 DISCUSSION: As we turn the clocks all the way back to a little over 105 years ago, we arrive at what undoubtedly an incredibly scary day in weather history for many people across the state of Oklahoma and other parts of the central United States for that matter. Back on April 25th, 1912, Ponca City, Oklahoma was struck by an estimated F4 tornado. During this tornadic storm, one person was killed, and 119 homes were damaged or destroyed. Dozens of oil derricks were flattened or twisted, southwest of town. The tornado was reportedly visible and audible for 20 miles. Hence, this storm had an incredibly high impact on the greater north-central Oklahoma region.
To learn more about other past historic weather events from around the world, be sure to click here! ©2017 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz
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 DISCUSSION: As we turn the clocks back to April 23rd of 1948, we arrive at a very historic severe weather event in Iowa state history. It was during this event that a three block long section was devastated at the edge of Ionia, Iowa in Chickasaw County by what was estimated as an F4 tornado. Six homes and a church were leveled, and nine other homes were severely damaged. Two deaths occurred in the collapse of the Huffman Implement Store. Overall, the tornado killed five people and injured 25. It goes without saying that this was a very historic weather event which profoundly impacted many people living across sections of northeastern Iowa. To learn more about this particular severe weather event, click the following link.
To learn more about other past historic weather events from around the world, be sure to click here! ©2017 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz  DISCUSSION: As we look back to the latter part of April 1927, we arrive at a very historic and destructive weather event in U.S. history. Back in April 1927, the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 unfolded and was the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States with 27,000 square miles inundated up to a depth of 30 feet. Nearly 700,000 people were evacuated or left homeless by floodwaters. Although 247 people were confirmed dead, the actual total of individuals who lost their lives in the flooding was over 1,000. To learn more about this historic flooding event(courtesy of the Universities Space Research Association), feel free to click the following link.
To learn more about other past historic weather events from around the world, be sure to click here! ©2017 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz Reflecting on the North Dakota Flood of 1997! (credit: WDAZ 8 via This Day in Weather History)4/18/2017  DISCUSSION: As we look back to April 1997, we are brought back to the historic North Dakota floods that impacted hundreds of thousands of people. As shown in the video above, periods of heavy and prolonged rainfall led to major widespread impacts which devastated many communities due to tremendous rainfall accumulation. Although there was a decent advanced forecast prior to this event, there is no question that this heavy rainfall event had major implications on infrastructure and residential areas.
To learn more about other past historic weather events from around the world, be sure to click here! ©2017 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz  Image Courtesy: Gravestone DISCUSSION: April 18th, 2017 marks the 75th anniversary of such a critical moment in history, the Doolittle Raid. This raid, conducted by General James Doolittle had been thought of as a tactical blow that might prove to the Japanese Imperial Navy that the United States hadn’t lost its moral after the devastating events that took place in Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. Not more than 6 months’ prior had the United States experienced a surprise attack in Pearl Harbor, Oahu destroying 164 aircraft, 159 damaged, 12 naval ships destroyed, all but the USS Arizona, Utah and Oklahoma with deaths totaling 2,388 including 48 civilians. Early 1942, General Jimmy Doolittle (then Lt. Col.) was tasked with training selected pilots for an aerial raid on Japan which would be conducted from bombers launching from an aircraft carrier, in particular B-25B Mitchells which would fly a long-haul flight from carriers to select locations in Japan (History.com). Little did Doolittle know that weather would play an important factor in his raid plans over Japan on those early morning hours of April 1942. By April 14th, Japanese analysis had intercepted radio traffic indicating an attack may occur, but confusion arose when bombers came from the carrier Hornet shortly before dawn on April 18th, 1942. The raiders launched their aircraft nearly 150 miles farther than expected as a Japanese Trawler had been spotted in the area. Lead by Doolittle, all 16 bombers launched into brutal storms. These storms however were able to provide a nearly 50 mph headwind (CV6), a benefit for added lift to launch a nearly 20,000 pound bomber off a deck spanning 500 feet. All 16 aircraft had launched on that day, and all 16 aircraft had been destroyed. All of these aircraft had hit their intended targets of factories, storage facilities, and oil refineries with 6 perishing of the 80 raiders. The Doolittle raid provided a much-needed moral boost to the United States as Japan felt dazed with the use of land-based bombers to strike crucial resources in Japan. For more information on weather and other science concepts impacting historical events visit the Global Weather and Climate Center! ~Meteorologist Jessica Olsen "USS Enterprise CV-6The Most Decorated Ship of the Second World War." The Doolittle Raid: April 18, 1942. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2017. History.com Staff. "James H. Doolittle." