...1635... The Great Colonial Hurricane struck New England. The storm was of the same stature as the storms of 1815 and 1938 and the track was similar to the hurricane of 1944. The tides rose 20 feet, according to a vivid account by Winthrop and Bradford.

...1814... A probable tornado hit Washington, DC when occupied by British troops. About 30 were killed. A witness said that more damage was done by the wind than by bullets.

...1885... A severe hurricane struck South Carolina causing 1.3 million dollars damage at Charleston.

...1910... The temperature at Bowen, Montana dropped to 5 degrees. This is the lowest temperature ever recorded in the lower 48 states during the month of August.

...1940... At Newport, Rhode Island the low temperature dipped to 49 degrees, breaking the old record of 53 degrees that was set in 1897.  New Jersey experienced its coldest August morning of record, with lows of 32 degrees at Layton and Charlotteburg.

...1958... 2.08 inches of rain fell at Newport, Rhode Island, shattering the previous record of .96 inches that was set in 1915.

...1969... At Newport, Rhode Island the high temperature peaked at 88 degrees, setting the record high temperature for the date. It was later tied in 1980.

...1987... Morning thunderstorms produced heavy rain in eastern Nebraska and southwestern Iowa. Stanton IA reported 10.50 inches of rain. Water was reported up to the handle of automobiles west of Greenwood NE. Rainfall totals for a two day period ranged from 7 to 14 inches across southwestern Iowa. Crop damage was in the millions for both states. Subsequent flooding of streams in Iowa the last week of August caused millions of dollars damage to crops, as some streams crested ten feet above flood stage.

...1988... Seven cities in California reported record high temperatures for the date, including Sacramento with an afternoon reading of 104 degrees. Thunderstorms produced locally heavy rains in Arizona. Chino Valley was drenched with 2.50 inches of rain in just thirty minutes washing out a couple of streets in town.

...1989... Morning thunderstorms drenched Spencer IN with 4.10 inches of rain in three hours causing extensive street flooding. Evening thunderstorms in eastern Kansas produced up to six inches of rain around Emporia, and four inches of rain in just forty-five minutes near Parsons, and also produced wind gusts to 70 mph at Lake Melvern.

...1991... The barometric pressure rose to 30.65 inches, breaking the old record of 30.42 inches that was set in 1983.

...2002... For the second day in a row, Alamosa, Colorado set both high and low temperature records for the day with 87 and 30 degrees, respectively.

...2005... Katrina becomes a hurricane just before landfall in south Florida between Hallandale Beach and North Miami Beach. Maximum sustained winds at the time of landfall were near 80 mph. There were eleven fatalities in South Florida, including four by falling trees. More than 1.3 million customers lost electrical services, and preliminary insured loss estimates ranged from $600 million to $2 billion in the state of Florida