On this day in 1896, the remnants of an intense hurricane that made landfall in Cedar Key, Florida, swept through the region bringing destructive wind gusts to 80 mph, which toppled trees, damaged buildings and killed several people. The damage was the worst on record at the time.
“Many buildings were unroofed,” the National Weather Service wrote in a summary of the storm. “The Metropolitan Railroad Power House in South Washington caved in, causing all buildings within one-half block to shake; its crash was audible a mile away. Capitol Hill saw even greater damage. Georgetown experienced its worst storm ever. The Baseball Park saw $500 in damage. A few panes of glass at the White House were shattered as well.”
The storm also produced severe tidal flooding along the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. “Most everything, including vessels in and around the wharf was destroyed,” the Weather Service wrote.
And on this day in 1924, a calendar-day record 2.68 inches of rain fell from a tropical storm that transitioned into a midlatitude storm. The next day, another 2.76 inches of rain fell. Areas of flooding were reported in the region.
Here are other notables from this date:
- Average high: 76
- Average low: 59
- Record high: 93 (1954)
- Record low: 40 (1942)
- Record rainfall: 2.68 inches (1924)
