On this date in 1788, a powerful hurricane raked the Mid-Atlantic and passed over Mount Vernon, the Virginia home of George Washington, who documented the storm. In his diary, the future president wrote the storm “was violent and severe — more so than has happened for many years.” He reported that the tide along the Potomac River rose 4 feet higher than previously known, driving boats into fields.
Historical accounts indicate the storm caused significant damage from the Virginia Tidewater to Baltimore.
In Norfolk, where the storm came ashore, “large trees were uprooted and houses were moved from their foundations,” according to an online summary posted by the National Weather Service.
And on this date in 2010, the temperature soared to a calendar-day record of 101 degrees. It was the third day that month to top 100 and the 11th day in a 12-day streak reaching 90 or higher. That July ranked as the fourth-hottest on record.
Here are other notables from this day:
- Average high: 90
- Average low: 73
- Record high: 101 (2010)
- Record low: 57 (1947)
- Record rainfall: 2.2 inches (1904)
