NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

JULY 2024

June 30-July 6: Frequent showers from the Rockies to the East. Some of the heaviest rain, locally 2 to 4 inches or more, fell from the central Plains into the middle Mississippi Valley, as well as some of the still-waterlogged areas of the upper Midwest. Locally heavy showers also fell in other areas, including the northern Plains and an area stretching from the central Gulf Coast into the Southeast.

Farther east, early-week showers dotted the mid-Atlantic, providing limited drought relief. Record setting totals for June 30 included 2.29 inches in Elizabeth City, NC, and 1.86 inches in Wilmington, DE. In early July, a new round of thunderstorms arrived on the Plains, leading to daily-record totals for July 1 in Nebraska locations such as Grand Island (2.07 inches) and Norfolk (2.03 inches). Omaha, NE, also measured a daily-record sum exceeding the 2-inch mark, with 2.08 inches on July 2. In the wake of late-June flooding, Sioux City, IA, netted rainfall totaling 2.72 inches on July 1-2. Additional rounds of rain across the nation’s mid-section led to daily-record amounts for July 4 in Vichy-Rolla, MO (2.39 inches), and Topeka, KS (1.92 inches). Topeka received 3.88 inches of rain during the first 4 days of July. Late in the week, heavy showers shifted southward, with daily-record amounts occurring on July 5 in Monroe, LA (3.68 inches), and Fort Myers, FL (2.78 inches). Well in advance of the approach of Hurricane Beryl—which made landfall on the middle Texas coast before daybreak on July 8 and will be covered in detail next week—heavy showers developed in parts of the south-central U.S. Austin, TX, collected a daily-record sum (2.43 inches) for July 6.

7-13: Hurricane Beryl made landfall before dawn on July 8 near Matagorda, TX, with maximum sustained winds near 80 mph and a storm surge locally exceeding 4 feet. Widespread wind gusts of 80 to 90 mph or greater were clocked along the middle Texas coast, extending northward across the Houston metropolitan area, leaving more than 2.7 million customers without electricity. Beryl accelerated northeastward across the mid-South and lower Midwest, producing a narrow band of heavy rain from eastern Texas into northern New England. Before being absorbed by a cold front, Beryl’s final position estimate late on July 10 placed the former hurricane just west of Buffalo, NY. Although Beryl produced as much as 10 to 15 inches of precipitation in eastern Texas, leading to flash flooding, rain in the mid South and lower Midwest.

Early in the week, a cold front crossing the central U.S. helped to steer Hurricane Beryl northward across the middle Texas coast and northeastward into the lower Great Lakes region. On July 7, daily record totals associated with the cold front included 1.69 inches in Garden City, KS, and 1.41 inches in Des Moines, IA. By July 8, the day of Beryl’s landfall, daily-record amounts in Texas reached 6.65 inches at Houston’s Hobby Airport, 6.47 inches in Palacios, 5.19 inches in Longview, and 3.45 inches in Lufkin. Texarkana, AR, also netted a daily-record sum (4.75 inches) for July 8. Calendar-day records for July 9 reached 4.09 inches in Batesville, AR, and 2.72 inches in West Plains, MO. By the 10th, daily-record totals topped the 2-inch mark in locations such as Flint, MI (3.27 inches), and Saranac Lake, NY (2.59 inches). Finally, Millinocket, ME, received a record-setting rainfall total (2.48 inches) for July 11. Widespread wind damage related to Beryl was limited to coastal and eastern Texas, although as many as six dozen tornadoes were spotted along and east of Beryl’s path, from eastern Texas to New York. Based on preliminary reports, as many as four dozen of those tornadoes occurred on July 8 in northeastern Texas, northwestern Louisiana, and southwestern Arkansas. In Texas, official wind gusts on the morning of the 8th were clocked to 91 mph at the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge; 87 mph near Surfside Beach; 85 mph in Angleton; 84 mph at Houston’s Hobby Airport; 83 mph in Houston (IAH Airport); 81 mph in Conroe and Palacios; and 78 mph in Galveston. Late in the week, a separate area of tropical moisture overspread the middle Atlantic Coast, resulting in daily-record amounts for July 12 in Georgetown, DE (4.03 inches), and Salisbury, MD (3.01 inches). By July 13, a new area of stormy weather engulfed the northern Plains and upper Midwest, with numerous reports of large hail and damaging winds. Hail up to 4 inches in diameter was reported on the 13th in Blaine County, MT, while stones 3.5 inches in diameter were noted in Rice and Wright Counties, MN. Elsewhere in Minnesota on the 13th, Rochester measured a peak thunderstorm wind gust to 81 mph, while St. Cloud collected a daily-record total of 2.20 inches. In neighboring Wisconsin, record-setting rainfall for July 13 totaled 3.08 inches in Wausau and 1.58 inches in La Crosse.

