24 hours.

...1987... Morning thunderstorms drenched Goldsboro NC with 3.37 inches of rain. Late morning thunderstorms in Arizona produced dime size hail, wind gusts to 50 mph, and two inches of rain, at Sierra Vista.

...1988... A dozen cities in the central U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date, including Waco TX with a reading of 107 degrees. The record high of 88 degrees at Marquette MI was their twenty-third of the year. Afternoon and evening thunder-storms produced severe weather in Nebraska, Minnesota and Wisconsin, with wind gusts to 81 mph reported at McCool NE.

...1989... At Newport, Rhode Island, barometric pressure fell to 29.35 inches, breaking the old record of 29.58 inches set in 1981. Forty cities in the central U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date, including Valentine NE with a reading of 40 degrees, and Belcourt ND with a low of 37 degrees. Martin SD was the cold spot in the nation with a morning low of 30 degrees. Unseasonably hot weather prevailed over Florida and Washington State, with record highs of 100 degress at Daytona Beach FL, 101 degrees at Walla Walla WA, and 103 degrees at Hanford WA.

...1990... A thunderstorm moved through Nome, Alaska around 1:00 pm local standard time. This may not sound unusual but this storm was the 9th thunderstorm of the year to hit Nome. Up to this point more thunderstorms had hit Nome in the past 2 months than the previous 20 years combined!