On this date in 1947, D.C. received a calendar day record 3.47 inches of rain as an intense thunderstorm swept through. A photographer from The Post captured a lightning bolt striking the point of the Washington Monument, and the image was displayed on the paper’s front page the next day. The monument is probably struck by lightning about twice per year on average.
The storm caused major disruptions in the Beltway region.
“Motorists were stranded on river-like streets, homes and apartment basements were flooded and lightning bolts fired three homes in Alexandria, Va., and knocked one electric power line out of commission in Arlington, Va.,” The Washington Post wrote. “Heavy rain began in the District at 7:25 p.m., and did not end until 2 minutes before midnight.”
One woman died after being run over by a skidding bus, The Post reported.
Here are other notables from this day:
- Average high: 83
- Average low: 65
- Record high: 98 (2008)
- Record low: 47 (1894)
- Record rainfall: 3.47 inches (1947)