14-20: A cold front steadily advancing southward and eastward drew cooler air across the Plains, Midwest, and mid South. Locally heavy showers and thunderstorms in advance of the front produced localized wind damage and flash flooding in a few areas.  The tail of the front generated a few thunderstorms across the Plains—and became entangled in the Southwestern monsoon circulation. Southwestern showers were generally heaviest in the central and southern Rockies, extending into parts of Arizona. The remainder of the western U.S. experienced hot, mostly dry weather, with lightning-laced dry thunderstorms sparking several new wildfires.

The most notable severe-weather outbreak, a derecho on July 15, swept across Iowa and northern sections of Illinois and Indiana, as well as portions of neighboring states. In addition, more than three dozen Midwestern tornadoes were spotted on the 15th, many of them in Illinois. Unofficial wind gusts topped 100 mph in a few Illinois locations, while official gusts included 79 mph in Dubuque, IA, and 75 mph in Chicago, IL, and Lafayette, IN. A separate area of thunderstorms in Kansas produced a gust to 85 mph in Russell. A day later in southern Illinois, runoff from torrential rainfall (locally 4 to 8 inches or more) resulted in the overtopping of the dam below the Nashville City Reservoir, leading to downstream evacuations in Washington County. A similar situation unfolded on July 17 in northern Arkansas, where totals exceeding 6 inches in Marion County and surrounding areas, extending into southern Missouri, led to extensive flash flooding in communities such as Yellville, AR, and Branson, MO. Daily-record totals topped the 2 inch mark during the week in many locations, including Madison, WI (3.30 inches on July 14); Lafayette, LA (2.13 inches on July 15); and Springfield, IL (2.85 inches on July 16). July 17 featured daily-record amounts in a multitude of towns and cities, such as Bowling Green, KY (2.87 inches); Harrison, AR (2.44 inches); Tulsa, OK (2.38 inches); and Springfield, MO (2.14 inches). Later, downpours shifted into the Southeast, where daily-record amounts climbed to 4.08 inches in Elizabeth City, NC, and 3.35 inches in Meridian, MS. Significant rain also developed across the central and southern Rockies and adjacent High Plains, with Pueblo, CO, measuring 1.40 inches, a record for the date, on July 20.

21-27: Southeastern drought began to improve just as quickly as it had worsened, with heavy rain providing relief for pastures.  . In addition, insufficient rainfall in portions of the middle Atlantic States left drought intact, with ongoing agricultural implications. Significant Southern rain extended into the western Gulf Coast region, where localized flooding occurred.

In the West, dozens of large wildfires remained active, despite showers associated with the monsoon circulation dotting the Great Basin, Intermountain West, and Southwest. Some of the largest and fastest-spreading wildfires occurred in climatologically drier areas of the Pacific Coast States, especially where ample fine and heavy fuels were ignited amid hot, dry, breezy conditions.

Some of the week’s heaviest rain fell in the western Gulf Coast region, including areas where Hurricane Beryl had struck on July 8. Measurable precipitation fell each day during the week in Palacios, TX, where 7-day rainfall totaled 9.69 inches. Palacios also noted daily-record totals of 2.19, 2.48, and 3.52 inches, respectively, on July 22, 25, and 27. Meanwhile, League City, TX netted 10.31 inches from July 21-27, aided by a 5.33-inch sum on the 26th. The Trinity River at Liberty, TX, peaked at 1.50 feet above flood stage on July 29, marking only the third highest crest of the year at that location, behind 6.41 feet above flood stage on May 6 and 2.88 feet on June 21. Downpours extended into Louisiana, where record-setting amounts for July 24 included 3.19 inches in Lake Charles and 2.58 inches in Alexandria. Much of the Southeast was also wet, with daily-record totals topping 2 inches in locations such as Asheville, NC (2.38 inches on July 22); Florence, SC (2.28 inches on July 22); Danville, VA (2.33 inches on July 23); and Alma, GA (2.20 inches on July 25). Although rainfall was not as organized across the Midwest and Northeast, totals were locally heavy, with daily-record amounts exceeding the 2-inch mark in Binghamton, NY (2.43 inches on July 22); Massena, NY (2.10 inches on July 24); and Vichy-Rolla, MO (2.51 inches on July 27). In the West, monsoon related showers delivered a few higher totals.

For example, the 1.83-inch total in Tucson, AZ, on July 25 marked the wettest day in that location since August 14, 2021, when 2.15 inches fell. In Nevada, record-setting totals for July 24 included 0.46 inch in Reno, 0.44 inch in Elko, and 0.23 inch in Winnemucca. Even parts of the Pacific Coast States received spotty showers, with daily-record amounts reaching 0.23 inch (on the 24th) in Ontario, OR, and 0.15 inch (on the 25th) in Campo, CA.

Jim G. Munley, jr.
http://www.jimmunleywx.com