On this date in 1814, a suspected tornado touched down in the middle of DC when it was occupied by British troops. The twister tore building apart, sheared off roofs and uprooted trees. Historians credit the storm for helping drive the British out of the city.
“More British soldiers were killed by the tornado’s flying debris than by the guns of the American resistance,” the National Weather Service wrote.
"Many of the soldiers did not have time to take cover from the winds and they laid face down in the streets," wrote the Washington Weather book. "One account desribes how a British officer on horseback did not dismount and the winds slammed both horse and rider violently to the ground."
The violent storm, which also produced torrential rain, occurred the day after British troops had set fire to the Capitol, the White House and other government buildings, according to an article from the National Constitution Center, titled “The tornado that stopped the burning of Washington.” The article summarizes accounts from eyewitnesses who said the ferocious winds lofted cannons into the air and tore houses off their foundations.
“The driving rain put out most of the fires threatening the city,” wrote the blog historicaldigression.com. “Perhaps more important, the invading British were so battered and demoralized, the storm played a large role in the decision to cut short the occupation of Washington.”
Here are other notables from the day:
- Average high: 87
- Average low: 70
- Record high: 97 (1998)
- Record low: 54 (1942)
- Record rainfall: 3.92 inches (1905)
