Top 10 Weather Anniversaries of 2013

Weather Extremes Etched in Our Memories

Each year is filled with weather anniversaries that are etched in the minds of meteorologists. Chances are that you have your own weather memory that you recall every year around the time it occurred.

(MORE: Top 20 weather stories of 2012)

2013 is no exception with major anniversaries ranging from F5 tornadoes to destructive hurricanes, blizzards, flooding and extreme heat.

We've compiled what we think are the top 10 weather anniversaries of 2013. The anniversaries we considered are at the significant 5 and 10-year intervals typically used to observe key anniversaries in a given year (i.e. 5, 10, 15, 20-year anniversaries and so on).

Our countdown begins with our #10 anniversary of 2013, which had a swarm of deadly tornadoes on a key election day.

#10 2008 Super Tuesday Tornado Outbreak:  5-Year Anniversary

Eighty-six tornadoes touched down in 10 states on Feb. 5-6, claiming 57 lives. It was the deadliest tornado outbreak since May 31, 1985, a fact since overshadowed by the horrific death tolls suffered in 2011.

Five of the tornadoes in this outbreak were "violent", rated EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. One of those tracked 122 miles across north-central Arkansas, establishing a new record for that state's longest continuous tornado path.

Memphis, Tenn., was also struck by a tornado that was captured live on local television tower cameras. Jackson, Tenn., was struck by its third F4/EF4 tornado in 10 years; Union University suffered heavy damage.

The National Weather Service issued five "tornado emergencies" in the course of the outbreak.

Another tornado anniversary occupies our #9 spot.

#9 April 1998 Southeast Tornadoes: 15-Year Anniversary

A pair of tornado outbreaks, one week apart, ripped through the Southeast in the heart of the 1998 tornado season.

Most of the destruction from the first outbreak came from a single supercell thunderstorm that spawned several tornadoes as it tracked east across Alabama and Georgia just north of the Interstate 20 corridor.

The most devastating of these, an F5 monster, tore through the western suburbs of Birmingham. Oak Grove, Ala., was among the hardest-hit communities. In all, 32 died from this tornado. Some of these same communities suffered another devastating blow 13 years later in the April 27 Superoutbreak.

The same cell later put down a tornado that hopscotched across the northern Atlanta suburbs of Smyrna and Dunwoody, narrowly missing The Weather Channel headquarters. One person died and thousands of homes were damaged.

Eight days later, an F3 tornado struck Downtown Nashville, striking the State Capitol and the future Tennessee Titans NFL football stadium along with at least 300 other buildings. One man died after being trapped under a fallen tree.

Our next anniversary is in the hottest spot in the world.

#8 Death Valley's World Record: 100-Year Anniversary

On July 10, 1913, an observer in Death Valley, Calif. measured an almost incomprehensible high temperature of 134 degrees.  

This is 13 degrees hotter than the hottest temperatures measured in the Plains states during the "Dust Bowl" of the 1930s and 12 degrees hotter than the all-time record high at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.

To be fair, this high is the subject of a bit of controversy.  

According to Christopher C. Burt, author of "Extreme Weather; A Guide and Record Book" (Wunderground blog), a sandstorm was in progress at the time of the observation.  

Some speculated grains of hot sand or dust were driven into the thermometer itself.  No documentation exists regarding the condition of the thermometer's shelter or its accuracy. 

(MORE:  Badwater Ultramarathon...135 Miles of Weather Hell) 

Regardless, Death Valley holds the world record for hottest recorded temperature, after a committee headed up by Burt last year overturned the previous world record set in Al Azizia, Libya.

(MORE:  Overturning the World's Hottest Temperature)

Impressed yet?  

The summer of 1996 featured daytime highs over 120 degrees for forty days.  Five years later, the valley sizzled in a stretch of 154 consecutive days of triple-digit heat, a roughly five-month stretch!

On July 12, 2012, the morning "low" temperature was 107 degrees.  Yes, we said morning low.  Only two other days in Death Valley had a morning low that was hotter, both registering 110 degree lows (Jun. 29, 1922 and Jul. 5, 1918).   These incredibly  record hot lows in Death Valley exceed all-time record highs in New York, Washington, D.C., and Chicago!   

Those are just air temperatures.  How hot can ground temperatures get?  Try an incredible 201 degrees, measured at Furnace Creek on July 15, 1972.  Yep...11 degrees from the boiling point of water!  The maximum air temperature measured that day was 128 degrees. 

From one end of the spectrum to the other, let's next touch on a pair of incredible winter storms.

#7 Blizzards of 1978: 35-Year Anniversary

This year is the 35th anniversary of two major blizzards that struck east of the Mississippi River within a week and a half in 1978.

