OTD In 1991: Bangladesh was bracing for Tropical Cyclone 2B. As the cyclone barreled up the Bay of Bengal, over 100,000 fled to shelters. Ferocious 146 mph winds and a 20ft surge ravaged the coast for 9 hrs, claiming 140,000 lives. The world rallied to aid. #WeatherHistory

Beautiful new Siemens engine leading Amtrak Train 20 The Crescent out of ⁦Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau⁩ at Irondale against a field of altocumulus clouds on a wonderful spring afternoon! ⁦James Spann⁩

OTD in 1928: Bayard WV recorded 35 inches of snow in a late season snowstorm. Train from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia blocked for two days.

OTD in 1899: A 1/4 wide tornado ravaged Kirksville, MO, claiming 34 lives. A second twister hit Newtown, resulting in 12 fatalities. Amid devastation, debates raged about the merits of tornado warnings—a controversy that would hinder forecasting advances for decades.

1962: A tornado ravaged Sheppard Air Force Base, TX, just before midnight. The control tower's windows shattered, but it was emptied in time. Buildings and a hangar lay in ruins. Though 13 were injured, fortunately, there were no fatalities.

OTD in 1910: Birmingham AL recorded its latest snow ever. An inch of snow was reported in Lamar County, which killed the young corn crop.

OTD in 1908: A trio of long-tracked, violent tornadoes struck Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama killing at least 269 people. Hard hit was Amite, LA with 25 fatalities, Purvis, MS where 55 died, and Albertville, AL, where 15 died in the nearly-destroyed town.

OTD in 1927: The Mississippi River raged out of control in its namesake state. Nearly 200,000 people in the Delta were forced from their homes by floodwaters from a levee break at Mounds Landing, covering an area 50 miles wide and 100 miles long to a depth or up to 20 feet!

1971: Severe hailstorm hit Washington and Baldwin Counties in Southwest Alabama. Up to 2' hailstones causing widespread damage near Blackshear, covering ground, destroying timber, crops, and structures, stripping trees, breaking windows, and damaging vehicles. #ALWX James Spann

OTD in 1997: A major levee breach and record snowmelt caused the Red River to overflow, submerging Grand Forks, ND, and forcing over 50,000 evacuations, devastating the community

OTD in 1976: 98F at Providence, RI, is still an April record to this date as New England baked in an unprecedented 3-day heat wave. Boston’s 94F on the 18th is still their all-time April record as well. It was 96F in Hartford, CT.

OTD in 1906: The Great San Francisco Earthquake (M8.3) and Fire killed 315 and left 350 missing and presumed dead.

OTD in 1942: West Palm Beach, FL, was soaked with 8.35” of rain in two hours.

OTD in 1998::Barely a week after an F5 tornado ripped across Central Alabama, the “forgotten” F5 carved a 19-mile path across Wayne and Lawrence Counties in Tennessee. It was overshadowed by the F3 tornado that hit downtown Nashville the same day.

OTD In 2021: SEACOR Power lift boat capsized in the Gulf of Mexico near Port Fourchon, LA, amid violent weather and high winds due to wake low and 8mb pressure gradient. Coast Guard rescued 5, 7 died, 7 missing. Safety reviews followed.

OTD in 1934: The highest wind velocity ever recorded in the Northern Hemisphere remains at 231 mph, observed some 6,288 feet above sea level at Mount Washington, NH.

OTD in 1957: J.B. Elliott's 1st day @ USWB in Birmingham featured tornadoes across North Alabama. Thrown into the fray, he worked his first day sans paperwork (and pay)! It was start of a rare 32 year career at one office. James Spann #weatherhistory

OTD in 2006: Tornadoes hit the Deep South; 12 dead in TN. High Risk issued a day ahead—a first. Long warning lead times on many of the tornadoes. Deadly F3s struck Gallatin & McMinnville. Came just a week after 24 died in prior storms in NW TN.

OTD in 1936: The following morning after the Tupelo Tornado, a tornado struck Gainesville, GA. The deadliest of the 2-day outbreak, it claimed 203 lives and obliterated parts of the city, including a factory with workers inside. ow.ly/EiXZ50R7Y9r #weatherhistory

A stunning sky as ⁦Amtrak⁩ train 19, the Crescent, rolls south from Alexandria VA towards Alabama and home! ⁦James Spann⁩