Weather History Archive

On This Day In

                   Weather History

September 23rd

Local and Regional Events:

September 23, 1984:

Snow fell from the early morning to the late evening hours across northwest South Dakota bringing more than a foot of snow to some locations. Camp Crook in Harding County reported 14 inches. Amounts between six and twelve inches were common across Harding and Perkins Counties as well as parts of Meade and Butte Counties. Roads in these areas were slushy with icy bridges. The snow covered much of the western third of South Dakota with depths an inch or less.

September 23, 2004:

A tornado touched down northeast of Browns Valley, MN during the late afternoon. This tornado traveled through a cornfield and a farmstead before dissipating. The tornado damaged several sheds and a trailer along with toppling a large grain bin. Another tornado touched down south and southwest of Rosholt in Roberts County in the late afternoon. This F2 tornado destroyed a house, a mobile home, and a travel trailer. The tornado also killed three cattle.

Local Climate Information:

Click HERE for daily climate information for Aberdeen, Mobridge, Pierre, Sisseton, and Watertown.

Click HERE for daily climate information for Sioux Falls, Huron, Mitchell, and Sioux City.

U.S.A and Global Events for September 23rd:

1551: The Grand Harbour at Valetta, Malta, was hit by a waterspout which then moved inland. This waterspout sunk four ships, killing at least 600 people. It should be noted, the year of the event could also be 1555, or 1556 as sources conflict.

Above is an impression of the Valetta waterspout – tornado by artist Chris Chatfield.

1722: La Nouvelle-Orléans (New Orleans) was founded May 7, 1718, by the French Mississippi Company, under the direction of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, on land inhabited by the Chitimacha. Four years later, a hurricane destroys nearly every building in the village, including the only church and hospital.

1975: On September 22, Hurricane Eloise intensified to attain Category 2 strength, and became a major hurricane of Category 3 status shortly after that as it turned towards the northeast. Several ships penetrated the storm's center during its passage through the Gulf. Hurricane Eloise continued to strengthen until it reached its peak winds of 125 mph and a minimum barometric pressure of about 955 mbar. It moved ashore along the Florida Panhandle near Panama City on September 23.

This weather satellite picture of Hurricane Eloise was taken on September 22, 1975, at 1700 UTC.

Above is damage in the Florida Panhandle from Hurricane Eloise, a Category 3 tropical cyclone. The image is courtesy of the NOAA Photo Library.

2009: A massive dust storm swept 725 miles across the outback to engulf Sydney, New South Wales producing a red hue across the region from the 22^nd through the 24th. Wind gusts topped 60 mph as the storm transported an estimated 5,000 metric tons of dust, spreading it into the southern region of Queensland.

The image above shows the dust storm over eastern Australia. The image was taken on September 23 by the MODIS Terra satellite.

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