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 18 Apr. 2017. "Doolittle, James Harold "Jimmy"." WW2 Gravestone. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2017. Remembering Historic North-Central U.S. Severe Weather Event! (credit: This Day in Weather History)4/17/2017  DISCUSSION: Looking back to April 17th, 1922, we arrive at a scary severe weather day across parts of the mid-western United States. Here is the exact excerpt from the post on the "This Day in Weather History" page on Facebook. On this date in 1922, southern Illinois and Western Indiana saw two rounds of severe weather, including tornadoes. The first significant tornado occurred just before midnight on the 16th near Oakdale, Illinois. This tornado killed 4 and injured 22 others. Five additional tornadoes took place between midnight and 3 AM on the 17th. During the mid-morning and early afternoon hours, two estimated F4 tornadoes caused devastation in Hedrick and near Orestes in Indiana. A postcard from one farm near Orestes was dropped near Mt. Cory, Ohio, 124 miles away. The map contains the possible tornado tracks for the two events. The red lines are estimated F4 tornadoes. The image is from the Chicago Tribune. To learn more about this particular severe weather event, feel free to visit the following link which contains information from the actual Chicago Tribune newspaper at the time: http://archives.chicagotribune.com/…/storm-dead-may-reach-50
To learn more about other past historic weather events from around the world, be sure to click here! ©2017 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz  DISCUSSION: As of yesterday, many people across the greater Southeast United States still clearly remember the terrifying memory and anniversary of the mid-April 2011 tornado outbreak which included the EF-3 tornado which impacted the city of Leakesville, Mississippi. Attached below is the direct excerpt from the National Weather Service office located in Mobile, Alabama on this severe weather event.
"Today is the 6th Anniversary of the April 15, 2011 Tornado Outbreak across our area. This Tornado Outbreak across the Deep South was part of a 3-day violent weather outbreak (April 14-16). In total, there were 178 tornadoes over this 3 day period with 73 tornadoes on April 15 alone. 18 of the 73 tornadoes occurred across the NWS Mobile/Pensacola County Warning Area (CWA). More local tornado information can be found on our event webpage which can be found at the following link: www.weather.gov/mob/2011_April15_Tornado." To learn more about other past historic weather events from around the world, be sure to click here! ©2017 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz Looking Back on a Record 1921 Colorado Snowfall Event! (credit: This Day in Weather History)4/16/2017  DISCUSSION: As the clocks turn back to April 14-15, 1921, we arrive at a very historic winter blast which impacted parts of the Rocky Mountains. The graphic attached above is the article taken from the Monthly Weather Review which was published in February 1953. As reflected by the notes displayed in graphic above, a snowfall of 87 inches feel in just 27.5 hours during the period from April 14 to 15, 1921 at Silver Lake, Colorado. Based on the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information - Climate snowfall extremes page, Silver Lake measured a 2-day value of 95 inches! https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/snow-and-ice/snowfall-extremes/CO. To learn more about this particular event, feel free to click on the following link which is the actual article from the Monthly Weather Review journal: https://goo.gl/TTriK0.
To learn more about other past historic weather events occurring around the world, be sure to click here! ©2017 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz 
DISCUSSION: By looking back to the period of time between April 13-14th, 1986, we find the period of time in which a major winter storm the Dakotas. As we look back to this major winter blast which unfolded roughly 31 years ago today, this system unfolded such that it was a major spring storm which quickly intensified and brought blizzard conditions to much of the Northern Plains Region. Moreover, there was up to 18 inches of snow reported in parts of North Dakota, and in South Dakota, high winds whipped the snow into drifts up to or possibly just over fifteen feet high. During the course of this event, livestock losses were in the millions of dollars, and for some areas, it was the worst blizzard in decades. Hence, this was a very intense winter storm which had major impacts across many parts of the North-Central United States.
To learn more about other past historic weather events from around the world, be sure to click here! ©2017 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz 90th Anniversary of the Infamous Rocksprings Tornado! (credit: NWS Austin/San Antonio, Texas)4/14/2017  DISCUSSION: As we look back to a little over 90 years ago today, we arrive at a scary day in Texas state weather history. On April 12th, 1927, we arrive at the day of the 1927 Rocksprings, Texas tornado event. The Rocksprings tornado was an F5 tornado which killed 74 people, damaging most of the town. It is also worth noting that this was and still remains to be the 3rd deadliest tornado in Texas History. There is no question that this was an incredibly memorable event for many who experienced this violent storm on that mid-April day back in 1927! To learn about more details about this particular event, we welcome you to check out the graphic attached above which has more information on this event.
To learn more about other past historic weather events from around the world, be sure to click here! ©2017 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz |
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