The first blizzard, known as the "Cleveland Superbomb", blasted portions of the Midwest on January 26 with very strong winds and heavy snow, particularly in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. The term "Superbomb" refers to the extremely low pressure (958 millibars) this storm had as it passed near Cleveland, Ohio. A pressure this low is more typically seen in a hurricane. Snow totals of 1 to 3 feet were common with higher drifts burying cars and even homes. Wind gusts approached an amazing 100 mph in Ohio. You can read more about this incredible storm at this link.

Around 10 days later on February 6, a more well-known blizzard pounded New England. Snowfall rates of 3 inches per hour were reported in the storm. Boston, Mass. was buried by 27 inches of snow with winds gusting as high as 79 mph! Locations along the coast of New England were inundated with serious coastal flooding, resulting in significant property loss. Major power outages were reported in the region. Find out more about this storm at this link.

From winter we head into spring for our next anniversary.

#6 Deadly 1953 Tornadoes: 60-Year Anniversary

In the span of a month, three large cities were struck by extremely violent, deadly tornadoes in 1953.

Waco, Texas (May 11, 1953):  The Waco tornado carved a path up to 1/3 mile wide through the heart of the city's downtown, reaching F5 intensity the day after Mother's Day. Over 600 businesses, 850 homes and 2,000 cars were either destroyed or damaged. Some survivors had to wait up to 14 hours to be rescued from the rubble. The Waco tornado is deadliest on record in Texas with 114 fatalities. (More information)

Flint, Mich. (June 8, 1953): A 1/2 mile wide F5 tornado struck this city and killed 115 people. Until the Joplin, Mo. tornado of May 22, 2011, it was the last single tornado to kill more than 100 people in the U.S. Seven other killer tornadoes touched down the same day as the Flint tornado, pushing the death toll for the day up to 141.

Worcester, Mass. (June 9, 1953): Just one day after the Flint, Michigan F5 tornado, the same weather system spawned this deadly tornado which raked through the north side of the city of Worcester, among other locations in Massachusetts. The tornado was rated at least F4 intensity and tracked a distance of 46 miles in 84 minutes. A total of 94 people were killed and 1,288 were injured. (More information)

Next, we go back to the 1800s to revisit two major blizzards that struck in the same year.

#5 Blizzards of 1888: 125-Year Anniversary

Two deadly blizzards struck two different regions of the country in early 1888.

The more famous "Blizzard of '88" paralyzed the Northeast corridor beginning March 12 with one of the most epic snowfalls in the history of the region. New York City received 22 inches, but parts of upstate New York were buried by 48 inches (Albany) to 58 inches (Saratoga Springs) of snow.  Houses were encased in snow drifts, with a mindboggling 52-foot drift reported at Gravesend, N.Y.

In New York City alone, 200 people lost their lives; at least 100 perished at sea from Chesapeake Bay to New England.

The Children's Blizzard, also known as the Schoolhouse Blizzard, struck the Plains states exactly two months earlier.

This storm was made particularly deadly by the fact that it struck during a school day, and was preceded by an unusual warm spell.  In an era of limited communication and forecast accuracy, many pioneers were caught unaware by the sudden Arctic blast and whiteout conditions.  

Many children and adults perished, disoriented in the blizzard, far from home, with few landmarks to guide them on the open prairie.  Many were not adequately clothed because of the warm spell.  In the end, 235 people lost their lives.

Texas has two big anniversaries from the tropics in 2013.

#4 Texas Hurricane Duo: Ike and Alicia

Hurricane Ike (2008) and Hurricane Alicia (1983) both had major impacts in their respective years along the Upper Texas coast, but in different ways.

Category 2 Ike struck in an active 2008 hurricane season and was very large in size, allowing it to generate a huge storm surge along portions of the Texas and Louisiana coasts. Homes were completely wiped off their foundations on the Bolivar Peninsula. Prior to the 2012 hurricane season, Ike was the second most costly hurricane on record with a total price tag of $29.5 billion. This ranking could change depending on the total cost of the damage by Sandy.

Conversely, Category 3 Alicia hit in an overall inactive 1983 hurricane season and was small in size with its worst impacts a result of strong, damaging winds. Hurricane-force gusts smashed windows in downtown Houston high-rise buildings. Gusts to 125 mph were measured in Galveston aboard a Coast Guard cutter. Total damage from Alicia in the U.S. was $2 billion.

Our next anniversary is one of the great floods of all time.

#3 1993 Mississippi River Flood: 20-Year Anniversary

Widespread wet weather in the second half of 1992 and the early months of 1993 primed the Midwest for the costliest freshwater flood in U.S. history.

