Weather History Archive

Weather History - June 16

Local and Regional Events:

June 16, 1915:

A tornado swept over a narrow path in Hughes, Hyde, and Hand counties during the afternoon hours. This tornado caused several thousands of dollars in property damage and seriously injured many people. Luckily there were no fatalities reported.

June 16, 1992:

An F3 tornado caused significant destruction as it moved northeast across the northwestern side of Ft. Thompson. The tornado virtually destroyed the Lake Sharpe Visitor Center. In Ft. Thompson, the tornado destroyed at least four homes, and 15 mobile homes were damaged, leaving about 55 persons homeless. Eight people were injured, two of them seriously. The storm also destroyed other buildings, six 50,000 bushel grain bins, and four high voltage towers from Big Bend Dam. At the Shady Bend Campground, 19 campers and several boats were destroyed.

Also, heavy rains fell over three days beginning on the 15th. The hardest-hit area was in Clear Lake, where the three-day total was 11.53 inches. As a result, a wall of water up to 15 feet high swept down creeks in the Clear Lake area. The resultant flash flooding went through the first floors of many houses and even filled basements of homes on hills. In addition, all roads into Clear Lake were cut off as the town became surrounded by water. Officials in Deuel County estimated at least 37 bridges and culverts were destroyed. Other three-day rainfall totals include; 6.35 inches in Conde; 5.99 in Castlewood; 4.91 inches 2NW of Big Stone City; 4.90 in Redfield; and 4.65 inches at Artichoke Lake.

June 16, 2009:

An upper low-pressure area brought several supercell thunderstorms, which produced severe weather across parts of central and northeast South Dakota. Large hail up to 2 inches in diameter, several tornadoes, and flash flooding occurred with these storms. Slow-moving thunderstorms brought heavy rains of 2 to 4 inches in and around Aberdeen, causing extensive road flooding. Dozens of basements were flooded and damaged, along with some sewer backups. Many vehicles became stalled with the police sent out to direct traffic. There were also some power outages. A tornado touched down briefly northwest of Lebanon in Potter County with no damage occurring. A tornado touched down southeast of Polo in Hand County in an open field. No damage occurred. Heavy rains of 3 to over 5 inches caused flash flooding of several roads and crops in north-central and northeast Spink County. Torrential rains from 3 to 6 inches fell across southeast Brown County, bringing flash flooding. Many roads were flooded and damaged, along with many acres of cropland. A tornado touched down in southeastern Hand County and remained on the ground for nearly 15 minutes before lifting. No damage occurred with this tornado as it stayed in the open country.

June 16, 2010:

Very strong winds were observed during the evening hours in Dewey County, South Dakota. Three weather stations near Lantry observed winds from 101 to 142 mph. One station had recorded a 101 mph wind before it was destroyed. The other two stations recorded 131 mph and 142 mph winds. The winds destroyed an airplane hangar and severely damaged another one. Several semi-trailers were also tipped over and damaged by the very high winds.

U.S.A and Global Events for June 16:

June 16, 1806: The great American total solar eclipse occurred from California to Massachusetts, nearly five minutes in duration. Click HERE for more information.

June 16, 1895: Heavy rain fell in portions of central Arkansas, damaging several roads and bridges. At Madding, east of Pine Bluff, 6.12 inches of rain fell in six hours.

June 16, 1896: A tsunami ravages the coast of Japan, killing between 22,000 and 27,000 people. Click HERE for more information from the History Channel.

June 16, 1957: A violent F4 tornado struck the communities of Robecco Pavese and Valle Scurpasso in Pavia, Italy, flattening many large stone buildings. The tornado killed seven people and injured 80. Images of the damage indicate that tornado may have reached T10 (low-end F5) intensity. Click HERE for more information on tornados in Italy. Click HERE for a YouTube video. 

June 16-23, 1972: Agnes was first named by the National Hurricane Center on June 16, 1972: It would go on to make landfall between Panama City and Apalachicola, Florida, on the afternoon of June 19. Hurricane Agnes would later cause catastrophic flooding in the mid-Atlantic states, especially Pennsylvania. Agnes caused over 100 fatalities.

June 16, 1992: A devastating tornado ravaged portions of southwest Minnesota. Commonly referred to as the Chandler-Lake Wilson tornado, this tornado destroyed more than 75 homes, with another 90 houses, 10 businesses, a church, and a school damaged. In addition, the tornado caused over $50 million in property damage, resulting in more than 40 injuries and one fatality. Based on a detailed damage assessment by the National Weather Service, it is estimated this F5 tornado packed winds over 260 mph as it tore through the residential area of Chandler, Minnesota. This was the only F5 tornado to occur in the United States in 1992. Click HERE for more information from the NWS Office in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

June 16, 2014: The Pilger tornado was the most intense of the family of tornadoes produced by the supercell. This tornado developed about 6 miles southwest of the town of Pilger and moved northeast, directly striking the city. Initially narrow and relatively weak, the tornado significantly intensified as it neared the Elkhorn River and moved into town. The tornado cut a path through town, destroying numerous homes and businesses. The tornado was responsible for 1 fatality in the town of Pilger and several injuries before moving northeast and weakening. During a weakening period, the tornado again intensified, producing additional violent damage 4 miles northeast of Pilger. Finally, the tornado narrowed, weakened, and turned east, wrapping around the developing Wakefield tornado before dissipating. Click HERE for more information from the NWS Office in Omaha, Nebraska. Click HERE for a tornado picture from storm chaser Aaron Rigsby.

The graphic above is from a tweet from the NWS Office in Omaha, Nebraska.

June 16, 2017: Mammatus clouds were seen over the National Weather Service office in Omaha. Click HERE for additional severe weather reports.

Click HERE for more This Day in Weather History from the Southeast Regional Climate Center.