On this date in 1997, a tornado ripped across South Arlington in Virginia, shearing off the tops of trees and toppling two at the Army Navy Country Club golf course.
“Whirling out of dark skies in the Shirlington area about 6 p.m., the tornado, with winds of 60 to 70 mph, raked a west-to-east path about a half-mile long and 50 to 75 yards wide, snapping the trunks of two dozen trees,” The Washington Post reported.
Thunderstorms in the region also caused flooding. Reagan National Airport received 2.17 inches of rain, a calendar-day record.
Here are other notables from this day:
- Average high: 79
- Average low: 61
- Record high: 94 (1880)
- Record low: 42 (1877)
- Record rainfall: 2.17 inches (1997)