One cluster of thunderstorms after another plodded through the nation's heartland from April through July. Rainfall totals were extreme, both from individual storms and when added up over weeks and months.

For example, Adrian, Minn., was severely damaged when 7 inches of rain fell in an hour, unleashing a wall of water.  Meanwhile, from April through July 1993, 34 inches of rain fell in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and an even more impressive 37 inches in Salina, Kan., where the annual average is barely 30 inches.

Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa all recorded their wettest June-July period on record.

The ultimate effect of all this rain was widespread flooding on the region's river system. Smaller rivers such as the Des Moines River in Iowa were the first to burst, with the city of Des Moines losing its water supply for 12 days, an unprecedented failure for such a large city.

Ultimately, the larger Missouri and Mississippi Rivers succumbed. The former swelled to 20 miles in width on its lower reaches near St. Louis, merging with the bloated Mississippi 20 miles upstream of the usual confluence.

From Omaha to St. Louis on the Missouri, and from Minneapolis to Cairo, Ill., on the Mississippi, mile after mile of floodplain was submerged. Some 70 towns were completely flooded.

At St. Louis, the Mississippi exceeded its previous record crest by six feet, though a floodwall protected the city. The river has not come close to this crest since then.

Damage from the Midwest floods totaled $21 billion in 1993 dollars, placing it among the costliest natural disasters in American history and, by a large margin, the costliest freshwater flood disaster.

From an inland flood, to a massive coastal storm.  Nope, it's one prior to Sandy.  

#2 Long Island Express: 75-Year Anniversary

One of the most destructive East Coast storms, the so-called "Long Island Express" of 1938, had one key difference from Sandy. 

Not only was this hurricane a category-three on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale upon its landfall in Long Island and Connecticut on Sep. 21, 1938, but its forward speed was 60 to 70 mph!  This storm moved from off Cape Hatteras, N.C. early that day, to southern New England by afternoon.  Imagine Sandy moving at that forward speed!  

The storm's magnitude, fast movement, and the fact that this occurred before weather satellites added up to a tragic toll.  A storm striking with little warning.

Including deaths offshore, an estimated 600 were killed in the U.S.  Storm surge from 10-12 feet swamped the southern New England coast and Long Island.  It was estimated over 57,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.  

What could possibly top this notorious storm?  What about another "Superstorm"...and, no, it's not Sandy.  

#1 Superstorm 1993: 20-Year Anniversary

Before Sandy, there was only one storm that deserved the title "Superstorm."

One "extratropical storm" clobbered an expansive swath of the Eastern U.S., eastern Cuba, and eastern Canada over a four-day period from March 12-15, 1993. 

(WATCH:  The Weather Channel covers Superstorm 1993) 

As you can see in the video linked above, the impacts were stunning.  A storm surge resembling a hurricane along Florida's Gulf Coast...in what was still winter!  About as close to whiteout conditions as you'll ever see...on Peachtree Street in Atlanta!  

In all, 270 were killed in 13 U.S. states from Florida to Maine.  Total estimated damage in the U.S. was $5.5 billion, more costly than several U.S. tropical cyclones.  

(BLOG:  Stu Ostro Recalls "Superstorm 1993")

Every major airport on the East Coast was closed at one time or another due to the storm.  Most interstates north of Atlanta were closed.  Here are some of the amazing factoids courtesy of NOAA's National Climatic Data Center:

Snow

• Thousands were isolated by record snow, particularly in the Southeast.
• 17" and 6' drifts near Birmingham, Ala.; 10' drifts in Latrobe, Pa.
• Up to 6" snow in Florida Panhandle.
• Hundreds of roof collapses reported due to the weight of snow.
• Over 200 hikers had to be rescued from the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina.

Coastal flooding/surge

• 200 homes in the N.C. Outer Banks were damaged
• At least 18 homes were lost to the sea along the Long Island shore.  
• 235 rescues conducted by the Coast Guard in the Gulf of Mexico alone.
• 12' storm surge in Taylor County, Fla., with surge flooding over much of Florida's Gulf Coast.

Tornadoes/high winds

• Derecho raced across Florida on March 13.  109 mph wind gust measured in the Dry Tortugas.
• Embedded supercells spawned 11 tornadoes in Florida.
• Other notable gusts:  Havana, Cuba (100 mph), Myrtle Beach (90 mph), Boston (81 mph), NYC-LaGuardia (71 mph).

There were many other notable even-year anniversaries to mention in 2013.  

Honorable Mentions

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We only had 10 slots, so there were some other important weather anniversaries in 2013 that didn't quite crack the top 10.

Click through our interactive timeline above for some other notable even-year anniversaries, spanning the weather spectrum from historic hurricanes, to tornado outbreaks, heat waves, flooding, and winter storms.

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